| If you want to live in Austin, chances are it is | | | | racket, city officials recently approved a noise |
| because of the music. The city is defined by its | | | | ordinance. Standing outside clubs, using hand-held |
| musical past, and the present is suffused with local | | | | devices that resemble Geiger counters, police officers |
| and visiting acts. This makes for a competitive rental | | | | measure decibels and have become, many believe, |
| market. Fortunately, Austin is a friendly city, with | | | | the chief emblem of a city in serious trouble. |
| plenty of people willing to help. If you are planning to | | | | The entire nation is in an economic funk, of course, |
| relocate to Austin, it is important to understand how | | | | but in the long run, the soul of most cities will survive. |
| the city works, and where to look to find an ideal | | | | Los Angeles will still bleed Hollywood glitz, even as |
| apartment. | | | | California confronts a budget deficit of as much as |
| So two weeks ago, the band stuffed itself into a | | | | $30 billion. But many believe Austin's very image -- it's |
| spartan van and set out for this Texas city to play a | | | | very "capital of the world" catchphrase -- is falling |
| show that would last all of 45 minutes. A thousand | | | | apart. |
| miles later, the band landed at South by Southwest, | | | | Even as it puts on its easygoing bohemian face each |
| a conference that showcases Austin's storied | | | | morning, the city is spiraling into an economic pit. |
| devotion not just to music but specifically to live | | | | Rents that doubled in some areas during the boom |
| music: blues and bluegrass, country and rock, Zydeco | | | | never fell back to Earth. Clubs are shutting down at |
| and hip-hop. | | | | an alarming rate. Venues that have managed to |
| "We didn't think twice," said Tom Naumann, Jet by | | | | survive have had to slash the fees they pay bands |
| Day drummer. "It's still Austin." | | | | to perform live. |
| Like a modern Motown, the city is considered a | | | | Musicians have always been willing to keep their day |
| cradle of independent music and has given scores of | | | | jobs, as the saying goes. Now there aren't any of |
| artists a ticket from garage-band obscurity to | | | | those either. Weeks ago, one homemaker decided to |
| legitimacy. But many fear the city's ability to nurture | | | | apply for a job as a $10-an-hour courier. He was |
| new music is -- like the economy -- weakening. | | | | shocked, when he arrived at the address listed on a |
| These days, the freshest face in the self-declared | | | | classified ad, to find 200 others competing for the |
| "live music capital of the world" isn't that of a young | | | | position. |
| blues prodigy or a music executive with a bead on | | | | So there you have it; another dream is realized in |
| undiscovered talent. It's the cop on noise patrol. | | | | Austin. If you are planning to move here, you could |
| Desperate to appease those who moved into | | | | be next. At least you know you'll have a great |
| Austin's music district, then complained about the | | | | apartment to go home to after the show. |