Texas Business reports: The Texas Music Office has created the Live Music Grant Program, which will fund free, live-music concerts across the state.

Texas Business reports:  DENTON—Reefer Madness, a satire of the 1936 cult classic film, will be presented by the University of North Texas Department of Dance and Theatre March 29 through April 1.

Texas Business reports: NEW YORK—Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, entered into a historic new record deal with Texas musician Willie Nelson. 

Texas Business reports:  AUSTIN—The Texas Heritage Songwriters Association (TxHSA) will hold its 7th Annual Hall of Fame Awards Show on March 4th, 2012 at Austin City Limits Live at Moody Theater in downtown Austin.

Texas Business reports:  Posting their music videos to YouTube began as a side project for Henry and Robinett, but now it may lead to a viable career option for both.

Texas Business reports:  OAKLAND, Calif. and AUSTIN— Pandora, a provider of personalized internet radio, and DMX, a provider of commercial music and experiential marketing, formed a a partnership to provide the first personalized internet radio solution for businesses.

Texas Business reports:  New research from Rice and Duke challenges conventional wisdom that removal of restrictions would increase piracy levels.

 Texas Business reports:  DENTON—The University of North Texas Opera will present two performances of Handel’s Alcina in this year’s Summer Opera Workshop.

Texas Business reports: Church music ministers and choir directors from across the country will gather for the 10th annual Alleluia conference at Baylor University Tuesday, July 19, through Friday, July 22.

Texas Business reports: Church music ministers and choir directors from across the country will gather for the 10th annual Alleluia conference at Baylor University Tuesday, July 19, through Friday, July 22.

Texas Business reports:  The annual Mimir Chamber Music Festival will begin in early July, featuring an lineup of performing artists from the world’s leading orchestras and music schools who share their love for chamber music each summer at TCU.

Texas Business reports:  Texas Tech University’s School of Music Summer Jazz Band will host its 28th annual Summer Jazz Festival concert at 8 p.m. June 28 in Hemmle Recital Hall.

Texas Business reports:  DENTON--About 300 harpists from around the United States will gather at the University of North Texas this summer to push the boundaries of traditional harp music.

Tommy Duncan

 Texas Business reports:  The late and legendary musician Bob Wills is the King of Western Swing -- which Texas lawmakers this week declared Texas' official music -- but it's time to pay homage to a lesser known fellow who helped Wills ascend to the throne, says a Baylor University researcher.

Texas Business reports:  Distinguished neuroscientists and musicians from around the world will gather at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music June 13-17 to collaboratively explore music's role in human cognition and behavior and present the latest research findings from this emerging field of study. 

US Patent 7,923,616: Stringed instrument for producing precise rhythmic strumming.

Texas Business reports:  A San Antonio man received a patent for inventing a new type of guitar that allows greater control of rhythm and tempos. Robert N. Hamilton received U.S. Patent 7,923,616 for “Stringed instrument for producing precise rhythmic strumming.”  

Texas Business reports:  The Texas Tech School of Music will host the 44th annual Jazz & Blues Festival April 1-2.

Texas Business reports:  The 25th Annual South By Southwest (SXSW) Music Conference and Festival is shaping up to be the biggest and best one yet.  Over 13,000 music industry professionials will travel to Austin March 16 through March 19

Texas Business reports:  The Austin Film Society (AFS) announced it added John Hawkes and Spoon to the line-up for the 2011 Texas Film Hall of Fame Awards.

Texas Business reports:  Entergy returns as a major sponsor of this year's 27th Annual Young Texas Artists (YTA) Music Competition and Entergy Finalists' Concert & Awards to be held in March.  

Texas Business reports:  The 2011 International Music Festival Conference will be held in Austin, officials announced.

David Crowder. Photo by Jenna DeWitt. Copyright 2010.

Nearly 60 years ago, one Baylor student announced a football game over the radio that changed the face of Christian music. 

Texas Business  notes this story by the San Saba News & Star:  Ann Thompson, the widow of Country Music Hall of Famer Hank Thompson, has commissioned Deep In The Heart Foundry in Bastrop, Texas, to create a larger than life size bronze of the country music icon.

Texas Business notes this story by Lana Sweeten-Shults of the Wichita Falls Times Record News:  That’s what the audience comes to the show for ... They want to see you play your instrument,” said Sterling Abernathy, the 17-year-old stellar mandolin player with Rockin’ Acoustic Circus, just one of seven bands from Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri headed to the two-day Wichita Falls Parks & Recreation Bluegrass Festival.

TexasBusiness.com recommends:  Tim Halperin, a TCU grad and Fort Worth musician whose grasp on smart piano-pop is often overlooked. Thanks to a clever one-take clip, he's sure to get some traction online (indeed, as of earlier this week, it has been viewed more than 89,000 times on YouTube), reports Preston Jones of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 

TexasBusiness.com  notes: Want to know how to tick off a funnyman quickly? Tell people not to take him seriously.

Richard "Kinky" Friedman has staked out a career generating chuckles, guffaws and belly laughs. He started out singing often-outrageous songs in the 1970s fronting one of the few Jewish country music bands, Kinky Friedman & the Texas Jewboys, reports Randy Lewis of the Los Angeles Times.