On this page, you can find the Culminating Experience (CE) Projects for all graduate students from the Berklee College of Music master’s program Global Entertainment and Music Business (GEMB) from 2015 – present. Click on any title for more information and access to the full paper and other deliverables (if available).
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Smarter Distribution, Effective Outreach
Juan Camilo Sarassa Vargas
2022This project lays out the work done this year as the Head of Distribution, Production and New Business carried out this year. The project centers around how this position impacted Disrupción Records’ operation and how the different processes were carried out. Disrupción Records is Berklee Valencia’s student run record label, providing record label services to emerging artists in an artist-friendly manner. From its inception in 2015, Disrupción has amassed more than 70 releases, and will continue to be one of the most successful student-run labels around the world. During this operational process, there were a number of steps taken to ensure a successful result. From creating guidelines documents to delivery calendars, the production process was a pivotal part of this role. Later, I was tasked with manually managing the delivery to The Orchard, our distribution party and troubleshooting any release issues that we may have. This project is still ongoing and will be until about October of 2022, but I’m glad to say that the groundwork laid out for the next Executive Team will be strong and useful.
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Gender Diversity in the Music Industry - How is the Music Industry dealing with Gender Disparity?
Raquel Serra
2022The purpose of this research is to investigate reasons behind gender disparity in the music industry and the efforts being done to counter it. This study will approach the wider structures of gender stereotypes and occupational segregation in society, and dive in specifically in the music industry’s gender gaps to understand masculine hegemony in the sector, relying both on literature and quantitative data collected in the recent past in Europe, the UK and the USA. The paper will also investigate historical feminist resistance methods for participation and space-claiming, such as the Riot Grrrl scene and the creation of girls-only spaces, followed by an overview of the historical exclusion of genderqueer individuals from these scenes. The literature review is supported by interviews with music industry experts in the subject of diversity, equity and inclusion.
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Sessioms
Christian Sessoms
2022My project is Sessioms, a one stop booking platform that allows you to get all of your musical needs, a place that’s consistent in quality. Every industry is getting acclimated to the digital age but it always seems that the music industry is behind, I want to propose a way to scale word of mouth. Word of mouth is a strong method of networking, this is why every skill of the freelance creatives will need to be verified. This verification will be done through an automated tracking system for each creative who applies. Unlike our competitors we won’t limit ourselves to one side of the industry this is a music all platform all you need to join is to be qualified, and to really be passionate about your career. This project is not feasible because of the risks that are beyond a person’s skill level; things like professionalism and compatibility. These are risks that can ruin the brand of the platform. This company is not solving an issue but more so offering an alternative option to the way the industry operates but my data proved that most people are satisfied with their network system that’s in place now.
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Disrupción Records: Head of Marketing and Branding
Alexa Silverman
2022This Culminating Experience defense discusses the scope of the work of my role as the Head of Marketing and Branding for Disrupción records, Berklee Valencia’s student run record label. This year the label took a Community Based Marketing approach, this CE discussed the impact this strategy had on the label, our imprints, and our artists.
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Way Up High Business Plan
Samuel Skold
2022The following business plan outlines my company Way Up High, which is an inclusive entertainment company devoted to uplifting queer artists in Upstate South Carolina. The different branches of the company will include the independent record label and the management/A&R consultancy for new artists. Serving the whole Upstate region of South Carolina, it will be based in my home in Greenville, South Carolina where there is also a professional home recording studio. Our objective as a company is to serve an underrepresented population in the music industry and give opportunities to musicians that haven’t had the chance to due to their identity or economic status. We want to create a community of like-minded individuals and uplift them, their stories, and their music, jumpstarting their careers as musicians while increasing their revenue streams. While we will of course welcome allies of the LGBTQ+ community to be signed to the label and be our clients, we will have a focus of searching for queer artists to help with the industry imbalance.
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Digital Transformation in Live Music: Technology, Data, and the Modern Music Venue
Adam Smith
2022Technology is changing the live music industry faster than ever. The past decade has seen an immense increase in innovation in the live events technology sector, but music venues and festivals have unique set of challenges to integrating these technologies. This research paper attempts to understand and analyze these challenges by applying digital transformation frameworks to the results of interviews with industry experts. Using these results and analysis as a guide, emerging solutions and trends are highlighted, and a digital maturity model for the modern music venue is proposed and discussed.
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Do You Copy? How D.I.Y. Songwriters Decipher Copyright in the Digital Age
Ava Swanson
2022This study emerges from the era of the Music Modernization Act (2018), a sociopolitical moment which sees the United States government and the music industry at large collaborating to update music copyright procedures to meet the demands of the digital age. The research itself was contracted by the United States Copyright Office in collaboration with Berklee Valencia as a means of improving the Copyright Office’s outreach to the American independent music scene. The purpose of the research was to explore what DIY musicians (mis)understand about copyright, the Music Modernization Act, and the newly-established Mechanical Licensing Collective. To address the research questions, a hybrid of qualitative focus groups and quantitative survey techniques were utilized. The results demonstrate a fundamental lack of understanding about copyright amongst independent musicians due to structural barriers. Additionally, unhelpful attitudes and widespread misinformation further alienate these creators from the copyright process. However, the research findings posit solutions like barrier reduction and cultural shifts to enable DIY musicians to access the copyright space. More research is required to further determine how to engage independent artists in copyright, and the current research lays a framework for how to move forward in that process.
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Disrupción Records Head of Legal and Business Affairs
Anne van der Erve
2022As my culminating experience project, I had the opportunity to take on the role of Head of Legal and Business Affairs at Disrupción Records. Legally, I have supported our label and imprints by drafting and revising different agreements, creating supportive materials such as deal memos and a licensing revenue splits sheet, taking care of termination requests and any legal issues, and overseeing and guiding artists’ negotiations and signings. Financially, I have contributed through financial reporting, budgeting and overseeing our financial arrangements and spending.
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Nikko Records Showcase Event
Stepan Voracek
2022This paper described the process of organizing a live event on behalf of Disrupcion Records’ imprint, Nikko Records with 3 DJs, 1 virtual artist (Hatsune Miku)and a video mapping in Valencia, Spain. First, I aimed to describe what the meaning behind the project was as well as what ancillary goals this project had. Then, by going over each step of the process I described the details about booking the venue, picking the artists and collaborating with foreign companies. Furthermore, I go over the promotion efforts that were made, the challenges I had to face and finally the outcomes and results. With this project I tried to broaden my horizons in booking acts I had no experience working with in a completely new environment and tried to bring people to listen to new types of music they may not have been familiar with. I believe this project will show future students the challenges of creating a live event from scratch with limited resources in a foreign country.
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Paid the Cost to be the Boss: Reflections on Leading Berklee’s Disrupción Records
Julianne Wilson
2022As my Culminating Experience, I acted as CEO / Label Manager of the student label Disrupción Records. In this role, I had the privilege and opportunity to oversee a team of seventeen students and six imprints, and to facilitate the release of over thirty tracks from twelve artists hailing from eight different countries. With the support of Disrupción’s executive team, the Berklee professors and administration, and the record practicum family, we were able to create a robust and eclectic community of powerhouse musicians and curious music business professionals and to provide plenty of space for trial and error.
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The state of cross-border music collaborations between Chinese and international artists
Yuanjun Yu
2022Since China’s entry into the top 10 recorded music markets around the world in 2017, a number of high-profile cross-border collaborations have occurred amongst established artists across mainland China and the international market. This research paper aims to explore and understand recorded music collaborations between Chinese and international artists from 2017 onward using a mixed approach of content analyses, interviews, and case studies. While many recent collaborations have been done to promote international artists in China, certain players in the cross-cultural space are pushing towards more balanced collaborations that will also bring Chinese artists international recognition. Ultimately, collaborations between artists from within and outside of China serve to expand the collaborators’ fan bases in new territories and acts as a medium for cultural exchange.
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INOCON
Tesi Zito
2022INOCON is a music and technology conference that brings together young professionals and industry leaders. It is a hub that generates meaningful conversations around innovation and explores cutting edge technologies that impact the future of music businesses. It also provides a platform for Berklee artists to showcase divergent music performances for attendees around the world. This event began in July 2020 and kicked off Berklee’s first online conference, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was organized conjointly by GEMB and MPTI programs and had two main goals: to produce a high-quality virtual experience that provides practical, forward-thinking knowledge and to give artists an opportunity to grow their careers by showcasing innovative solutions in the music industry through performances. Two years later, our team solely represents the GEMB program, and we have two new challenges to carry out: to execute Berklee’s first hybrid conference and to increase INOCON’s brand recognition and awareness. This year, INOCON22 took place between April 7th, 8th, and 9th. It consisted of two online conference days filled with 12 panels and an INOCONcert series (15-20 minute pre-recorded performances done by Berklee students). The final day was entirely dedicated to INOCONcert, our very first edition of a hybrid concert made up of Berklee students performing at the Centro del Carmen de Cultura Contemporánea Centro (the CCCC) in Valencia, Spain.
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Firqa
Mounya Abou Rahal
2021Throughout my year as a Music Business student at Berklee, I came to reflect on my own personal journey as a musician from Lebanon. I started playing classical piano at a music conservatory at a young age. After a few years, I did not have time to continue on, due to academic studies, so I decided to quit. This was the case for many of my friends. Having my education taken at a private American school in Beirut, Lebanon, I was fortunate enough to participate in a mandatory music course throughout my fifteen years as a student. After researching music education in the Middle East and North Africa, I concluded that this is the case for numerous private schools in Arab countries but not for public schools. This is a shame because there is talent in the region, but no music education access to it. Firqa is a digital platform - and an aggregator - that provides content for music education in the Middle East and North Africa. With technologies such as Virtual and Augmented Realities, courses related to music offer a fun and interactive way of learning to students and to anyone interested in learning about it. Firqa partners with music industry professionals and platforms who excel in providing content related to music. Firqa then aggregates music education related content on its platform and gives back a percentage of its shares to its partners. Firqa is distributed for free public schools in Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa first. It is also available for use to individuals who are willing to subscribe to it in order to participate and gain access to the courses.
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Music Data: Understanding the Relationship Between Live Music and Recorded Music to Build a True Fanbase
Zarrin Alam
2021This is research paper that examines the relationship between the music listening data and live music data and how it structures artist marketing, touring routes, and festivals. I will be analyzing the current data that is available, the perspectives of key professionals in both areas of the music industry, and how each influences the other whether by touring routes, A&R, marketing campaigns. This research seeks to find gaps and overlaps in the different aspects of the music industry, and how to bridge them in creating a centralized artist fan database.
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The Viability of Music IP as an Asset-Backed Security
Nikhil Anand
2021This project analyzes music investing via catalogue acquisitions and looks at the viability of creating asset-backed securities with music royalties as another form of investing in music. The paper looks at historical examples, other industries, and interviews industry professionals to conclude that music-backed securities are possible and a good alternative for institutional investors with little knowledge of the music industry.
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Record Labels Making Meaningful Change In The Music Industry’s Mental Health Crisis
Julia Antonia Amodeo
2021The music industry has been facing a major mental health crisis over the past decade, which has been heightened by the impacts of the global pandemic. From the uncertainty and high pressure naturally associated with a career in entertainment, these stressors have reached a new level of intensity this past year. Research shows that artists are now twice as likely to face mental health issues than the general population. Therefore, more support needs to be provided as we lose an increasing number artists every year due to poor mental health and addiction issues. As music industry executives work in the same environment and face many of the same issues, it is also important to address how they can be better supported, especially since they are often overlooked. One of the greatest stakeholders in an artists’ success are often record labels. They continually invest in artist marketing and promotion; however, they lack a real investment in the artist’s wellness to support career longevity. Furthermore, the record label’s role in artist and employee mental health needs to be addressed, especially with the resources they have at hand. This paper intends to present the context of the current music industry landscape in terms of the mental health crisis while analyzing current initiatives that have been put in place by both independent and major record labels. In order to explain the context of this topic, the paper evaluates past, present, and future issues in the industry while highlighting specific labels and trends. Research was conducted through secondary articles, primary interviews, and two surveys. More specifically, interviews were with music industry professionals to identify best practices for record labels in supporting artist and employee mental health. The paper also reviews two surveys conducted with artists and label employees to identify the most valued and desired mental health initiatives labels could implement. Lastly, it concludes with overall insights, possible action plans, and next steps for research.
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Revibe Competition Series
Andres Arenas
2021My project was a talent finding initiative that I created and ran through our Berklee based record label Disrupción Records. It revolved around a songwriting and production competition that ran over 4 months where I invited exclusively berklee students to participate and display their best creative abilities. Throughout the competition students were also paired together as they progressed through the rounds. This facilitated with not only finding and creating new talent but helped students find new collaborators and connect the different Berklee campuses. Each round was three weeks of submission with about one week of voting. This kept things moving smoothly along with applying some real life pressure to the contestants to race a deadline, while also working with someone completely brand new. Through this process I invited industry professionals to help me judge the contestants along with acquiring sponsors and cash prizes for any winners throughout the competition. At the end of the competition, we took our winning song and are planning a final release through the label. We will be helping them with A&R, final deliverables, marketing, and support.
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Flex | Creatorbase (Business Plan)
Yash Bagal
2021The following business plan outlines the product and business roadmap for Flex, a SaaS product to be launched by Creatorbase. Technology has significantly lowered the barriers to content creation and distribution, blurring the line separating content consumers and content creators. These content creators are now becoming entrepreneurs running businesses centred around their intellectual property. Our goal is to give them access to the tools that enable them to run their careers as lean and scalable enterprises. The following business plan outlines the details around Flex, our first product offering. Flex is a platform that uses natural language processing to analyze artist management and label contracts to give them clear and actionable legal insight helping them make well-informed decisions. The plan aims to build a product that creators love to use, rather than something that’s too complicated for them to understand. Our mission is to use technology to bridge the gap between art and commerce. We have detailed a comprehensive business plan with a macro-level analysis of the market, a micro-level view of the product, how it can achieve Product-Market Fit, as well as revenue projections that help prospective investors understand the intricacies of the business.
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Indian Music Expo
Vishruti Bindal
2021My CE is the business plan of a potential music export and education initiative in India. A music export office benefits all the stakeholders of the music industry, such as artists, managers and promoters, and supports their export activities. Music was first recognised as an exportable product in Asia only with the global success of K-Pop, even though European countries have successfully used and continue to use music export as a tool for soft diplomacy. An export office in as culturally rich and diverse emerging market as India would benefit the economy, create jobs and help recognise and develop the local music industry. A survey of artists and music business professionals from India was conducted, as part of my market research for this business plan. Through this research and plan, I learnt about possible ways of strategizing and funding private non-profit organisations such as the one I am aiming to build. Through the process, I have learnt methods of conducting surveys, analysing data, projecting finances and strategizing and writing a business plan.
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Noize Virtual: Business Plan
David Čajčík
2021This document is a business plan of Noize Virtual, an intermediary entity/agency in the emerging landscape of in-game concerts, virtual realities and other digital platforms. Noize Virtual is primarily focused on independent artists and other music industry entities from growing Eastern-European market. This business plan also outlines controlling mechanism, marketing and implementation strategies and maps the current market. It also provides a professional background of the creator.
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Why and how to build an all-in-one self care platform for artists?
Edouard Chretien
2021This is a business plan for the creation of a platform (website/app) meant to help artist with a focus on mental health. an all-in-one self care platform 100% dedicated to artists. The company will help them in the following fields: nutrition, sport, mental health, inclusion/diversity and personal development.
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Merak Ltd.: Be The Buzz!
Simran Doshi
2021My culminating experience for masters of arts in global entertainment and music business from Berklee College of music is a prospective business plan of a music supervision and sync placement company in India following a series of educational initiatives to improve awareness and knowledge about sync placements in the Indian market. An improvement in the sync and licensing market benefits several stakeholders in the music industry, such as artists, publishing houses, and production houses and supports their goals in the industry. Music licensing is an underdeveloped market in India, where normally a song only gets licensed if a script calls for it, and even after repeated attempts at changing this pattern with the help of production houses independent of the Bollywood film industry, a vast majority of the industry remains hesitant to change ways. A music supervision company, in an enormous market like India, would benefit all its stakeholders with recognition, economy, and further development of the market. A series of interviews with individuals from the Indian market with extensive knowledge in sync and music supervision were conducted as a part of market research for this business plan. While conducting the research and developing the plan, I learned about ways to introduce concepts to individuals, strategize and plan finances for a business, conduct research, create marketing plans and a business blueprint.
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The Feeling of Community: Live Events, Fandoms, & Artist Connections
Corinne Gomez
2021The purpose of this research paper is to gain knowledge on how the feeling of community is created among fandoms, live music events, and also the impact of Covid-19 on the attendance and interest of future live events. This study will explore the different building blocks needed to create the feeling of community, joy, and inclusion from the stance of festival directors, artist managers, music event producers, and superfans. To understand this concept, the conduction of interviews, creation of survey's and research of applicable literary works took place.
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Case Study on Amuse and the Independent Music Distribution
Alejandro Hernández
2021Case study on the independent music distributor Amuse and and the indie music distribution scheme.
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Label Manager at Disrupción Records
Laure Herouart--Siamina
2021A dive into the life of the student-run, independent on-campus label in 2021, Disrupción Records. Founded in 2014, Disrupción Records has seen and lived evolution in many ways. innovation, diversity and inclusion, first student-label NFT ever, global artists, pandemic... Dive into an intimist and factual summary of what the year 2021 looked like for the expanding label, the music industry in general, how indie label work, the ambitions of a team and their achievements, all through the eyes of the label manager that year, Laure Herouart.