H85.1006 Business 4 Credits
Instructor(s): Kelly Haley
Once the deal is signed and the record is nearly complete, the artist and his/her album have to be ‘developed’ to succeed competitively in the marketplace. An essential component of the recording artist’s journey, artist development is the responsibility of the record label’s creative team, especially a&r, marketing, publicity, as well as a host of creative freelance professionals. This course, designed for aspiring artists, music executives, entrepreneurs and record producers, introduces students to both the business of artist development and the creative strategies required to succeed in a&r, marketing and publicity. Through reading assignments, screenings, guest speaker presentations, in-class discussion and a series of individual and collaborative projects, students are expected by the end of the course to possess the fundamental skills and knowledge necessary to contribute to an artist’s creative development. In the final project for the course, students will create an artist development plan that provides strategies and components that will contribute to marketing and promoting actual artists--professional or amateur--chosen from the large pool of talent in New York City . Class readings may be culled from Jim Pettigrew’s The Billboard Guide to Publicity and Tad Lathrop’s This Business of Music Marketing and Promotion, and other sources.
