Music Biz 2017 Career Development Programming Helps Students, Entrepreneurs Break into the Industry

March 20, 2017 – The Music Business Association (Music Biz) will nurture the next generation of music business executives and entrepreneurs through its Career Development programming at the Music Biz 2017 convention, which will be held May 15-18 at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel in Nashville. Consisting of a series of Career Development Workshops on May 16 and Career Day on May 18, the offerings will teach students, aspiring startup founders, and others looking to break into the industry about how the music business works, provide guidance on the types of careers that are available, and connect attendees with the companies and individuals who will be crucial to landing a job or launching a startup.

The Career Development Workshops will begin with a keynote from “Musician with a Message” SaulPaul, after which representatives from Atlantic Records; Borman Entertainment; EVAmore; Event Escrow; Maverick Management; The Recording Academy; Sony/ATV; William Morris Endeavor (WME); universities including Full Sail University, Middle Tennessee State University, The University of Memphis, Monmouth University, The University of Texas at San Antonio, and William Paterson University; and more will discuss careers in music, resources for entrepreneurs, networking, job interviews, and other skills necessary to get a foot in the door of the music industry.

The program will wrap with Career Day, during which representatives from Amazon, Baker & Taylor, BMI, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), indiehitmaker, INgrooves Music Group, ole, SESAC, Songtrust, Sony Music Entertainment, SSA Music, Super D/Alliance Entertainment, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and others will be on hand to meet with attendees, discuss job opportunities and internships, and help aspiring music business executives find their best path forward. Last year’s inaugural Career Day was a big success, with 65 students from 16 universities taking part in the interviews with 14 music-related companies. Attendees locked down jobs or internships with CAA, Redeye Distribution, and Sony Music Entertainment, just to name a few. Edrian Woods was one of those attendees. While completing her Master’s degree in Music Business and Entertainment at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, Woods attended the Music Biz 2016 convention, which she credits for landing her current position as an assistant to agent Lindsey Myers in the Music Touring department of the CAA.

“To those students reluctant to attend Music Biz due to costs and travel, I encourage you to make an investment — invest in yourself and your future,” Woods said in a blog post on the Music Biz website. “I am eternally grateful for the role the Music Biz conference has played in my career. … Because of the connection I made with the Human Resources representative, my application stood out, and I am now a full-time employee at CAA in Nashville. In short, I would not be in the position that I currently hold if I had not attended the Music Biz conference.”

The full agenda for the Career Development track can be found below or by visiting https://musicbiz2017.sched.com. Admission is included in the price of a full Music Biz 2017 badge, which can be purchased at www.musicbiz2017.com. A special student rate is available ($129 for Music Biz members, $179 for non-members), along with a discounted rate for first-time startups ($249).

While educating and inspiring the next generation of music industry executives has always been at the forefront of Music Biz’s commitment to the industry, it was in 2014 that Music Biz announced its Academic Partnership Program to provide support and exclusive opportunities for schools, students, and faculty members who are fostering the future of the music industry through music business, technology, and entertainment law education. All faculty and students of a partner school are eligible to receive Music Biz member benefits. Currently 20 colleges and universities participate in the program, including American University, The Bandier Program at Syracuse University, Belmont University, Berklee College of Music, Catawba College, Collarts, Drexel University’s Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, Ferris State University, Full Sail University, Middle Tennessee State University, Monmouth University, Nashville State Community College, Northeastern University, New York University, UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, University of Georgia, University of Memphis, University of Miami, University of Texas at San Antonio, and William Paterson University.

Tuesday, May 16

Career Development Workshops

9 – 9:30 AM
Keynote with SaulPaul
Part Rapper/Part Singer Songwriter, SaulPaul is a Musician with a Message who travels the world living his Dream in 3D. SaulPaul’s life looks a lot different than the humble beginnings shown in the film based on his life. Imagine being born into poverty…without a mother or father. Picture growing up in the ghetto…surrounded by drugs and murder. Visualize being incarcerated in prison but then…See yourself going against all odds and graduating from one of the nation’s top universities. This was SaulPaul’s life. From juvenile incarceration to college graduation to international sensation, he transformed his dreams into reality. SaulPaul will perform music from his album Dream in 3D and share his inspiring story and an insightful message about overcoming adversity and grasping greatness.

• SaulPaul, Musician with a Message

9:35 – 10:10 AM
Careers in Music: A Survey of Jobs in a Fast-Changing Music Industry
There are many ways that one can work in the music industry without being a musician, artist manager, agent, or record-label employee. In this session, you will learn about jobs in the field that you may have never heard about. Our panel of professionals will inform you about the almost limitless options that exist in our industry with an emphasis on how they arrived at where they are today.

• Moderator: Ben Yonas, Assistant Professor of Music Business, The University of Memphis
• Lucia Kaminsky, Head of Digital, Borman Entertainment
• Lanita Smith, singer/songwriter
• Additional panelists to be announced.

10:15 – 10:45 AM
The Entrepreneur Mindset: Resources to Get You Started
Ever wanted to be your own boss? Come discover what it takes to launch your own music business! Whether it is a new technology-venture, your own band, or a new music service company, you will have access to a large amount of useful resources to help you get started. Vast amounts of information will be made available for incorporating, finding capital, marketing, TABC and tax details, insurance, and copyrights/trademark.

• Moderator: Stan Renard, Assistant Professor, The University of Texas at San Antonio
• Channing Moreland, Founder & CEO, EVAmore
• Brandon Vondera, Sales And Marketing Specialist, Event Escrow

11 – 11:55 AM
Kickstarting Your Music Biz Career
The music industry is a highly competitive field for recent grads to enter. How can you stand out in an already saturated market? What skills are prominent music companies in need of? What are the most effective ways of networking? We’ll explore these questions and more with leading professionals across the business.

• Moderator: Jackie Otero, Program Director, Entertainment & Music Business, Full Sail University
• Charity Lomax, Tour Manager / Artist Relations, JH Audio
• Steve Robertson, SVP of A&R, Atlantic Records
• Additional panelists to be announced.

12 – 1 PM
Generation Next: Networking in the 21st Century
Like much of the music industry, technology has completely changed the game on how we network today. It’s not enough to just make a good impression in person anymore. In fact, you rarely get the chance to make a first impression in person. Networking today involves social and professional networks, email, text messages, and in-person meetings, and in a sea of millions, it is difficult to stand out online to your target audience. With young professionals constantly cold-emailing industry professionals for coffee meetings, how can someone stand out from the rest of the inbox, and what can you do to make sure that your information is found in their search? From perfecting your resume to networking beyond email, the Young Entertainment Professionals (YEP) of Nashville — deemed “the twentysomethings changing Nashville’s networking tune” (Forbes) — has gathered a group of seasoned Nashville professionals to discuss the best practices and the top do’s and don’ts of networking in the digital age.

• Panelists to be announced.

2 – 2:50 PM
Tell It Like It Is: Role Playing for Your Internship or First Job Interview
Get up out of your seat and let’s play! Students will learn how to approach both phone and in-person interviews. Much emphasis will be put on how much knowledge of the industry a student seeking an internship or job should have; whether or not one should seek an internship or job just to get their band signed; and what the proper etiquette is in following up after the interview.

• Stephen Marcone, Professor & Coordinator of Music Management, William Paterson University
• David Philp, Assistant Professor, William Paterson University

3 – 3:50 PM
Snack Chat
A “speed dating” InfoFest! Students, take this opportunity to sit and talk with members of the music industry and ask the questions you’ve been wanting to know. Up to a dozen music executives from various parts of the music industry will be present. Pull up a chair and spend time in a table setting learning from professionals who are doing what you’re interested in pursuing after college. Then, hang around longer for some snacks, and chat more during the casual networking group time.

• Moderator: Gloria Green, Assistant Professor, Recording Industry Department, Middle Tennessee State University
• James Donio, President, Music Biz
• Jeff DaMert, Operations Manager, Live Nation
• Rush Davenport, Professional, William Morris Endeavor (WME)
• Halie Hampton, Management Assistant, Maverick Management
• Stacy Merida , Assistant Professor of Music Business, Middle Tennessee State University
• Cheryl Moore, Manager, Thirty Tigers
• Nathan Pyle, Administration, The Recording Academy
• Pete Stormer, Digital Marketing, Vector Management
• MaKenzie Williams, Global Royalties Processor, Sony/ATV Music Publishing

Thursday, May 18

Career Day
Students will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from the top companies in music at Music Biz’s Career Day. Representatives from Amazon, Baker & Taylor, BMI, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), indiehitmaker, INgrooves Music Group, ole, SESAC, Songtrust, Sony Music Entertainment, SSA Music, Super D/Alliance Entertainment, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and others will be on hand to meet with attendees, discuss job opportunities and internships, and help aspiring music business executives find their best path forward. Questions? Reach out to Evelyn Dichter at evelyn.dichter@musicbiz.org.

9 AM – 12 PM
Career Day Part 1

3:30 – 6 PM
Career Day Part 2

Music Biz 2017, which will return to Nashville from May 15-18, is the music industry’s premier event, giving the commerce and content sectors a place to meet with trading partners, network with new companies, and learn about new trends and products impacting the music business. This year’s event will feature keynotes from Atlantic Records Group Chairman and COO Julie Greenwald, Spotify’s Global Head of Creator Services Troy Carter, Creative Artists Agency (CAA) Music Agents Jeff Krones and Hunter Williams, Cracker Barrel’s VP of Marketing Don Hoffman, Universal Music Group’s Exec. VP of Content Strategy and Operations Barak Moffitt, and more to be announced. A special line-up of Digital Service Workshops from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Pandora, Soundcloud, Spotify, and YouTube/Google Play will mark an unprecedented first for the music industry as Music Biz will bring these companies together in one place for one day packed with information about how to leverage the tools and products that these companies offer to maximize value for artists, labels, managers, creators, and the industry at large.

The eclectic Music Biz 2017 program will also cover topics including Touring, Live Streaming, Vinyl, Messaging, International, D2F, Crowdfunding, Tweens & Tech, e-Commerce, Playlisting, A&R, Social Media, Licensing, Publishing, Hi-Res, VR, Management, and Professional Development. Returning favorite sessions will include the Metadata Summit, Brand & Strategic Partnership Summit, and Entertainment & Technology Law Conference, as well as an encore for Music’s Leading Ladies Speak Out and various special interest programs and breakout sessions. Music Biz will celebrate executive and artist achievements with Music Biz awards being bestowed to UMG Nashville’s Mike Dungan, Music Millennium’s Terry Currier, Adele, Paula Abdul, Lukas Graham, Maren Morris, and others to be announced. Registration is now open at www.musicbiz2017.com, and for a full list of currently confirmed programming, visit https://musicbiz2017.sched.org.

About the Music Business Association

The Music Business Association (Music Biz) is a membership organization that advances and promotes music commerce — a community committed to the full spectrum of monetization models in the industry. It provides common ground by offering thought leadership, resources and unparalleled networking opportunities, all geared to the specific needs of its membership. Music Biz brings a unique perspective and valuable insight into the trends and changes that innovation brings. Today, we put our collective experience to work across all delivery models: physical, digital, mobile, and more. Music Biz and its members are committed to building the future of music commerce — together.

Music Biz Media Contact

Laurie Jakobsen, Jaybird Communications — laurie@jaybirdcom.com, 646.484.6764