DIME Denver Launch Showcases Downtown Denver as a Unique Intersection of Music Performance, Business and Entrepreneurship

On November 15, 2016 Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver) and the Detroit Institute of Music Education (DIME) launched a pop-up space as part of a partnership that brought a first-of-its-kind DIME Bachelor of Arts curriculum to students in Downtown Denver. DIME Denver is an exclusive partnership between the Detroit Institute of Music Education and MSU Denver, and a program proactively recruited by the Downtown Denver Partnership, to provide strong musical and academic foundations to prepare young people for sustained careers in the music industry.

The Downtown Denver Partnership brought the two programs together as part of strategic efforts to establish Downtown Denver as a unique intersection of music performance, business and entrepreneurship. The 2007 Downtown Area Plan, the long-term strategy for Downtown, calls for the retention and expansion of clusters of world-class arts, cultural and performance facilities in Downtown, to provide temporary and permanent creative music space, and establish connections to center city arts districts.

“Downtown Denver and its center city neighborhoods are home to more than 85 music venues, on par with other well-known ‘music cities’,” said Tami Door, president and of the Downtown Denver Partnership. “I knew immediately that we needed to bring DIME to Denver, and the launch of DIME Denver is one of many exciting initiatives that will help focus our strategic efforts to nurture and grow center city musicians while advancing innovative programs that highlight our culture of arts and entertainment.”

“The program we are starting, with a great set of partners, has the potential to make some substantive changes in not just the local music industry, but in a national industry. It’s going to be fun to watch it grow over time,” said Dr. Stephen Jordan, president of MSU Denver and a member of the Partnership’s Denver Civic Ventures Board of Directors.

Click here to view a video about DIME Denver.

The Downtown Denver Partnership Management Group Board of Directors recently elevated this focus as a unique opportunity to educate the next generation of musicians and industry leaders, drive business and housing opportunities for local musicians, create places that support and cultivate all aspects of the music industry, and catalyze a culture of music in Downtown that supports other city- and state-wide initiatives.

The Partnership regularly brings musical performances to Downtown Denver, directly booking more than 150 acts a year including free performances by approximately 70 bands at A Taste of Colorado, activating the 16th Street Mall with music during Meet in the Street, entertainment for the Downtown Denver Rink at Skyline Park, and more. Partnership staff are currently working on strategies to reinforce music as part of public events and activation efforts throughout Downtown Denver, including the 16th Street Mall, while also emphasizing the inclusion of public art and partnerships with center city cultural institutions.

DIME Denver will be open to the public for special performances and presentations by DIME in advance of its permanent location and launch of three degree programs emphasizing performance, songwriting and music entrepreneurship at MSU Denver beginning Fall 2017. MSU Denver also offers exclusive accreditation to DIME’s programs on a national level, including its Detroit campus.