Course # / Title / Credit: MBU 3360.01/Entertainment Career Development/3 Hours
Instructor: Sarita Stewart
Semester: Fall 2007
Class Location: Massey Center 103
Contacts: 615-460-6517/stewartsm@mail.belmont.edu
Office Hours: T/R 9 am – 11 am; 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm; Other times available via appointment.
Meeting Time(s): MWF 11 am – 11:50 am
Final Exam: Thursday, December 6 at 11 am
Educational Objectives of the Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music: 1) To provide a personalized, career-oriented and practical education that emphasizes leadership, innovation, private enterprise and entrepreneurship. 2) To equip students with the tools to think critically, communicate effectively, accept responsibility, make successful decisions, and prosper in diverse work environments. 3) To emphasize quality classroom instruction within the parameters of ethical Christian principles.
Course Description: A study of entertainment career development from an artist’s point of view. This involves management, education, promotion and financial considerations as they concern the professional entertainer. Various unions, guides and associations are studied from the entertainer’s viewpoint.
Learning Outcomes: By the end of this course, each student be able to demonstrate the following: 1) Students will be able to compile and present the different components of a press kit 2) Be able to write an artist biography 3) Be able to write and execute a career plan that incorporates their individual goals 4) Plan, write and execute a career development and business strategy around a performing artist, whether an aspiring or established artist.
Performance Criteria: Student will demonstrate their understanding of the importance of an artist’s career development through their class presentation and team paper. The goal of these assignments is to detail the planning and execution of the various strategies used in launching and/or supporting an artist’s career at a particular point in time. The presentation and paper should involve a discussion and assessment of the group’s actual career development experiences and the overall lessons learned from the experience.
Honor Code: It is the responsibility of each student to abide by the Belmont University Honor Code. “In affirmation of the Belmont University Statement of Values, I pledge that I will not give or receive aid during examinations; I will not give or receive false or impermissible aid in course work, in the preparation of reports, or in any other type of work that is to be used by the instructor as the basis of my grade; I will not engage in any form of academic fraud. Furthermore, I will uphold my responsibility to see to it that others abide by the spirit and letter of this Honor Pledge.”
Accommodation of Disabilities: In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, Belmont University will provide reasonable accommodation of all medically documented disabilities. If you have a disability and would like the university to provide reasonable accommodations of the disability during this course, please notify the Office of the Dean of Students located in Beaman Student Life Center (460-6407) as soon as possible.
Course Requirements:
1.Attendance is critical during the duration of this course, due to the nature of the individual and team projects incorporated throughout the semester. Each student is expected to attend all of the class meetings for the best possible learning experience. Every lecture will cover material necessary to a thorough understanding of the concepts.
Course Requirements (continued):
This course follows the attendance policies as stated in the current Belmont University Bulletin. If you miss more than eight classes, you may be involuntarily dropped from the course with a grade of “WF.” Absences are considered excused if the instructor is given prior notice, and for reasons such as family emergencies, extremely sick, etc. Additional accepted excuses are official university sanctioned events with an excuse from the Provost’s Office. Attendence will be taken each class period through the use of a class signup sheet.
2. Materials: Indie Marketing Power (Spellman – Music Business Solutions) (Required)
Who Moved My Cheese (Johnson – Putnam) (Optional)
The instructor may choose to assign additional readings as necessary. All additional readings and handouts will be posted on Blackboard.
3. Assignments:
Class participation: While class participation is not an “assignment,” it is very important element of your grade in that it accounts for 5% of your overall grade. It is recommended that each student come prepared to discuss the various class topics highlighted for the day. The class participation grade is composed of several different elements, including regular class attendance, participation in class, etc.
Assignments: A combination of five individual and group assignments will be given relating to class material and are due on the assigned dates given in class and listed on Blackboard. Assignments are expected to be typed and turned in via “hard copy” unless alternative arrangements are made with the instructor. The assignments given are designed to be able to successfully complete and demonstrate competence in the understanding, creation and execution of the following:
write an artist biography.
budget.
All of the individual and team projects that you will be doing in class are important and should be applied towards the completion of the team paper. Feel free to incorporate the instructor’s suggestions/corrections of the various assignments into the group project. Points will be deducted for projects with missing segments. These same deductions will apply for late team assignments as well as individual assignments.
Individual Entertainment Career Development plan: The goal of this individual paper is to allow the student to focus on a specific area of their career focus (touring, publishing, publicity, studio work, recording, etc.). More details to follow at a later date.
Group Project: Students will be placed in assigned groups. The team will engage in a variety of exercises (see above) throughout the course of the semester that are designed to take the student through the process of artist career development. Each group will be responsible to put together a career development plan for a performing artist, whether the artist is an aspiring or established performer. This will include compiling a business plan across all aspects of an artist’s career – press kit, publishing (if the chosen artist is a songwriter), the manufacture, production and distribution of product, marketing, touring and other considerations. Your final project will be presented to industry professionals as available. The final project is to be delivered in a hard copy format, along with a demo artist CD. More details will be presented on the group project during the course of the class.
Group presentation: Each group will give an class presentation that outlines the strategies and work that the group undertook in order to develop a career and business plan around the artist. The presentation should also include an honest assessment of challenges involved in each project. Presentations will take place the week of 11/26.
Peer Evaluation: Additionally, there will be a confidential team peer evaluation given at the class mid-point and upon final project completion. The combined average contribution score (0 – 100%) will be applied to the individual part of your team grade. The Peer evaluation will rate participation, meeting team deadlines, overall cooperation, work quality and amount of contribution. These two assessments will reflect 5% of your overall team grade.
All assignments will be returned to the students graded with comments. Assignments are due at the start of the class period. Points will be deducted for late assignments. After three days, late assignments will no longer be accepted. Due dates will be posted on Blackboard and on the board during class lecture. Students are expected to keep up with all assignment due dates, and not being present at the time of a class assignment is not considered an excuse for a late completion.
4. Testing
Exams: The midterm is scheduled to be held in class on 10/10/07. The final for the class is to be held on Thursday, December 6 at 11 am.
Material for both tests will be taken from a variety of sources, including assigned readings, discussions, assigned and all other materials presented. Exams may not be “made up” if absent, unless it is excused through an official university function. Exams will consist of a variety of question types including multiple choice, true/false, short answer, matching, or essay questions. Exam grades are final and are graded on a traditional scale of 0 to 100%.
Instructor reserves the right to make changes in the syllabus as needed.
5. Basis of grade evaluation:
Grading Scale:
(97–100) = A+ (87-89) = B+ (77-79) = C+ (67-69) = D+
(93– 96) = A (83-86) = B (73-76) = C (63-66) = D
(92–90) = A- (80-82) = B- (70-72) = C- (60-62) = D-
Grading:
Class Participation 5%
Mid-Term 15%
Individual Career Plan Paper 15%
Assignments – Individual/Group 25%
Group Presentation 10%
Group Project 15%
Group Peer Evaluation 5%
Final Exam 10%
Final Grade 100%
6. Class Schedule: (Subject to change at instructor’s discretion)
Week Date Topics Reading assignment
1 8/22 Class Introduction
8/24 Class Overview/Group assignments
2 8/27 The Music Business Chapter 3
8/29 Building Your Own Cottage Industry Chapter 2
8/31 Building Your Own Cottage Industry
3 9/3 NO CLASS – LABOR DAY
9/5 Financing Your Career Handout
9/7 Life On The Road Chapter 7
4 9/10 Life On The Road
9/12 Building Your Image Handouts
9/14 Building Your Image Assignment #1 due
5 9/17 Building Your Press Kit
9/19 PR Tools/Biography Chapter 13
9/21 PR Tools/ Press Release Assignment #2 due
6 9/24 In The Studio Chapter 8
9/26 Studio Sessions/Unions
9/28 Preparing to Sell Your Product Chapter 2/Assignment #3 due
7 10/1 Preparing to Sell Your Product
10/3 Digital Technologies Chapter 5
10/5 Marketing Chapter 4/Assignment #4 due
8 10/8 Marketing Chapter 6
10/10 In-class Midterm
10/12 NO CLASS – FALL BREAK
9 10/15 In-class speaker
10/17 Distribution of Product/Physical Chapter 9
10/18 Distribution of Product/Digital
10 10/22 Music Videos
10/24 Music Videos
10/26 The Role of Radio Chapter 10/Assignment #5 due
11 10/29 Merchandising
10/31 Endorsement/Sponsorships Chapter 15
11/2 International Touring Chapter 14/Career Plan due
12 11/5 Performing Rights Societies Handout
11/7 Money In Music Publishing Chapter 12
11/9 Money In Music Publishing Chapter 11
13 11/12 Building Your Team/Manager
11/14 Building Your Team/Agent
11/16 Sustaining Your Career Chapter 16, Appendix
Week Date Topics Reading assignment
14 11/19 Case Study
11/21, 11/23 NO CLASS – THANKSGIVING BREAK
15 11/26 Class Presentations Outline due prior to Presentation
11/28 Class Presentations Outline due prior to Presentation
11/30 Class Presentations Outline due prior to Presentation
16 12/3 Last Day of Class Group Project due
Final Exam: Thursday, December 6 at 11 am