Growing Through Music Co-ops and Experiences

Hi, I'm Jay and I'm currently an EAM Senior. I've completed two co-ops, both in the music business administrative sector.

My first co-op experience was as a talent buyer at Rising Sun Presents, a full-service live event production company. The talent buying department is responsible for booking talent for several venues in the Greater Philadelphia Area. My responsibilities as an intern included revising artist contracts to ensure they complied with venue policies, conducting artist research, and learning how to draft artist offers. This internship provided a positive environment to expand on the principles I had learned in class, especially regarding contracts, event planning, and more.

I also worked closely with department heads to route a tour for the band Kayo Dot. This internship presented so many valuable opportunities, including the chance to work on the box office team for RSP's outdoor summer concert series, which gave me hands-on experience in ticketing and box office operations.

If I could do it all over again, I would have gotten more involved in student organizations as early as possible.

After my first co-op, I wanted to explore another side of the industry. I met the founder of FATA Booking at a networking event, which led to an opportunity as an agent intern. In this role, I worked remotely under one of the executive agents, gaining a deeper understanding of the music industry from an agent's perspective. Despite being a remote internship, I was still able to form strong connections with both my supervisor and the founder of the company. As an intern, I provided administrative support to agents by managing client ticket counts and conducting research on artists, venues, and festivals. This experience allowed me to strengthen my existing skills and learn new ones, particularly in A&R (artists and repertoire) and client relations.

In addition to my co-op experiences, I had the incredible opportunity to extern for the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. I passively submitted my application through LinkedIn, and it turned out to be one of the most meaningful experiences in my career journey. During my time on the farm, I met so many incredible people, and had the chance to apply my knowledge of social media management and stage management. This experience solidified my interest in live event production and has encouraged me to apply for similar roles in the future.

The social media management skills I learned in class were key in helping me run the campaigns for the Bonnaroo Works Fund. Through classes like Entertainment Law and Strategic Planning, I found the types of roles and work environments where I thrive. The core EAM classes and electives provided me with valuable foundational skills I could add to my résumé, like proficiency in various business softwares, box office and ticketing, marketing, grant writing, and more. If I could do it all over again, I would have gotten more involved in student organizations as early as possible. Exploring the different channels of creative industries through student organizations is a great way to see where your interests, talents, and passions lie. Each of these experiences has helped me to better understand what sectors of the industry I want to pursue post-graduation. Personally, I found all of my co-ops through independent search, and I'm grateful for the chance to work with such amazing people along the way.