The Ohio University Music Industry Summit allows attendees to immerse themselves in the music industry. This past week, the summit hosted over 70 artists and industry leaders, including OU alumni. Free of charge to high school students, college students, educators and alumni, the three-day event gave music students and lovers a chance to engage in the industry.
Josh Antonuccio, director of the School of Media Arts and Studies and the Music Industry Summit, explained what kind of benefits the event has for those looking to enter the music industry.
“(The summit) provides firsthand opportunities to engage with people that are actually working in or influencing the music industry and adjacent industries,” Antonuccio said. “Also, a chance to network with them and build relationships, and kind of foster relationships that might lead to other opportunities.”
Antonuccio helped start the first summit in 2018 and has seen many impacts on attendees.
“Anything from making one of their first, most important professional connections to people landing jobs,” Antonuccio said. “Just had a student last week land their first job at Universal Music Group because of a connection they made here.”
Putting the summit together is no small feat. Organization and planning take upwards of a year, and many people are involved in the process.
“We typically are working in one to two-year cycles, so we kind of have an idea of who we'd want to ask, and then we solicit student feedback on artists, and that does play into some of the decisions in terms of who we book to speak or perform,” Antonuccio said.
Liz Pahl, assistant director of the Center of Entrepreneurship, also helped work with the Scripps College of Communication to put the event together. The summit was co-founded by the Center and Scripps. She said she also sees impacts on attendees that last past college.
“Current students can interact with people in their fields and really get that one-on-one connection in a meaningful way,” Pahl said. “And then create those connections, keep those connections lasting past the summit.”
The summit sometimes affects students in unexpected ways. Pahl explained how some students go in wanting one thing, and come out of the experience with new career avenues in mind.
“One student wanted to go to one session and went to a different session, and came out and was like, ‘I'm so glad I went to that session,’” Pahl said. “He was like, ‘I feel like my life has been changed.’”
Tatum L’Heureux, a sophomore studying psychology, helped high school students attend the events this past week through the Afterschool Music Program at Stuart’s Opera House.
“I love that it’s a free program for anybody to enjoy, and that it’s kind of something that you wouldn’t get to know about otherwise,” L’Heureux said. “I write music, I perform music, but I don't know a lot about the production side of things. So this is kind of like an insider look at what it's like for people who actually produce a lot.”
L’Heureux said the music scene at OU and in Athens is booming, and having something like the Music Industry Summit gives artists opportunities to expand their knowledge.
“We’ve already had people who have gone to the university, who are gaining traction and getting places, so I feel like this is a perfect place to start your career,” L’Heureux said.
