For a tenth year, Middle Tennessee State University’s Department of Recording Industry in the College of Media and Entertainment has been named among the best music business schools by Billboard.
The recently released article, “Billboard’s 2024 Top Music Business Schools,” noted the 50thanniversary of MTSU’s Department of Recording Industry and spoke highly of the hands-on opportunities students get working at high-profile events like the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Grammy Awards and the Country Music Awards, among other experiences.
“It is a great honor to be recognized as a top music business school by Billboard again this year,” said Department of Recording Industry chair Michelle Conceison. “As our team educates to prepare students to lead an ever-changing music industry, we constantly mind the now and the future. I am grateful for the care and engagement of 50 years of alumni who actively participate in student learning experiences.”
MTSU has been on Billboard’s best music business schools list since 2013, receiving recognition that first year for the recording industry program’s entrepreneurial turn.
“I am thrilled that our department of Recording Industry has continually made Billboard’s list of top music programs for more than a decade. It’s nice to receive international industry acclaim for a job well done,” said Beverly Keel, dean of MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment.
She continued, “What’s exciting is to see the advancements we’ve made since making last year’s list, such as expanding our live entertainment curriculum and taking students to South by Southwest. We’re the only music business program housed in a college of media and entertainment, which means our students gain skill sets and collaborate with programs including film and television production, digital media and animation.”
This year’s list, posted alphabetically, included 42 schools worldwide.
According to the article, “Billboard chooses its top music business schools based on industry recommendations, alumni information provided by honorees from our multiple power lists, information requested from each school and nearly a decade of reporting on these programs.”
Hands-on experiences prepare students for internships, jobs
Students in MTSU’s Department of Recording Industry have unique hands-on experiences like providing sound, video and lighting for Khalid’s on-campus performance or producing more than 30 hours of concert livestreams from the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival for Hulu.
“Students who graduate from our programs understand the realities of the music industry while having dreams of making a positive impact,” Conceison said. “I often hear from internship providers and companies hiring our students that MTSU people are the most knowledgeable, the most prepared, the most willing, the most agile and the most resourceful.”
Jack Burrows, a recording industry major from Marietta, Georgia, has known he wanted to be in the music industry since he was a child.
“Seeing MTSU on Billboard’s Top Music Business Schools list gave me the confidence knowing I would learn from the best and gain industry
connections that I wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else,” Burrows said.
“It felt like the right place to pursue my career goals and aspirations.”
Recording Industry Department’s future
Conceison said the Department of Recording Industry will continue to be a leader in producing the next generation in the music industry.
“If you look at our alums, they’re leading in the industry. It’s no wonder you can find multiple MTSU alums at any music industry event you attend — whether on stage or behind the scenes. Where there is music, MTSU is there,” she said.
As far as new concentrations or courses, Conceison recently said she hopes to have a concentration in live entertainment in the future.
“I love that this place is a place of possibility. Right now, there’s a great grounding for it. It seems like a natural thing to happen. This industry constantly changes, so you must learn how to know it. It’s always evolving.”
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