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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Business Plan for DAYA JAMAICA LTD
Djavan Warner
2021This Cumulative Experience was created through the GEMB Entrepreneurship practicum throughout the Spring and Summer semester. This practicum focuses on developing a business plan for students who wish to start their own company once graduated from Berklee. I was inspired to create a business plan for a company named DAYA, whose purpose is to work with Jamaican and Caribbean artists on creative assets for single or album releases. The business plan to follow below shows all aspects, services and necessary finances of the company from launch to year three. The Entrepreneurship course acted as a guiding hand to ensure all sections of the business plan were completed properly and the overall idea of the company could be proposed to future investors in a professional manner.
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StudioPoet Business Plan
Sydney Wilke
2021StudioPoet is an app for songwriters to network in a professional setting, store and organize their catalogues and share access with their Publishers to ensure the correct transfer of metadata.
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An Investigation of the Future of Music, Fitness and Technology
Brooke M. Williams
2021Recent studies provide concrete evidence supporting the benefits of listening to music while exercising, including reduction in perceived exertion, increase in time to exhaustion and increase in workout intensity and efficiency. This research aims to provide deeper understanding as to why and how consumers are using music or audio during exercise, how this consumer behavior has influenced the interdependent relationship between the music and fitness industries, and how new technological developments can be utilized to open new revenue streams to music rights holders while providing unique fitness experiences to consumers. Through a series of focus group discussions and a survey, it was discovered that most consumers are using familiar music and audio as a source of motivation, and selecting music based on their mood. Among participants, the use of podcasts and a distrust in curated playlists were common. Using these results, four consumer profiles emerged, and two unique innovations were conceived. These findings and consumer profiles suggest that mood indicators in connection to music are an adequate direction to follow when integrating audio and technology into the fitness landscape. To continue to improve the beneficial relationship between music and fitness, the music must be properly licensed depending on its use, which offers an opportunity to emerging artists for exposure to an untapped audience.
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Seoul-cial Media: Can An Unknown Western Artist Use Kpop Marketing Strategies To Build A Fanbase?
Abigail Wynans
2021The KPOP industry has taken the world by storm with their ability to create and maintain loyal fanbases. They do this with specific marketing tactics, focused on fan engagement. However, since the beginning of COVID, there have been less opportunities to function in the same ways as the industry is used to. Established KPOP artists have been able to transition easily with simple elimination of contact with others, without any damage to their fanbase. Yet, new groups who have debuted during 2020 have seen consistent rises in fandom members. These groups have thrown themselves into social media marketing, rather than relying on show appearances. They strategically oversaturate their fans with content, like YouTube reality shows and TikTok accounts. There are standard practices used among Korean idols when it comes to specific areas like day to day curated content, release and event promotions, and distribution. These practices, while not entirely unique to the Kpop industry, have been utilized to their advantage in a way that no one else has been able to accomplish due to tactical changes that the Korean entertainment industry has added over the years. I chose to take it upon myself to see if the Korean style marketing strategies could be utilized by artists not associated with the Kpop industry. Using my own artist career and social media accounts as the test subjects, I conducted a five month social experiment to coincide with the question: Can unknown western artists use Kpop idol marketing tactics to create a fanbase? I found through this experiment that while it is possible to grow a fanbase using these strategies, it is not as rapid or successful as what is typically seen for Korean artists. The biggest factors for this is the lack of time and resources and a general difference between what goes into a Kpop idol identity and that of a DIY artist.
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Blurred Lines: The Morals and Ethics of Music Listening in Twenty-First Century America
Mallory Wynne
2021The digital age has changed the way music is seen in the modern world. In order to combine the past history of music censorship in America with the current trends and topics in music, this paper examines three miniature case studies based on the RIAA’s guide for explicit content: depictions of violence, sex, or substance abuse. The conclusion of this paper is not a definitive answer, but a call to continue discussions about morals and ethics of music as America continues to move forward.
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Summer Whistle
Yidi Zhang
2021Summer Whistle project is a comprehensive music-creating experience that begins with a diverse, innovative, and collaborative songwriting and production camp and culminates in a global collaborative album release, under the A&R theme of Summer Whistle. This project offers an opportunity for beginning artists and emerging artists over the world to adapt to the working pattern of the globalized music industry, develop their professional skills, and expand their audience by the final album release. Meanwhile, to include more diverse music styles in this album, the connection with the Berklee Global Initiative is built. Artists studying at or graduated from the Berklee Global Academic Partners are also represented in this album. This is the first cross-campus collaboration between Berklee Boston and Berklee Valencia which received support from the top faculty members from both campuses. This is also a global collaborative project that represents artists from nine countries: United States, United Kingdom, France, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Austria, Japan, and China.
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Deep Dive in China Music Industry and the A&R Practice
Yaqing (Devon) Zhao
2021Despite China's ranking as the seventh biggest music market globally, few Chinese artists or bands have significant international influences. Comparing China with its neighbors, South Korea - made the viral boy band BTS a world phenomenon and started a craze of learning Korean, and Japan - have been influencing western cultures by its anime and independence music scenes, China has not been able to export any of primary modern culture. This paper takes a deep dive into understanding the root cause of China's struggle of nurturing a more diverse and flourished music industry, which A&R plays a vital role in developing. By reviewing the history of music industry development in China and discussing topics on what a good A&R entails, how A&R (or lack of A&R) has impacted the music scenes, the author explores where the opportunities of A&R lie in the new streaming era.
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xplör - Music Discovery Platform
Garvit Aggarwal
2020xplör is a Limited Liability Corporation registered in India. In essence, xplör is a music discovery platform for people who are dissatisfied with tracks that are accessed through top charts, recommendations from Digital Service Providers and other recommendation engines. xplör provides a new way of exploring new music - one that aims to remove all biases from the listener’s mind - one that does not discriminate on the grounds of language, genre or content - and one that is global, truly. xplör provides a 30-second preview clip of a carefully curated track each day with a guarantee of exposure to a track that makes the dopamine levels rise. Unlike Spotify, xplör is the best place to discover unbiased, non-mechanized, uncorrelated music from all geographies, genres, languages and styles - while saving time by not getting lost in the noise of 40k tracks being uploaded on a single DSP each day. We like to say that we are like Spotify’s weekly recommendation playlist but with the human curation spirit. The daily tracks are chosen by local curators and music enthusiasts who bring the global perspective while putting forth the track of the day. We ensure that tracks from under-represented and/or minority artists/ languages/ regions are given appropriate spotlight because they deserve to be heard.
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Executive Producer & Content Curator INO CON 2020
Henrike Pauline Anna Kresser
2020After the COVID-19 Pandemic and worldwide lockdown happened, forcing the music industry’s live sector to stop, our previous project - the EU DIY Musician Conference - got canceled. In an attempt to have at least one event that could showcase Berklee Valencia talent, host keynotes and panels with topics that were helpful for Berklee students and for the music industry, a group of students from the GEMB program alongside their advisors Alexandre Perrin and Pablo Munguıá created a whole new event that was going to be held online. The very first official online Berklee event: INO CON INO CON was 3-day virtual music and tech conference, in collaboration with Berklee College of Music, streamed globally. The conference featured lectures, workshops, multimedia performances, and networking opportunities so attendees could look at innovative ways on how to move forward in their careers. On July 8th, 9th, and 10th of 2020, INO CON hosted more than 20 hours of content, 600+ unique registrants, more than 40 online sessions, and gathered music industry professionals from all over the world. In pursuit of innovation, INO CON became more than a project, but an opportunity to learn, grow, and enjoy music and knowledge when the only stage was your screen.
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OFF TO LLC - Feeling Good, Feeling Groovy: Exploring Music Differently
Dan Attias and Raouf Grissa
2020The following business plan details the startup entity OFF TO. Founded by Dan Attias and Raouf Grissa, OFF TO seeks to provide new avenues for artists, listeners, and cultural institutions to explore in the new music environment brought upon by COVID-19. OFF TO will capitalize on the burgeoning need to accommodate new kinds of live experiences in the post-pandemic world through our unique offerings. We aim to record, film, and broadcast shows in carefully selected locations around the world, then make those experiences available in tangible, physical forms. Our core tenant is to showcase the perennial relevance of jazz music through the visual prism of cultural heritage sites and landmarks, and to keep the heartbeat of jazz live while providing unique experiences to consumers and listeners. By providing new spaces for music performances to occur, OFF TO will offer creative solutions for artist looking to perform and reach new audiences. OFF TO has the capacity and potential to grow in this new environment, and although the livestreaming market is competitive and particularly cluttered at present, OFF TO sits in a unique position to capitalize on recreating some of the lost value of live performance.
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Creating a Music Region: The grassroots origin of a Nordic music hub
Manuela Caneca de Lamare
2020My Culminative Experience presents a case study regarding an ongoing collaboration that uses music as a bridge-builder between Sweden and Denmark. The long-term goal of the collaboration is to use music as a tool to unite the population of Nordic countries and create a music hub in the region around the Strait of Øresund. The collaboration started in 2017 between two venues, Kulturværftet (Elsinore, Denmark) and The Tivoli (Helsingborg, Sweden) - They are separated by a thirty minutes ferry ride. From March, 2018 to February, 2020, thirty-one concerts were put together as a result of this collaboration, as well as the music competition, Popkorn Nordic, that is in its third edition. According to Rasmus Schrøder, one of the founders of collaboration, the initiative has already achieved positive results: the flow of people between both cities has increased, both venues have grown their revenue, and the region is starting to be recognized as a music hub. My primary goal with this case study is to evaluate the flow of people between the two cities in those events through data analysis on ticket sales, alongside interviews with major parties involved in this international collaboration. I will contextualize this project within the larger framework of Music City though analysis of the Swedish and Danish Music Ecosystems. A Music City is defined as a place which has a vibrant music economy. According to the report The Mastering of a Music City, “There is growing recognition among governments and other stakeholders that Music Cities can deliver significant economic, employment, cultural and social benefits.” Through the lens of these essential Music City elements it will be possible to identify how this collaboration can efficiently achieve its goals.
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Music Entrepreneurship: How Independent Artists Get Down To Business
Louise Cartier
2020This project aims at defining the role and impact of Do-It-Yourself (DIY) independent artists in the music industry, as well as demonstrating how to manage their careers in the era of artist entrepreneurship. Following the industry analysis, a case study of ARAE, “the pop music vigilante” will illustrate the points previously mentioned and picture an independent artist’s business strategy. To support my research, mixed methods have been used, ranging from literature reviews and conducting interviews, to building a business model and analyzing my audience data. Lastly, this project is meant to highlight a change in the music business and prove that an artist can develop and maintain their career themselves aided by a more artist-centric industry. However, this study also presents the hardships of owning your business and concludes by establishing the need for independent artists to find suitable partnerships to support their careers.
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Business Plan: Taiwanese Music Export
Yuan-Jou Chang
2020The following business plan outlines the details of BOBA Music Agency ltd., which is a music consultant agency aiming to Taiwanese music export to Europe. The company is based on the spirit of serving independent artists for providing them all around services, depending on the stages of the artist and the goal of his or her career. The services include mentoring, branding consultant, artist website, digital health check and digital marketing, data analysis, press and media, Spotify playlist curation, tour consultant and live events in Europe.
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POUF: Creating a Music Discovery Platform with a beanbag
Leonardo Crabai
2020In this Culminating Experience, the reader will explore the business framework of a Music Discovery Platform. This project combines the intellectual exercise of designing a business plan and the creative application of content creation. Having developed these two elements since the beginning of this project, I had the chance to experience a constant sense of direction and learn through a hands-on process. Hence, this Culminating Experience merged my necessity to prove my entrepreneurial spirit with the desire to connect with creatives and singers. Eventually, I realized that the biggest asset I have created with Pouf is not only the sessions we have filmed so far, but the reputation among artists and collaborators. This is what really makes me proud of this project.
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Consulting Business Import and Export for Japan
Rose Donohue
2020A business plan for a consulting business operating in Japan, involving both import and export of music, offering various services in record/live and with a focus on cultural awareness pertaining to music industry specifics and general business practices that are territory specific.
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Marty, Música Para Todos: Business Plan
Roberto Ignacio Flores Picazo
2020Business plan for an independent record label based in Mexico City.
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SPEAKEASY MUSIC GROUP, INC
Jonathan Gangadeen
2020I believe we are in the ‘Entrepreneurial Age’ of the global entertainment and business industry. Technology has created opportunity like never before. Artists and musicians have more control over creating, producing, and promoting their content while fans are able to contribute to the creative process in real time. From social media to subscription services, the industry has been experiencing dynamic growth at exponential increments. Now more than ever, artists across all sectors of the entertainment industry have the potential to monetize from ancillary products and services creating a demand for investment in these emerging markets throughout the world. This is the perfect time for artists to fully monetize on their crafts while taking ownership of their businesses. The following is a proposed business plan of SpeakEasy Music Group, Inc., an independent record label. SpeakEasy Music Group, Inc is presenting a solution for the Artist Direct, a segment of the record industry that has chosen the "Do It Yourself" (DIY) approach, yet find it difficult to achieve meaningful success.
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Stay at Home Fest - a virtual concert amidst the Spanish lockdown
Anny Gomes
2020The Stay at Home Fest (@athomefest) project was a collaborative online music festival on Instagram created by students at Berklee Valencia as an attempt to cooperate with peers across campuses during the Spanish lockdown in May 2020. Our roster of artists consisted in Berklee students from Valencia and Boston, alumni, fellows, professors and non-Berklee musicians – from expats living in the city to local artists.
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OFF TO LLC - Feeling Good, Feeling Groovy: Exploring Music Differently
Raouf Grissa and Dan Attias
2020The following business plan details the startup entity OFF TO. Founded by Dan Attias and Raouf Grissa, OFF TO seeks to provide new avenues for artists, listeners, and cultural institutions to explore in the new music environment brought upon by COVID-19. OFF TO will capitalize on the burgeoning need to accommodate new kinds of live experiences in the post-pandemic world through our unique offerings. We aim to record, film, and broadcast shows in carefully selected locations around the world, then make those experiences available in tangible, physical forms. Our core tenant is to showcase the perennial relevance of jazz music through the visual prism of cultural heritage sites and landmarks, and to keep the heartbeat of jazz live while providing unique experiences to consumers and listeners. By providing new spaces for music performances to occur, OFF TO will offer creative solutions for artist looking to perform and reach new audiences. OFF TO has the capacity and potential to grow in this new environment, and although the livestreaming market is competitive and particularly cluttered at present, OFF TO sits in a unique position to capitalize on recreating some of the lost value of live performance.
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LAVICHI Entertainment: Business Plan
Max Heumann and Michelle Raymond
2020LAVICHI Entertainment is an innovative record label that seeks to break the rules of the current market through a unique approach in its A&R process and with a fresh business focus. Created by people who are not only business professionals but also artists and producers themselves, the company is built with insights from people that have already been working for years in the industry on both sides of the business. Our label is dedicated to offering artists better deals for their music and disrupting archaic music industry structures.
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The Chinese Virtual Singer Business: Introduction and Preliminary Analysis
Yi Jiangnan
2020The so-called virtual singers are personified singing synthesizer voicebanks, with the business around them straddling music industry and AGC (anime, games and comics) industry. Originated from Japan, where the first singing synthesizer in the world was invented, the virtual singer business has grown into a global business of billions. Today virtual singers are widely recognized as the first generation of virtual artists who have achieved notable global success, especially Hatsune Miku, the most popular Vocaloid singer in history. A local virtual singer business in China blossomed soon after the rise of Hatsune Miku, which has formed its own shape over the years in the unique social-economic context of China. Having gone through many ups and downs, the Chinese virtual singer business has moved into a stable yet bottleneck period, with one profitable superstar Luo Tianyi and hundreds of others struggling with attaining any attention of the audience. This paper intends to present the history, market structure, business model and copyright distribution of the Chinese virtual singer business, as well as to conduct a preliminary SWOT analysis on it. In order to better explain the business model and cultural context of the virtual singer business, some relevant aspects of the Japanese virtual singer business will also be discussed in literature review. The methodology of the paper is part case studies analysis, part primary interview.
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MIDEM TALENT EXPORTER 2020
Joyce Kelly-Lefèvre
2020Based on my internship and experience in Midem Talent Exporter's 2020 edition, I have created a guideline for the next generation of GEMB students that will get on this project to use as a resource throughout their internship, as well as to provide insights on how Midem Talent Exporter was launched and executed in 2020.
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Balancing Curriculum, Creativity and Culture in Berklee’s Independent Record Label
Jacob Lapidus
2020Between 2019 and 2020, Disrupción Records, Berklee Valencia's independent label, has grown a great deal. The organization has grown from 8 to 20 team members, while integrating as a core part of the Global Entertainment & Music Business program's Record Practicum. As the incoming Label Manager, I found myself having to balance curriculum, culture, and creativity as we continuously expand our scope of operations to meet new constraints and opportunities. Throughout the year, our team battled evolving priorities and goals, a fresh roster or creative talent, and a global pandemic. We explored the intersection of music and culture with our four unique imprints and determined what key factors must be considered when navigating between distinct cultural moments. This experience has been tremendously formative for me and many other on the Disrupción team, with over eighteen Culminating Experiences being supported. The label is just getting started, and will be a sustainable resource for years to come.
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Sandwich Management Business Plan
Myra Lau Johnson
2020Sandwich Management is an Artist Management company created with the purpose of supporting artists to accomplish their goals. With the ‘here to there’ mindset, managers work with artists to help them with their next steps, bringing an idea to a creation and the creation to the fan. Through an extensive network of music industry professionals and a wealth of knowledge on the needs of growing artists, artists are put at the center of our strategy. Whether the needs are project-based, requiring full focus, or needing consulting, there is something for every artist at any stage. If artists are looking to expand their current team with a certain project, or simply get some guidance on their career at the beginning stages, all are applicable services. Artists can choose to work with a consultant, who gives guidance on what the artist should do, for a flat rate. Artists can also get help on a project basis, where the artists still retain their full percentage and pay up front for an agreed upon set of services. Whatever the needs, we will adapt and create the right strategy for you.
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East Meets West: A Korean Music, Culture, and Food Festival
Susan Lee
2020This is a business plan for East Meets West, a Korean music, culture, and food festival based in Los Angeles, California.