Governor Polis will join Colorado Creative Industries Office, part of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), to announce Colorado’s new Music Ambassador on Thursday, March 12, 2020.
WHO:
Governor Jared Polis
Colorado Creative Industries Director Margaret Hunt
Leaders from Colorado’s diverse creative industries
WHAT:
Announcement of Colorado’s new Music Ambassador
WHEN:
Thursday, March 12
10:30 a.m.
WHERE:
Colorado State Capitol Building
200 E. Colfax
Denver, CO 80203
WHY:
The Colorado Music Ambassador designation was established in 2016 as part of the Colorado Music Strategy. The position was created to recognize and support Colorado musicians who demonstrate a consistent and high-level commitment to public service by advancing Colorado economically, socially and culturally. The Music Ambassador serves a two-year term and each ambassador identifies a specific area of focus during their tenure to support the Colorado music community.
Colorado’s first music ambassador was Shawn King, drummer of Colorado-based band DeVotchKa. In his position, King engaged in an initiative to encourage Colorado companies to license music made in Colorado, the Colorado Music Licensing Project (songcolorado.com).
The arts play an important role in Colorado’s economy with music as a key component. A July 2018 study of Colorado’s music scene indicates that statewide, the music industry is responsible for more than 16,000 jobs and just over $1.4 billion in revenue. Colorado’s music industry experienced a 24% growth in employment between 2010 and 2016. The National Endowment for the Arts recently ranked Colorado number one in the nation for the percentage of adults engaged in the arts with 68.3 percent of adults practicing creative pursuits.
The Colorado Music Ambassador program is a collaborative partnership supported by Take Note Colorado, Youth on Record and Colorado Creative Industries.