FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — When Annie Bennet walked across the stage in May 2025 to receive her Bachelor of Science in Music Business from CU Denver, she wasn’t just closing a chapter — she was beginning a mission. For Bennet, music has always been present, but not in the traditional sense of rehearsals or spotlight solos. Growing up, she was surrounded by performances and creativity, yet she knew early on that she wasn’t destined to stand center stage. “I didn’t want the pressure of auditions or stage fright to define my relationship with music,” she said. “Instead, I wanted to explore how I could still contribute to the arts in ways that felt authentic.”
That realization didn’t diminish her passion for the art form. Instead, it gave her a different lens: music as infrastructure, as a community-builder, as policy. While many classmates were fine-tuning performance techniques, Bennet gravitated toward the bigger picture — the structures and systems that allow music to flourish.
Her academic work was matched by professional experience. At Levitt Pavilion (an outdoor amphitheater in Denver), she managed hospitality, meet-and-greets, and production logistics during her internship. “It gave me a very all-around view of what goes into a powerhouse production,” she said. “From booking to artist care to sound checks, I got to see every piece of the puzzle.”
Bennet is a dedicated music fan, with an appetite for live shows and a vinyl collection that spans genres. She gravitates toward underground, genre-blending, and experimental sounds. “I like weird stuff,” she said with a laugh, tucking a streak of ginger-dyed hair behind her ear so it fell back into the mix of blonde. “I like music that’s innovative, not mainstream, not homogenized.”
Today, Bennet is less focused on the stage and more on the systems behind it. She admires organizations like Sound Diplomacy, a global consultancy that advises governments on how music can drive economic growth, urban planning, and community well-being. “I love how Sound Diplomacy looks at music not just as entertainment but as infrastructure,” she said. “They’ve created a framework that proves music impacts everything — tourism, health, education, city identity. That’s the kind of big-picture thinking we need in Colorado.”
Bennet is contributing to the growing push for a state-level music office. She views the effort as not just bureaucratic but transformational. “Colorado’s scene is fragmented,” she explained. “It’s divided by genre, venue type, even generation. A music office could play a vital role in bridging divides — between classical and contemporary, between younger and older audiences, between local and statewide initiatives.”
That work ties into another initiative close to her: strengthening music pathways for students. Bennet supports the articulation agreement being developed between Arapahoe Community College and CU Denver, which would make it easier for community college students to transfer into CU’s music business program. “It’s about access,” she said. “If we want a stronger industry, we have to make sure there are clear, affordable pathways for students who might not come from privilege. Otherwise, we leave talent on the sidelines.”
Her mission is clear: not to take the stage, but to help build it, ensuring music remains a thriving, ethical and inclusive part of Colorado’s future. Or as she put it simply, “I want to help create the systems that make music possible for everyone.”
