Iowa lags slightly behind other states in the development of a creative economy, an often overlooked facet of economic development that got a huge boost with economist Richard Florida’s groundbreaking 2002 book, “The Rise of the Creative Class.” That’s the bad news. And, in actuality, it’s not that bad. The state is gaining ground in the development of a creative economy, as the creative occupations accounted for 85 percent of the state’s net job growth between 1990 and 2000, compared with 64 percent nationwide.

And there was more good news last week. The state may not quite have reached what New Yorker writer Malcolm Gladwell calls the “tipping point” – the moment when social movements reach the critical mass required for them to take off and become self-sustaining – in the development of a creative economy, but it came a little closer when the City Council gave at least philosophical support to the creation of the Des Moines Live Music Commission.

The idea came from the Des Moines Music Coalition, which has recently unified the city’s music industry, and it recognizes that the quality of a community should be measured by more than the number of jobs it produces. In other words, if Iowa expects to retain and attract young workers, it must be prepared to entertain them. By most measures, a vibrant music scene is at the core of those efforts.

If the City Council makes its support formal, the commission would be able to tap into the minds of music industry leaders in Austin, Texas, universally recognized as the live music capital of the world. There, live music contributes $616 million annually to the local economy, providing some 11,200 jobs and more than $11 million in city taxes.

True, Des Moines isn’t Austin, and it doesn’t have indigenous singer-songwriters on par with Willie Nelson or Waylon Jennings. Still, Florida’s personal endorsement of the Des Moines Music Coalition’s efforts isn’t hay. “We have repeatedly seen the transformative power of a vibrant music scene in places like the Lower East Side of New York, Washington, D.C., Seattle, Boston, Dublin and Austin,” he said. “Initiatives like the Des Moines Music Coalition and this proposed commission should be embraced and supported by any region serious about building a stronger, more vibrant creative infrastructure.”

We couldn’t agree more.