Music Friendly Texas Program

94 Certified Communities

Texas Music Office

Music Friendly Texas Certified Community Program

In 2016, the Texas Music Office created the only Music Friendly Community Program in the U.S., known as the Music Friendly Texas Certified Community Program. The program has grown into a statewide network of communities working to foster music industry development and local economic growth.

Overview

The Music Friendly Texas (MFT) Program provides communities with a structured framework to support and grow their local music economies. By bringing together local stakeholders and city leadership, the program encourages collaboration, strengthens industry relationships, and promotes long-term economic opportunity.

Why communities join:

Build local momentum by strengthening partnerships among venues, artists, festivals, businesses, and community leaders.
Increase visibility statewide through recognition that helps promote your community to visitors, artists, and music-related businesses.
Turn conversation into action with a structured framework that helps communities identify priorities and implement meaningful initiatives.
Support sustainable growth by positioning music as both a cultural asset and a driver of tourism and economic development.

Contact the MFT Program

Get Certified

Becoming Music Friendly Certified is a visible commitment to supporting your local music ecosystem; helping communities strengthen partnerships, expand opportunities for local talent, and support tourism and economic growth.

Certification steps

1 Establish a MFT Advisory Board/ MFT Liaison.

Liaison Qualifications & Duties: Each certified MFT Community must have a central point of contact, their Music Friendly Liaison, who is employed within a division of city government. The Liaison guides the city through its certification process, providing the Texas Music Office (TMO) with the completed petition for a workshop, developing a local music industry database, creating an advisory board, and fully executing the TMO’s MOU.

After certification, each Liaison is responsible for submitting monthly reports to the TMO, coordinating advisory board meetings, participating in monthly Regional Office meetings, submitting annual updates for the Texas Music Industry Directory, and attending the Texas Sounds & Cities Conference. The Liaison should also assist in navigating city policy and developing programs to support the community’s music industry.

2 Complete the MFT Workshop Petition.

Workshop Petition

3 Schedule and host a TMO-sponsored MFT virtual workshop.

MFT Workshops: All MFT workshops are virtual and organized by the MFT partner community’s liaison. The workshop typically lasts 30–45 minutes and offers an opportunity for the community’s advisory board to learn about the program basics and ask questions.

4 Execute a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU): This legal document is drafted by TMO staff once the MFT Community onboarding process is underway. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is the legal agreement entered between the TMO and the MFT partner community to cover the exchange of dataset information from the Texas Music Industry Database.

5 Register with the Texas Music Industry Database.

Texas Music Industry Database

FAQs

Why should our community pursue certification?

Music Friendly Certification is a sign of commitment to the local music industry and can help raise awareness of the local music scene, attract visitors, and encourage coordination between city departments and the music community.

What does a MFT Liaison do?

The liaison serves as the primary point of contact within a city organization helping coordinate local music industry development efforts, communicate with stakeholders, and participate in MFT network calls and updates. After certification, each Liaison is responsible for submitting monthly reports to the TMO, coordinating advisory board meetings, participating in monthly regional meetings, submitting annual updates for the Texas Music Industry Directory, and attending the Texas Sounds & Cities Conference. The Liaison should also assist in navigating city policy and developing programs to support the community’s music industry.

What is a MFT Advisory Board?

The advisory board is made up of local music community stakeholders and helps guide priorities, identify needs, and build partnerships that support sustainable growth of the local music ecosystem.

Who is this program for?

Texas communities interested in strengthening their local music ecosystem and supporting music-related economic development.

Map

Scroll through the list of cities on the left to find contact information for an MFT Liaison and click a city point on the map for more information.

Communities

Certified Communities

Abilene, Alpine, Alvin, Amarillo, Angleton, Arlington, Athens, Austin, Bandera, Bastrop, Belton, Borger, Brenham, Brownwood, 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, Pearland, Port Aransas, Rockport-Fulton, Rockwall, Round Rock, Salado, San Angelo, San Antonio, San Augustine, San Marcos, Selma, South Padre Island, Stephenville, Sugar Land, Sweetwater, Temple, The Colony, Tyler, Victoria, Vidor, Waco, Waxahachie, Weatherford, and Wimberley.

Cities Currently in Process

Carthage, Texarkana, Sherman, Hutto, Grapevine, Crockett, Anahuac, Bertram, Lampasas, Hidalgo, Smithville, Irving, Fayetteville, Lago Vista, Winnsboro, Midland, and Heath.

Media

Governor’s Announcements & Media