Jamie McCrary
Every March, thousands of performers and entertainment industry leaders pour into Austin, Texas, for the South By Southwest Music Festival (SXSW). This annual event converges music, tech, film, culture, and education into a week-long gathering that celebrates today’s top creative talent—and examines current issues facing the entertainment industry.
This year, a group of Kogod students led by Linda Bloss-Baum, director of Kogod’s business and entertainment program, traveled to Austin to participate in the gathering. The group attended dozens of SXSW performances, panels, and artist showcases.
Students were also tasked with a shared challenge during the festival: Networking.
“It’s all about relationships, particularly in the entertainment industry,” says Bloss-Baum. “Your success depends on whether you connect with somebody in real-time and can continue that relationship. This allowed students to see and feel what that’s all about.”
Bloss-Baum assigned each student a quota of people to meet and speak with. Students were to initiate five informal and five formal conversations with new contacts about a chosen topic in the music industry. This challenge helped provide students with a blueprint for strategic relationship-building.
She also asked students to draft a promotional plan for a festival performer of their choice. Then, they were to approach the artist at SXSW to pitch ideas from their plan.
“Some artists have taken students up on it, which is exciting,” says Bloss-Baum.
Students also gained key program development experience while preparing for the festival. The group partnered with the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), a trade association representing thousands of live entertainment venues, festivals, promoters, and more, to support the development of their sponsored artist showcase.
Students met with association representatives throughout several classes at Kogod and helped support the showcase at SXSW.
“They got to work with independent venue owners from around the country—another important networking opportunity—and get to know a bit about how the live music industry works in real-time,” she says.
Bloss-Baum was also a featured speaker in a featured SXSW business and entertainment panel. In “The Creative Biz: What We Wish Was Taught in Art School,” she joined representatives from the US Copyright Office, Music Managers Forum, and Black Girl Film School to share how creatives can protect their work through copyright, as well as best practices for running a small creative business.
“In school, they don't teach you how to register your royalties or maneuver the industry's business mechanics,” she says.
We need to equip our students with the tools they need to maneuver the industry as it is today, particularly in the digital arena.”
Linda Bloss-Baum
Business and Entertainment Program Director, Kogod School of Business
Bloss-Baum notes that artificial intelligence was by far the centerpiece of the festival’s panel discussions—but not exactly in the way she expected. Many creators spoke up about the ways AI was helpful for their work rather than a threat.
They also noted that while technology has become more sophisticated and advanced, AI isn’t new. On the music tech side, creators have used it for years with tools like the music software Pro Tools and Auto-Tune.
“What struck me is there are two sides of AI in the creative community,” Bloss-Baum says. “We hear a lot about the threats creators face, but there's also a lot of benefits. I’m heartened to see we are beginning to think more holistically about both the threats and opportunities AI presents.”
The festival’s timing was especially serendipitous this year, just weeks before Kogod announced its commitment to integrating AI throughout its core curriculum.
Back in DC, Bloss-Baum debriefed with her students and began looking ahead to next year’s festival. She hopes the group will continue to grow the networking skills they gained and integrate them into their work in DC—and how they support one another’s growth and success.
“What really struck me about this group is that they looked out for each other,” she says. “If somebody was left behind, they would wait for them. Like I said, it’s all about relationships—and it was great to see this coming from our own.”
Learn more about Kogod's Business and Entertainment program here.