The Music Business Association (Music Biz) will offer its Career Development programming to the next generation of music business executives and entrepreneurs, 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, 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 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, 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 by visiting musicbiz2017.sched.com. Admission is included in the price of a full Music Biz 2017 badge, which can be purchased on Music Biz’s website. 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).
For more information and tickets, visit musicbiz2017.com.
