Twelve colleges and universities along with more than 1,000 students have already signed up for the Music Business Association’s (Music Biz) Academic Partnership Program, which provides 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. The program has been in effect for the past year.
The colleges and universities that have joined the program are:
• Belmont University, Nashville, TN
• Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA
• Drexel University, Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, Philadelphia, PA
• Ferris State University, Big Rapids, MI
• Full Sail University, Winter Park, FL
• Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), Murfreesboro, TN
• Monmouth University, West Long Branch, NJ
• New Jersey City University (NJCU), Jersey City, NJ
• New York University (NYU), New York, NY
• University of Miami, Miami, FL
• University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), San Antonio, TX
• William Paterson University, Paterson, NJ
“Music Biz is thrilled with the robust response that the Academic Partnership Program has received over the past year and are proud to count all of these incredible institutions as members,” said James Donio, President of Music Biz. “As an Adjunct Professor at Monmouth University, I’ve seen firsthand how essential a balanced educational experience can be for those pursuing a career in the music business. It is imperative that we ensure the future prosperity of the music biz by providing support for those who are training the next generation of industry executives. Our Academic Partnership Program helps accomplish that.”
All students and faculty members at affiliated schools who are involved in a music business, technology or entertainment law program automatically become Music Biz members, giving them exclusive benefits such as access to research, whitepapers and infographics; complimentary registration to the Common Ground Webinar Series; discounts to the annual Music Biz convention as well as Music Startup Academy and Entertainment & Technology Law Conference events; and eligibility to apply for scholarships through the Scholarship Foundation. Last year, more than $50,000 in financial scholarships and prizes was awarded to 24 students, including 11 from Academic Partnership Program members including Belmont University, Berklee College of Music, Ferris State University, New Jersey City University, University of Miami and William Paterson University.
Music Biz is once again inviting students from Academic Partnership Program members to volunteer at Music Biz 2016. Last year, 15 students from Belmont and MTSU took the opportunity to do just that at Music Biz 2015. They learned valuable music industry lessons and skills, while connecting with top executives at all three major labels as well as top publishers, managers, artists, entrepreneurs, and startups.
Music Biz is also partnering with Academic Partnership Program member William Paterson University and its Music Biz 101 radio show and podcast, hosted by Steve Marcone and David Kirk Philp, to bring a group of students to this year’s Music Biz 2016 convention in Nashville from May 16-18. They will record interviews with prominent conference attendees that will then be edited by students and broadcast on the university’s radio station, WPSC: Brave New Radio. Budgeting, routing and booking interviews will also be handled by William Paterson University students, providing valuable hands-on experience for the university’s music business scholars.
To learn more about the Music Biz Academic Partnership Program, visit musicbiz.org.
