From Gig Economy to Cultural Infrastructure: Rethinking Musical Labor, Value, and Community Power

On Sunday, February 15, the symposium will feature a panel titled From Gig Economy to Cultural Infrastructure: Rethinking Musical Labor, Value, and Community Power brings together artists, organizers, educators, and technologists to examine how musical labor is structured today; and how it might be transformed. The panel features Grammy-nominated artist and producer Terrany Johnson, whose work centers community building and the lived realities of musicians navigating the gig economy; Kyle Evans, co-founder of Dadalab and UT Austin lecturer, whose practice explores experimental music and alternative cultural economies; Kay Cote, founder of Amplify EDM, whose advocacy focuses on equity and sustainable pathways for electronic music artists; Nagavalli Medicharla, Chair of the Austin Music Commission and Board Chair of EQ Austin, who bridges music, civic leadership, and technology in her work on cultural policy; and Gabriel Phoenix, Chief Product and Technology Officer of Prosper XO, whose work centers ethical, artist-first technology and data infrastructure. Moderated by Lauren Bruno, Founder and CEO of Prosper XO, the session connects academic research on musical labor with applied, community-rooted strategies for building more equitable and sustainable cultural ecosystems.