On Feb. 12, Gov. Greg Abbott added an endorsement to his website from the Music Venue Alliance of Texas, claiming to represent “over 800 music venues across the state.”
“Governor Abbott has always been a champion for us. If it weren’t for his efforts to reopen Texas, over 500 small live music venues across our great state would have remained closed,” writes MVA-T co-founder and chairman Edwin Cabaniss in the statement. “We witnessed how this negatively impacted our peers in other states. Governor Abbott also played a key role in leading the bipartisan Texas Music Incubator Rebate program. This initiative is a game-changer that will support Texas venues with over $200 million in funding over the next decade, ensuring that our Texas music and culture continue to thrive.”
Shortly after publication of this story, Music Venue Alliance Austin, a separate entity from Music Venue Alliance Texas, shared with the Chronicle a statement provided to its membership after Abbott shared MVA-T’s endorsement. It reads, in part:…