Cody Ross Cowan

Cody Ross Cowan is a seasoned music industry veteran with a demonstrated history of success working in the civic, hospitality, service, and live events industries. He also acts as a longtime community leader and vocal advocate for preserving the cultural identity of his hometown in Austin, Texas. 

Born and raised in the Live Music Capital of the World, Cowan immersed himself at a young age in the city’s vibrant live music and arts culture by playing, recording, and touring in bands as a teen and young adult. He then joined the Austin music scene as a working professional in 1997 while attending UT at Austin.

For the next 20+ years, Cowan continued to entrench himself within the local arts community through his bottom-to-top live music career at two of the most iconic venues in Austin - Emos and Mohawk. He also ran lead as a Bar Operations Director at a beloved boutique independent music festival, Fun Fun Fun Fest. During this time, Cowan gained extensive knowledge through hands-on experience in operations management, district planning, grassroots advocacy, finance, and much more with a continued emphasis on profitability, customer service, accountability, and creative culture. 

In 2016, Cowan became co-founder of the Red River Cultural District, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to preserving the cultural district in downtown Austin as a world-wide cultural tourism destination. As the current Executive Director, Cowan’s focus continues to be on economic development, grassroots organizing, live music policy, and innovation for the live music and cultural tourism economy. Under his leadership, the area was recently recognized in 2020 by the Texas Commission on the Arts as one of the few state-sanctioned cultural districts in the state.

Cody is currently serving as the Chief Operating Officer of the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA).