Following a successful second year, the Music Business Association’s (Music Biz) Academic Partnership Program has added nine colleges and universities to its roster, including its first international member, Australia-based Collarts. This brings the full enrollment to 21 schools and about 1,500 students. The Program provides support and exclusive opportunities—including full Music Biz membership—to schools, faculty members and students affiliated with music business, technology or entertainment law programs. The new schools that have joined the Program are:
• American University – Washington, DC
• Catawba College – Salisbury, NC
• Collarts – South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
• Loyola University Film & Music Industry Studies – New Orleans, LA
• Nashville State Community College – Nashville, TN
• Northeastern University – Boston, MA
• UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music – Los Angeles, CA
• University of Georgia – Athens, GA
• University of Memphis – Memphis, TN
Schools participating in the Academic Partnership Program brought about 170 students and faculty to Nashville for the Music Biz 2016 convention, the highest academic attendance in the organization’s history. This year’s first-ever Career Day also introduced students to companies with internship and job opportunities and helped foster invaluable industry connections. In addition, a group of Program member William Paterson University’s students recorded interviews with attendees throughout the event for the Music Biz 101 & More podcast.
Last year, Music Biz’s Scholarship Foundation awarded more than $40,000 in financial scholarships and prizes to 23 students, including 19 from Academic Partnership Program members such as Belmont University, Berklee College of Music, Ferris State University, Full Sail University, Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) and the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). In addition, as full Music Biz members, Program students received free admission to the Common Ground webinar series, which exposed them to cutting-edge music industry research and analysis from Music Biz data partner LOOP (Lots of Online People) as well as product demonstrations from major companies such as Dropbox. They were also given free access to Music Biz’s full collection of industry-standard style guides, white papers and infographics, which cover everything from music licensing to proper metadata entry.
“We’re thrilled with the reception the Academic Partnership Program has received and are elated to welcome all of our new members,” said James Donio, President of Music Biz. “Music business education is vital to the continued health of our industry, and we are proud to give our Program members a leg up as they prepare to become the creators and executives of the future.”
The Academic Partnership Program also includes the following schools that joined during its inaugural year:
• 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) – Nashville, 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 – Wayne, NJ
To learn more about participation in the Music Biz Academic Partnership Program, visit musicbiz.org/about/affiliate-partners/academic-partnership.
