Finding a B-School Niche

(page 2 of 4)

During the year, an estimated 60% of equine students get horse-related internships or part-time jobs, working everywhere from the track to the stables. Andy Lonnon, a senior in the equine program, spends four days out of five at Churchill Downs as a marketing intern. When he graduates, Lonnon wouldn't mind continuing in marketing, but his real dream is to get into writing about horses. "One day I'd like to write for a publication like The Blood-Horse or the Thoroughbred Times," he says. "That would be ideal."

Belmont University

Getting a break in the country music industry is all about who you know. Whether it's an artist, a manager, or a roadie, without a few connections it's nearly impossible to get in. For someone with aspirations of one day headlining at the Grand Ole Opry, making those connections may seem an impossible task. But Belmont University can help.

Located in the heart of Nashville, Belmont has taken advantage of its location at the hub of the country music world to offer an accredited degree in music business. In the program, students work side-by-side with working professionals in the very positions they someday hope to hold. Mark Volman, founding member of The Turtles and co-writer of the hit Happy Together, is an adjunct faculty member on staff. So is renowned country music historian and author Don Cusic. Alumni include top executives at companies such as Lyric Street Records (DIS) and BMI, and country stars Trisha Yearwood and Brad Paisley.

For Paisley, the music business program at Belmont was the answer to his prayers. While making the rounds as a local performer in West Virginia, Paisley kept hearing about the music business program at Belmont. After checking it out himself, he knew it was where he needed to be. "I knew I had to get to Nashville, and the program was a way for me to get there," he says. After taking courses in publishing and copyright law, and completing an internship with ASCAP, he knew what to look for when it came time for him to sign a record contract. Now, 13 years later, Paisley still credits the program for his success. "When people ask me about my big break, I say Belmont University without a doubt," he says. "It's the only reason people know who I am."

Of the nearly 1,500 business students at Belmont, 950 of them focus on music. The program, which began in 1971, offers courses in music publishing and copyright law. But the real draw is the internships—and the chance to make connections, which is what the music business is really all about. According to J. Patrick Raines, dean of Belmont's College of Business, the school has 588 internship positions available to 400 students during the course of the year. Rachel Searfoss, a senior music business major from Madison, Ala., first interned in the artist and repertoire (A&R) department at Warner Bros. Music (WMG) and more recently in publicity and A&R for Lyric Street. There she did everything from sitting in on song pitch meetings to distributing CDs and DVDs to radio stations. "We learn the basics of how things work in the classroom, but you don't really understand it until you set foot in the industry and experience it for yourself," Searfoss says.

While the experience gained in an internship is valuable for music students, getting in good with the boss is more important. When she started her internship at Equity Music Group, Chelsea Curtis, a senior from Oklahoma City, wanted to make a good first impression, but more than that she wanted to be remembered. "I want them to think of me first when there's a job opening," Curtis says. True, with album sales in a decline, jobs in the music business are becoming harder and harder to come by, and many grads find themselves competing for jobs with 20-year industry veterans. But Curtis understands she will have to pay her dues. "I'll probably take the first job I'm offered," she says. It might not be typical "big break," but in the music business, a jump start is often all it takes.