On the evening of October 21 st , Karalee Dawn MacKay sparked an engaging and insightful conversation in the AMGT panel Working In The Arts: Entrepreneurship Trends in Today's Music Business with top music leader: Menzie Pittman, founder of the Contemporary Music Center and author of The New Musician . Menzie was inspired to pursue music when he saw The Beatles live on Ed Sullivan. He started playing in bands and teaching at a music store until he opened the Contemporary Music Center. Since the opening of the center, Menzie has been the only Director of Education. Besides from his amazing work at the Contemporary Music Center, Menzie was appointed to the Board of Directors at NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants).
Additional industry experts included Eric Ebel and Summer Pittman. With over 40+ years of experience, Eric Ebel has filled many roles in the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Member Services. NAMM is a trade association for music, sound, and event industries, and support making music world-wide while working to grow the industry ( NAMM ). Finding enthusiasm in Public Affairs and Governmental Relationships at NAMM, Eric found his passion as a Senior Program Manager.
Summer Pittman is a Nashville-based songwriter, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and music retail professional. Throughout her formative years, Summer learned musical instruments and helped her father at the Contemporary Music Center leading her to do music full-time.
Menzie, Eric, and Summer led the discussion on topics surrounding their journey in music administration, job security, the roles of technology and social media in the music industry, and current and past business models. Menzie, Eric, and Summer debunked the "starving artist" myth by describing various musician and administrative roles they've held and how young professionals need to explore the new opportunities that are now found in the music field as they build their careers.
In addition to the captivating discourse, students also had a chance to ask questions about geographically-base music careers, the economy of tours, and industry trends. This led Menzie, Eric, and Summer to reflect on their personal stories and highlight memorable events such as the Taylor Swift Eras tour, being a side man, and the cultural shift of location-constrained careers.
After the panel discussion concluded, Menzie reflected, “What I found most encouraging about the Music Entrepreneurship Panel was the quality of the in-depth discussion. Entrepreneurship in the arts is a challenging undertaking, and it is the new path for today’s artists. The program covered multiple topics giving unique guidance to the listeners. I found the discussion timely, and I was certainly glad to be part of it.”
Karalee shared that these panel discussions are essential to tie the readings and projects in their courses directly to the field. This allows our students to hear from various professionals in multiple careers to be able to learn the latest best practices and the ways that all arts genres are adapting to the new ways of establishing and building a sustainable career in their chosen area.
Watch this discussion for free on Mason Arts Amplified! You can also watch all past Working in the Arts panels now on Mason Arts Amplified!
If you enjoyed this fascinating talk, stay tuned for the next Working in the Arts panels!