I retain few great thoughts from my college years: A sociology professor once told my class that our career aspirations were laughable. He debunked our every economic premise...

Cropped budgets for theater and dance companies. Patrons and foundations keeping a tighter grip on their checkbooks. Economic scare stories everywhere you turn.

Record stores, record labels, recording engineers, journalists and other folks who live and breathe the Utah music scene helped select the CWMA Top 30 resulting in a wildly eclectic group of artists, from a 16-year-old Utah County wunderkind to salty downtown rock veterans and fashionably dressed electro-pop idols.