A PArtnership with grit
Back in 2001, the Underground Music Showcase was conceived as a humble, one-day, locals-only concert highlighting the diverse music scene in Denver. Over the next 20 years, the UMS has evolved into Denver's largest and longest-running music festival, drawing thousands of music lovers to the Broadway + Baker neighborhoods for three days every July. In 2018, Two Parts took the reins from The Denver Post Foundation, and worked to push the festival forward, add new stages, and support even more Denver artists, all while striving to keep the core ideas of the festival alive and well.
Now, we've made an even bigger leap forward.
Youth on Record is joining Two Parts in leading the festival. Our two forward-looking, mission-driven, Denver-based organizations, will now collaborate as co-owners of the UMS. Together, we'll focus to push the festival into new, interesting, and community-focused directions.
When the festival returns to South Broadway this Friday, July 29 to Sunday, July 31, the UMS will once again present back-to-back performances from hundreds of bands and the same spirit of discovery and community that UMS fans expect. And this year, it’s all in service of impact. Look for new community programming, elevated and equity-informed payments to performers, even more diversity among performers, and a culture of care for artists and everyone who joins the party.
Want to know more? Read our FAQ below about the venture that joins Two Parts and Youth on Record in UMS' ownership, and check out the official press release here.
+ What is the Underground Music Showcase?
Founded in 2001 by journalists John Moore and Ricardo Baca of The Denver Post, the Underground Music Showcase was originally conceived as a humble, one-day, locals-only concert highlighting the diverse music scene in Denver. Today, the UMS is Denver's largest and longest-running music festival, drawing more than 10,000 music lovers to the South Broadway music district for three days every July. UMS has featured generations of artists and bands from Colorado, including some of the state's best-known acts.
+ What is Two Parts?
Two Parts is an experiential + creative agency dedicated to connecting people, places, and stories to create unforgettable experiences. Led by entrepreneur Casey Berry, Two Parts collaborates with ambitious, fun-centric brands to an audience eager to get off their couch and experience the unexpected, bringing people together and making unforgettable memories along the way.
Two Parts purchased the UMS from Denver Post Community Foundation in 2018. Under Two Parts' leadership, the festival increased the number of paid opportunities for performing artists by adding two new outdoor stages in addition to a main stage.
Two Parts successfully and responsibly weathered the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, adapting to deliver quality festivals in 2020 and 2021.
+ What is Youth on Record?
An award-winning and nationally recognized nonprofit organization based in Denver, Youth on Record empowers Colorado’s underserved youth to achieve their academic, artistic, and personal best by employing local, professional artists as their educators. As Colorado's leading provider of music education programs for youth, Youth on Record offers programs that center on academic success, economic opportunity, and community activation. The organization's vision is for youth to discover how their voice and value can create a better world.
Youth on Record is committed to ensuring that the youth it serves graduate from high school and are ready to enter the workforce and transition to college or enter advanced technical training and careers. Their programs empower 3,000 teens in some of Denver/Aurora's most vulnerable communities to make life choices that positively impact their future by teaching them to develop the coping tools, inspiration, and wherewithal to succeed in today’s world and to become leaders of tomorrow.
+ How did this come to be?
When Youth on Record's Executive Director Jami Duffy approached Two Parts' Casey Berry in August of 2021, the UMS was not for sale. At an informal meeting at Raíces Brewing Company in the Sun Valley neighborhood, Duffy and Berry immediately bonded over the challenges of leading forward-looking organizations during the pandemic, a time of uncertainty for both the nonprofit and music industries. Duffy shared her vision of elevating the UMS by building on the festival's 20-year success by focusing on community impact, both economic and social.
Berry and his team had long dreamed of expanding and deepening the festival to include elements such as music industry education and professional development for artists. Partnering with a successful and established nonprofit organization brought skills and resources that would greatly fortify their capacity.
Over the next seven months, Duffy and Berry worked together and with their respective leadership teams to perform due diligence and craft a co-ownership model, resulting in the development of a joint venture agreement and the formation of UMS LLC, a new Colorado limited liability company. Berry and Jami will serve as co-managers of the UMS.
+ Will the UMS change?
Whether new to the festival or 20-year veterans, attendees can expect the same spirit of discovery, community, creativity, and fun that has defined the UMS for two decades. You can look forward to everything you love about the UMS – and more.
+ What will be new this year?
Born of the Two Parts/Youth on Record joint venture, exciting new elements this year include:
Thriving-artist wages: Building on a trend set in motion by Two Parts, all UMS tickets now include a $5 service fee that supports payment of thriving-artist wages. Participating performers will be paid a minimum of $200 per solo artist and $400 per band. What ticket fees don’t cover will be offset by contributions from corporations, foundations, and donors who support providing equitable compensation to UMS artists.
An expanded talent buying team:. Erin Roberts, Youth on Record's Impact Talent Buyer, a musician and community arts executive with over 20 years of experience working in radio, music management, and artist development, joins LuLu Clair, Dan Segal, and Kyle Hartman on the Talent Consultants and Buying Team that fuels UMS’ performances.
Impact Days, a free, two-day, industry focused UMS kickoff, hosted by Youth on Record, Wednesday, July 27 and Thursday, July 28. During Impact Days, music industry and community leaders will provide skills-sharing workshops, networking, professional development, and coaching opportunities to UMS performing artists. Impact Days will build a foundation of resources to serve musicians, artists, and Colorado's creative industries for years to come.
Impact Show: A new feature that will become a hallmark of every UMS, the Impact Show will showcase an artist on the UMS mainstage who is committed to an issue that impacts everyone. Community organizations engaged in that issue will be invited to participate. The goal is to expand these impact shows year over year in an effort to tie UMS artists to a broader mission of community impact through music. This year's Impact Show will be centered on mental wellness, an issue of increased urgency and concern to a world emerging from the pandemic. Leading community organizations that work in mental health will be on site to connect and provide resources to performing artists and attendees. Stay tuned for details and lineup.
+ How can the community get involved?
- Impact Days. Participating musicians will be invited to participate in a two-day kick off event, with resources for wellness, education, professional development and lots of community building
- Attend the Impact Show. More details to be announced!
- Buy tickets.
- Make a donation to Youth on Record when you buy tickets.
- Apply to perform
- Sponsor the festival.
- Underwrite (contact Youth on Record).