From July 25-27, Denver music lovers bittersweetly celebrated the final edition of Underground Music Showcase (UMS). But recent language used by the festival’s organizers have many questioning whether we’ve truly seen the South Broadway gathering’s last gasp.
Those with a keen eye noticed that the original announcement referred to this year’s installment as the final edition “in its current form.” Reporters have questioned key decisionmaker further, and their commentary suggests that the future of UMS is not so cut and dry.
According to Denverite, Indie 102.3 Host Jessi Whitten asked Youth on Record Executive Director Jami Duffy to clarify what those statements meant at a UMS town hall. “Will we have a three-day UMS on Broadway the last weekend of July with Two Parts and Youth on Record at the helm next year? A slim-to-none chance,” Duffy responded.
“We need more support, but this is bigger than a GoFundMe campaign,” she explained. “So in its current form, yeah, it’s not going to look like this … At least not next year.“
Duffy further expounded on what the future of UMS could look like in conversation with Colorado Public Radio (CPR). “The time has come, or maybe we’re well overdue, to build a policy platform that we present to our leaders,” she said. “People do this in other sectors all the time. They come up with a platform and they say, ‘Here’s the money we need. Here’s the resources we need. Here’s the employment we need. Here’s the land we need. Here’s the tax credits we need.’ And they make it happen.”
According to Duffy, the festival costs $2 million to put on but only brings in $1.5 million. This is untenable, but it might not be with support from the local government.
“I would love for the Underground Music showcase to have more support from the city of Denver,” Indie 102.3 Host Alisha Sweeney told CPR. “I would love for the Underground Music showcase to have more support from the state of Colorado.”
So there’s your answer: In order for UMS to return, it must evolve into a cultural initiative with support from Denver lawmakers. Will its organizers accomplish this goal? That’s hard to say for sure, but we here at Party Guru offer our full support.
