City of Austin

The City’s Music Division will be monitoring a “silent” disco event tonight, Feb. 17, at the Cedar Street Courtyard as part of efforts to find ways to mitigate sound issues in Austin music venues.

A “silent” disco is a unique concept that is slowly emerging in Austin’s music scene. Silent disco augments traditional public address systems by streaming music over three-channel wireless headphones featuring live or electronic dance music from on-site disc jockeys.

The City’s Music Division will witness first-hand how this alternative sound mitigation technology might translate to the general Austin public as a possible additional solution for some venues.

The Cedar Street event will be from 9 tonight to 3:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 17.  City officials say the extended hours for this outdoor venue are allowable because of the “silent” nature of the event.

The Austin City Council recently initiated a Music Venue Assistance Program to work with a music venue to study ways to mitigate sound issues.

Before a site is picked for a case study, the Music Division of the City’s Economic Growth and Redevelopment Services Department and a cross-departmental team are reviewing sound alternatives used by various venues.

Ultimately, the Music Venue Assistance Program will provide low-interest loans for implementing sound mitigation technologies to music venues that meet program criteria.