The Degree is Over, But the Learning has Just Begun!

It has been a long time coming...This week I will graduate with my Bachelor of Science in Music Business Management.

Over the past two and a half years I have been studying, but not in a classroom.  Because I was "on the road" I had to obtain my degree with the help of technology...Online.

I chased that degree while I worked on cruise ships, paying 35¢ per minute to watch my lecturers, research and upload assignments, and participate in virtual discussions. At some times this cost me close to $200 per month in Internet bills alone.

For a while I got to study "on land" as I worked as a show band drummer for a five star resort nestled in northern New Hampshire. The remote spot where I lived lacked an Internet connection, so I went to my virtual classes via a mobile hot spot. It was slow, so slow that sometimes I drove an hour out of town seeking a stronger cell signal to upload my assignments.

I worked hard for those two and a half plus years. I think I averaged about 45 hours per week on school work while I traveled, played some late nights, and then traveled some more.

With a few months left before graduation I moved in with family in Florida and started working for Apple Retail. Luckily my sister had a really good Internet connection so I could finish my tenure at the college strong. I was up early every day and in bed late as I polished another assignment, researched another business topic, or read another chapter.

And in the end I got my last grades and was pleasantly surprised to find out that I had achieved a 4.0 for all of my hard work. The same hard work that put me at the top of my class in Music Business Management at Full Sail University.

Many people question the validity of such a degree. I do not.

The music business landscape has radically changed. Everything is different from marketing to promotions, artist management, the record deal, contracts, and, of course, distribution. What is funny is that if you asked any "Joe blow" on the street he would tell you the same, but for some reason so many artists think otherwise. They still dream of that big record contract, the globe trotting tour to packed football stadiums, the debut album that goes platinum in the first week.

Without people like me, people who have trained in the modern music business landscape, they would starve. Or worse yet return to a normal 9-5 job. You see during this degree that many would deem somewhat useless I have studied how artists can not only survive in this new marketplace, but also prosper.

In the end I am proud of what I have accomplished thus far, but I am even more excited of what is to come. If the music business has shown me one thing, it is that the Internet is here to stay and those who don't hop on board will wither and die. I have studied one industry that almost died at the hands of an interlinked world, now I will learn how to leverage that power to help both myself and the lucky organization I will eventually work for succeed in the modern marketplace.

So you may see my posts change a bit.  I will continue to talk about the drumming world, but you will probably see more research on the modern music business landscape and the power of the Internet taking a larger role.

I look forward to sharing my experiences with you!