Youth on Record, a Denver-based nonprofit, has joined Two Parts, a Denver entertainment company, to lead Underground Music Showcase (UMS), the largest multi-day music festival in Denver.
The two organizations will focus the UMS on artistic excellence, community impact, and economic sustainability, with a commitment to advancing opportunities for historically marginalized artists, according to a press release by Youth on Record.
Casey Berry, Two Parts founder, and Jami Duffy, Youth on Record executive director, will serve as co-managers of UMS LLC—a new Colorado limited liability company. Berry and Duffy will share oversight of the festival’s vision, values, programming, operations, and finances.
“By partnering with an organization with such deep roots and the full faith of the community, we gain the firepower to mobilize the community in new ways,” Berry says in the press release. “There’s so much Two Parts and Youth on Record can do to build on each partner’s existing programming and relationships to support artists and build the next generation of performers to carry the torch.”
“Everyone keeps talking about new ways of doing things, post-COVID. For Youth on Record, co-owning and co-leading the UMS is a new approach to fulfilling our mission, earning revenue, and reaching more artists and community members,” Duffy says. “The work of the UMS is aligned with our mission, making it not only a smart investment, but one that can have a big impact.”
Their mission is to increase payments to performing artists, create diversity with performers, and resources for artists that struggle with substance misuse; new opportunities for young and creative artists; and an impact show that focuses on providing mental health and resources to attendees.
The UMS will take place from Friday, July 29 to Sunday, July 31; it will bring together more than 10,000 music fans, and hundreds of bands composed of more than 6,000 artists will perform, as specified by the press release.
