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.