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Fort Worth Designated First ‘Music Friendly City’ by Texas Music Office

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Tony Maples Photography

 

In a report by NBC DFW in July of this year, Mitch Whitten, vice president of marketing for the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau (FWCVB) was quoted as saying, “Tourism in Fort Worth is a $2 billion industry, support more than 22,000 jobs. We think music is an important part of that and will continue to help us grow the tourism business.” Well, now Cowtown can be proud of being given the honor of being designated the first “Music Friendly City” in Texas by the Texas Music Office.

Fort Worth Designated First ‘Music Friendly City’ by Texas Music Office

Photo: Facebook/Billy Bob’s Texas

Fort Worth Mayor, Betsy Price, made the designation Facebook-official on September 28 with a post to her social media regarding the announcement. Fort Worth has made its mark in the Texas music industry with a growing base from which to have live music, great local musicians, and supportive venues that want to see that scene thrive.

Fort Worth Designated First ‘Music Friendly City’ by Texas Music Office

Photo: Facebook/Hear Fort Worth

From Elvis formerly gracing Fort Worth with his presence in ’56 (drawing an “…animalistic roar…” from North Side Coliseum,) to the establishment and growth of Billy Bob’s (the world’s largest honky-tonk) in the Stock Yards, the city has a music-rich history which is hard to ignore. The FWCVB, in an effort to continue to support that, assisted with the development of “Hear Fort Worth” – an initiative designed in partnership with the Texas Music Office to promote the local music scene throughout the world. In the process, they surveyed area venues and local musicians in order to glean how to make Fort Worth a larger musical magnet. The result is a community of musical artists and fans that are contributing to a growing sound, making Cowtown a place of artistic authenticity and development, and a hub of Texas musical pride.