Austin and ACL

By Kim Ho

Austin City Limits was born in a city nationally recognized for is "climate of creativity and extensive live music environment" and is now renowned as the longest-standing, live-music television series in American broadcast history. There is however, a lingering question – would ACL have been as successful if it were started in another city or would Austin be the same city if ACL had not been created here?

"Austin City Limits could have happened somewhere else but the fact that it did happened here suggests questions regarding timing, place, the predominant social environment, and cultural circumstances," said Craig Hillis, talent consultant for ACL in 1974 and 1975.

Currently home to more than over 200 live music venues, Grammy Award winners The Dixie Chicks and Willie Nelson, the ACL festival, SXSW and a host of other cultural attractions such as the Austin Symphony, Ballet Austin and Lyric Opera, Austin has earned the title the Live Music Capital of the World. But Austin has always been at the forefront of the music industry – even in the 70s. Establishments like the Armadillo Headquarters, along with many other music venues and nightclubs, were already in place – providing a perfect home for the ACL television show.

Hillis says that although many contemporary observers argue about which came first – Austin's thriving music scene or the ACL show – that the program beginnings are more accurately understood as a series of complementary events.

"You've had the physical plant, an incredibly well equipped studio and sound stage built by the University in the early 70s, and you had the technical talent with the audio crew and the video producers. You had a very dynamic cultural climate with all the live music exploding in and around Austin at the time, So when you mixed that talent base with a visionary like [Bill] Arhos, the series' executive producer, and his very talented technical and production crew, you have very good things like ACL happen."

Producer Terry Lickona says that ACL simply reaffirms for people that Austin is a place all about music. Lickona and others say that it's undeniable that ACL, which has been seen by millions of people every week for 33 years, played a role in the development of Austin's cultural scene. Austin is also the home to over 750 musicians according to the City of Austin's press kit "The Music Plays On."

"That speaks loud and clear that Austin's all about music," Lickona says. "It's a music town. It's a music scene. People associate Austin with music more than they associate it with anything else. It's been a good relationship between the TV show and this city of Austin and the people here."

So who has benefited more from the ACL-Austin relationship?

David Hough, audio engineer who was with the show since its pilot season, comments that ACL and its crew have been on the receiving end of the relationship. After going to L.A. and receiving a job offer, he realized that he would rather enjoy a better quality of life in Austin rather than take the extra money a high-pressured job in LA offered.

"Do you want a stressful life and make a lot of money or can you just get by with just what you need," he asked.

Austin, in addition to providing all of the cultural and economic benefits of being a booming city, also doubles as a lush landscape and adventure in your back yard. Austinites can experience the outdoors without ever having to leave the city limits. Town Lake's 10 miles of hike-and-bike trails, Barton Springs and the 360-acre Zilker Park, which is favorite venue for outdoor music events such as the ACL Music Festival, are all within minutes of each other.

Sharon Cullen, audio supervisor for ACL for 17 years, said the crew realized that working for the music industry in a city like Austin was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

"To be able to do this for a living and in Austin is pretty uncommon, and we all understand it and appreciate it."

But the ACL crew was not the only benefactor in the whole ACL equation. Live music in Austin generates an economic impact of $116 million annually with $38 million coming from SXSW alone and another $26.3 million from the three-day ACL Music Festival, as released in the press kit.

Brand manager for ACL Ed Bailey is a first-hand witness of what the name ACL itself has brought to the city of Austin. He was in charge of licensing the ACL name to Capital Sports Entertainment so that we have today's ACL Music Festival.

"It was obvious to me that there was a connection between calling ourselves the Live Music Capital of the Word," said Bailey. "Austin City Limits is a cornerstone in validity that everywhere you go people seem to recognize this TV show because media has that kind of reach."

So whether or not ACL or Austin benefits more from the relationship, one thing remains true. As long as ACL continues to stand the test of time, Austin will always be a top contender for the title "Live Music Capital of the World."

When asked about the long-term prospects for ACL, Hillis said, "If the program continues to embrace the high caliber of people they've been known for in the past, then the program's future is endless."

Craig Hillis on Austin and ACL