A large image of a young woman with jean shorts and a cowboy hat – playing a guitar at a MetroRapid bus station on a beautiful sunny day.

CapMetro Music

Everyone knows Austin loves live music, and so what better way for us to keep this culture alive than with live musical performances? In collaboration with the city of Austin, the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians and the Downtown Austin Alliance, we're bringing CapMetro Music to a bus stop near you.

Local musicians perform at bus stops, train stations and transit centers throughout the city, with the goal of making your day a bit more fun and doing our part to support local musicians.

Interested in participating in the CapMetro Music program?

Applications are currently closed.

Details and Instructions

Any individual performer, band or other musical ensemble who resides in the Austin area is eligible to apply. All styles of musical expression - instrumental and/or vocal, composed and/or improvised - are encouraged, including but not limited to classical, mariachi, country, pop/rock, folk, hip-hop, conjunto, jazz, etc.

CapMetro envisions community supportive music that the random passerby could selectively enjoy or reasonably tune out. Some music would be acoustic.

All musicians must supply their own equipment, though no amplification is allowed. Applications will be judged on the following criteria:

  • Creativity
  • Artistic merit
  • Flexibility with regard to weather
  • Appropriateness to the CapMetro environment and our mission

Performance times will be in 60-minute sets, and payment will be made using PayPal.

A. All artists must do the following:

  • Give a short description of your proposed performance (genre).
  • Completed application
  • Names of performers for program notes and/or publicity.
  • A description of you and/or your group for program notes and/or publicity, in 50 words or fewer.
  • Social media usernames for promotional purposes.
  • A signed agreement form.

B. CapMetro does not assume responsibility for damage to or loss of any material submitted for these open calls.
C. The selected artists will be informed by phone and/or email.

If you're interested in participating in CapMetro Music, please complete the online application.

An honorarium of $200 is available for each musician for their 60-minute set, sent by PayPal after the performance. Musicians are also encouraged to invite tips from passersby through the use of open case.

CapMetro will create a pool of potential performers, comprising those who apply and meet the application criteria. We will then contact members of the pool to invite to MetroMusic events, as they become available. CapMetro reserves the right to select the musical act that it deems most appropriate for any given location. However, we will try to rotate invitations throughout the pool.

Musicians who turn down the opportunity at the time of initial invitation will not be penalized by CapMetro. However, musicians who accept an invitation and cancel without giving 48 hours' notice or who do not show up will be removed from the pool.

  • Participating performers assume responsibility for any and all instruments, stands and other equipment they bring. CapMetro takes no responsibility and holds no liability for injury, damage or loss of property to anyone during these performance times and events.
  • Performers are responsible for arriving at the time agreed upon with CapMetro, with the same set of musicians and music submitted in the applications (i.e., if you submit to play as a jazz combo, you show up with a combo and play jazz).
  • Performers must sign a waiver indemnifying CapMetro from any loss or damage that occurs leading up to, during or following performances.

CapMetro will retain the right to use photographs or videotaped images of performers and artists rehearsing or in performance for publicity and other non-commercial purposes.