Several schools across the United States provide excellent training and formal degrees in music business. These programs have recruited top industry professionals to teach either full or part-time, lending their real world expertise and advise. These programs currently face the challenge of helping steer the future of the music industry through research and critical thought while providing an education where students can get jobs in such a competitive and changing field. Hear from some of those industry experts / academics and their opinions on education and the music business.
JUSTIN SINKOVICH is full-time faculty in the Arts Entertainment Media Management Department at Columbia College Chicago. He is also the Manager and Senior Partner of File 13 Records and the newly resurrected Epitonic.com. Previous experience includes New Media Manager at Touch and Go Records, US Label Manager of Southern Records, and Managing Editor of betterPropaganda.com. As a musician he was a member of Thumbnail, Atombombpocketknife, and currently The Poison Arrows.
DARREN WALTERS is co-owner of the independent record label Jade Tree, which he helped found in 1990. He is currently Assistant Teaching Professor in the Music Industry Program at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA, where he teaches music business classes, including the practical class, Bantic Media.
CHRISTOPHER KASKIE is the President of Pitchfork, the essential guide to independent music and beyond. In addition to growing Pitchfork into an internationally renowned music publication and video channel, Chris runs the company day-to-day and also oversees and developed Pitchfork's festival involvement, including the Pitchfork Music Festival, Primavera Sound and ATP.
After graduating from the School of The Art Institute of Chicago with a degree in Film & Video, DAVID LEWIS founded the PR company Riot Act Media handling public relations for a slew of indie artists including Minus The Bear, Maps & Atlases and David Bazan.
In 2008 David moved into higher education and has since been featured on All Things Considered, PBS, and New City discussing the virtues of arts and music careers.David brings the same entrepreneurial spirit and passion to McNally Smith College of Music’s Career Center, providing workshops, guidance, advice, seminars, and encouragement to the school’s burgeoning talent.
BOB MOCZYDLOWSKY, VP of Product Marketing at Topspin, has dedicated his entire career to removing obstacles to media consumption and cultural exchange. He has managed bands and events, designed artist-centric services at Yahoo!, created artist web sites and developed software for media management and production.
