We had the good fortune of connecting with Houston Music Classifieds and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Houston Music Classifieds, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Houston Music Classifieds was started as a way to consolidate show information in Houston with daily show listings posted on Instagram. Our goal was to be a centralized source of information about local live music. From the show listings, a community started to emerge of musicians, artists, and audiences actively supporting each other and becoming connected through our page. Houston Music Classifieds began to expand our offerings through our website by adding resources such as our open mic/jam and venue page. We also started doing interviews as a way to connect the community. After about a year, we threw a party for our first anniversary. From that celebration, we had a lot of feedback about how we needed to replicate that event. We created Solar Flare Music Festival as an extension of Houston Music Classifieds as a way to uplift Houston artists. Each part of HMC has come from community suggestions or from the intention to connect artists and audiences. It wasn’t and isn’t a business; it is a community resource.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Houston Music Classifieds is currently planning Solar Flare Music Festival 2025 and beyond in hopes for it to become a staple of Southern music festivals. Houston has a vibrant music scene that is almost hidden away from the general population, and we are trying to find ways to bring that into focus. We also host Song Swaps throughout the year as a more intimate way to showcase Houston artists.

HMC offers a variety of free resources for artists to connect with other artists. Our newest addition is our band registry, which is sortable by genre, and is available for artists looking for additions to their lineups. An unintended consequence of the band registry is that touring bands who ask for recommendations for local openers are now being pointed to the registry. This helps to connect Houston artists to the rest of the world.

We are most proud of the community that created itself because of Houston Music Classifieds. Every time we host an event, we meet more and more people whose lives have been directly impacted from using Houston Music Classifieds. Bands have been formed, lineups have been solidified, and collaborations run rampant at any given Houston Music Classifieds event. This means the world to us and is the driving force for us continuing to do what we do.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Of course we’d go see a local artist play! For dinner before the show, our team recommends Riva’s, Moon Tower Inn, or Bohemeo’s (their veggie tacos are to die for). For drinks afterward, we love Voodoo Queen, Johnny’s Gold Brick, or Double Trouble. We love free museums, so HMNS from 5:00-8:00 PM on Tuesdays, the MFAH on Thursdays, or the Menil always.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There is no one person to thank for the success of Houston Music Classifieds. There are so many people we’d like to thank, from venues, to musicians, audiences, and local businesses, who have given their time and energy to supporting us. Our biggest thanks, however, has to be to the Houston musicians who have trusted us from the beginning and shared our daily show listings, even back when we only had 50 followers. These musicians helped us create the foundation to become what we are today.

Image Credits
Gulf Coast Collective

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