I just got back from my travels: Los Angeles and Austin. Both are great places to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there, particularly Los Angeles: the weather is glorious, but I hate the impersonality of the place. Austin is a different story. Of course, I’ve been there mostly during South by Southwest, so I’m sort of influenced by that. I like Austin because it’s a Southern town and has that “Texas sensibility” and because Austin is freewheeling and embraces its artistic community, particularly its musicians.

It’s that appreciation for music as an integral part of Austin that makes it different from many other cities. There’s a permanent stage in the airport where local musicians perform daily. And of course, the city has touted itself as the “Live Music Capital of the World” for many years now. During “South by” it’s pretty much true: according to news reports, the music, film and interactive festival attracts 125,000 visitors to the city and has recently been estimated to provide a $95-million economic impact on the city and almost $13-million worth of media attention. SXSW has grown to immense proportions, from a small media and music conference 22 years ago. It’s a veritable orgy of music at local clubs, restaurants and bars, with 1,700 bands participating in the event.

But it’s not New Orleans. The music there is missing something—a soul?

Austin has done something that New Orleans has never done. That city has recognized that music not only attracts people to events like SXSW and the Austin City Limits Festival, but the music is a prime factor in the quality of life and economy of the city.

We still haven’t done that in New Orleans.

I have beating this drum for such a long time: music is the soul of New Orleans—and Louisiana—and is the thing that gets people here, and keeps them coming back as visitors.

Imagine, if you will, the French Quarter without street musicians. Imagine New Orleans without its jazz and brass bands and its Mardi Gras Indians, social and pleasure clubs. Yeah, the city would still be historic, charming and interesting and the food would still be great because of our ethnic heritage, but it would just be—Charleston.

Imagine Southwest Louisiana with polka bands and country music. And you’d have the American Midwest.

It never ceases to amaze that the city of New Orleans has not taken the bull by the horns to use music in more of its advertising to attract visitors. Of course, it’ll be used the next few months because we have the most wonderful French Quarter Festival this month on April 11-13 and, of course, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival that begins on the last weekend in April.

It also kills me every time I realize that there are people who live in the French Quarter who do not want music there. I suppose they have been burned too many times by loud cover bands, electronic dance music and partying all night, but the only people who are at fault there are not the musicians. They are greedy business owners who not only don’t care about the culture of the city; they’re out to exploit New Orleans’ reputation for good music and good times to sell as much low-brow liquor and beer as possible without any consideration of what they are doing to the city. Even the venerable Jimmy’s Music Club uptown is now the uptown branch of the “Frat House” on Bourbon Street. Ugh.

Of course, let’s face it: there’s a lot less money in making music than in selling beer and liquor. And this is capitalist America, right?

There’s little money when you produce music or art in this country. We just don’t value our art and culture as they’re valued in other parts of the world. My Norwegian son-in-law and his brother got a $10,000 grant to go to Austin to SXSW. Artists and musicians are regularly given opportunities in Europe and Canada. Art, music and culture are valuable commodities there. Not here!

While we take so much pleasure in what musicians and artists do, we really don’t seem to value what they contribute to our lives and standard of living. I’m sure the people who are reading this now maygree, but when I say this to you I’m preaching to the choir. How do we reinstate the value of our music and art back into the mainstream consciousness? How do we get local business people and residents to understand that our music is a key part of why people love New Orleans so?

What we can experience here in New Orleans is not only a pleasure, it’s a distinct privilege. We are so very lucky to be able to experience what we have here, on a daily basis. We are graced with God-given talent that surrounds us every day—if we’d just pay more attention to it, treasure it, support its makers properly and give music the respect that it’s certainly due.

Austin has. Why can’t we?