Long-running festival in Denver’s Underground Music Showcase is due to be transformed into a non-profit event following the sale of part of the festival to Youth on Record.
The Denver-based music and educational charity that targets communities with low incomes bought a minority stake in the festival from owner Two Parts, Youth on Record executive director Jami Duffy announced in a statement released to the media on Tuesday. The announcement was first reported on The Denverian’s Kyle Harris.
The idea was first uncovered after Duffy had a meeting in person with Casey Berry, the founder of Two Parts, last year. They quickly came to a common ground on “the challenges of leading forward-looking organizations during the pandemic, a time of uncertainty for both the nonprofit and music industries,” Duffy declared in a statement to the press.
“(On Tuesday), Casey and I met on South Broadway to sign a deal bringing Youth on Record and Two Parts together as co-owners of the UMS,” Duffy declared. “When the festival returns to South Broadway July 29-31, it will be under our co-leadership and management of the UMS, including operations and financial oversight.”
The social justice Youth on Record has long been an UMS beneficiary and also a participant in its lineup of national and local indie musicians — and has helped make the event more inclusive and diverse. Two Parts bought The UMS from the Denver Post Community Foundation in 2018 for an unspecified amount. The cash for the stake of Youth On Record has been taken from an unrestricted $1 million donation from Philanthropists MacKenzie Scott and husband Dan Jewett in June, Harris reported.
The UMS was founded by Denver Post music critics John Moore and Ricardo Baca in 2001, The UMS has evolved into the region’s biggest free-to-play music festival featuring hundreds of artists playing on stages on the city’s South Broadway stretch in the Baker neighborhood over a period of several days.
Tickets of Denver’s Underground Music Showcase
Tickets for single-day or full weekend tickets are offered and provide access to all venues. The prices range between $50 and $100.
You can purchase tickets on the internet and then visit the box office located at 21 S. Broadway to pick the wristband that allows you to get in for the festival.
Be cautious with your wristband! If you have to replace it for any reasonwhatsoever, you’ll be charged $10.
Parking and transportation
Parking will be a challenge throughout UMS.
The organizers recommend taking a ride share or taking a bike ride or using the light rail, or, at a minimum, carpooling. Skateboards, rollerblades, bicycles and scooters are not permitted at the event If you decide to go with one of those alternatives, ensure that you locate a safe spot to park it prior to entering UMS. UMS footprint.
The event this year will include greater artist compensation and alcohol-free bars, psychological health services and more.
