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Music Friendly Texas Program

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"Borger has always been a city with deep roots in culture, history, and community pride. Earning the Music Friendly Texas Certfied Community designation is more than a title; it's a commitment to creating opportunities for local talent, attracting visitors, and strengthening our downtown economy. Music is a universal language, and by investing in it, we're investing in the vitality of Borger's future. Our vision is to make Borger the destination of the Panhandle: a place where people come not just to visit, but to experience the unique spirit of our community through music, art, and culture."

- Mayor Karen Felker, City of Borger

“From the world-famous Gilley’s honky-tonk to generations of local talent, music is at the heart of Pasadena’s identity. This designation honors that rich heritage and the ongoing commitment of ‘Pasa-Get-Down-Dena’ to supporting Texas music while opening new doors for economic growth, tourism, and opportunity.”

- Senator Carol Alvarado, Harris County District 6

In 2016, the Texas Music Office (TMO) created the only Music Friendly Community Program in the US, now known as the Music Friendly Texas Certified Community Program, and since then, the TMO’s Music Friendly Texas program has grown into a fully operational network of now 90 Certified Communities across the state. As the standalone State Music Office in the US, the TMO is proud to be the gold standard for all states, cities, and countries across the globe who wish to emulate our unique office and programming. Texas is leading the way in working to support the commercial music ecosystem, and we welcome all new partners who are interested in following the TMO’s example.

Becoming a Certified Music Friendly Texas Community

Participation in the TMO's Music Friendly Texas Certified Community Program provides Texas communities with a network for fostering music industry development, and sends a clear message to industry professionals that certified communities are serious about attracting and developing music industry growth.

Getting Started: To take the first step in becoming a Music Friendly Texas Certified Community, just click the button below to start your Music Friendly Texas Workshop Petition!

Get Started 

Certification Steps:

1. Complete the Music Friendly Texas (MFT) Workshop petition form, which can be found above or here.

2. Upon petition form submission and approval, schedule and host a TMO-sponsored virtual Music Friendly Texas workshop.

3. Establish a Music Office/Liaison within a division of city government (city office, economic development corporation, CVB/destination tourism office) that will be responsible for monthly reports concerning the progress of local music industry development programs.

4. Register with the TMO's Texas Music Industry Directory.

5. The liaison’s organization also signs a mutually agreed upon Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that creates a working arrangement for the sharing of Music Directory data, and establishes protocols for keeping the directory information up to date.

6. Create an advisory board made up of local music community industry stakeholders.

7. Responsibilities of the MFT Liaison:

  • The MFT Liaison will be responsible for monthly reporting (mentioned above)
  • Participate in monthly virtual MFT Regional Office calls
  • One yearly in-person MFT Regional Office meeting
  • Attend our annual Texas Sounds & Cities conference, where MFT Liaisons come together once a year from all over the State.

Questions? If you need any additional information regarding the Music Friendly Texas program, or have any questions, just click the button below! 

Contact the Music Friendly Texas Program 

Cities that have received the official Music Friendly Texas Community designation from the TMO include: 

Abilene, Alpine, Alvin, Amarillo, Angleton, Arlington, Austin, Bandera, Bastrop, Belton, Borger, Brenham, Bryan, Buda, Carrollton, Cedar Park, Chandler, Clear Lake Shores, College Station, Conroe, Corinth, Corpus Christi, Corsicana, Dalhart, Dallas, Denison, Denton, Dripping Springs, Edinburg, El Paso, Fate, Fort Worth, Frisco, Galveston, Garland, Glen Rose, Graham, Granbury, Grand Prairie, Hallettsville, Harker Heights, Harlingen, Houston, Kerrville, Kilgore, Killeen, League City, Leakey, Lindale, Linden, Little Elm, Lockhart, Lubbock, Lufkin, Mansfield, Marble Falls, Marshall, McAllen, McKinney, Menard, Mexia, Mineral Wells, Mont Belvieu, Nacogdoches, Navasota, New Braunfels, Odessa, Pasadena, Port Aransas, Rockport-Fulton, Rockwall, Round Rock, Salado, San Angelo, San Antonio, San Marcos, Selma, South Padre Island, Stephenville, Sugar Land, Sweetwater, Temple, The Colony, Tyler, Victoria, Vidor, Waco, Waxahachie, Weatherford, and Wimberley.

Click the city point on the map below for each Music Friendly Texas Certified Community's official liaison contact info:

Mobile compatible with Google Maps app. [iOS] [Android]

Cities that are currently working through the certification process include:

Carthage, Texarkana, Sherman, Hutto, Grapevine, Crockett, Anahuac, Bertram, Lampasas, Hidalgo, Pearland, San Augustine, Smithville, Irving, Brownwood, and Winnsboro.

Select Media Coverage of the Music Friendly Texas Program