January 19, 2014

Over the holidays, Music Industry Professor Darren Walters led Drexel’s first study abroad program in Sao Paulo, Brazil, taking 11 students from various majors on a 10-day tour of the city’s music studios, record labels and cultural centers, including the Museum of Image & Sound and the University of Sao Paulo. The students attended Samba rehearsals, a street art tour with Brazilian artist Michemball, a hip-hop face-off with Batalha do Beco, concerts with Diana dos Teclados and lectures by Grammy-nominated producers, media partners and booking agents.

“The days and nights of the trip were packed,” says Walters. “We spent time each day with an emerging artist Luciana Oliveria, who told us what it was like to be an artist in Brazil. We visited her record label, her PR firm and viewed her videos. Now, Brett Loeb, for his senior project, is helping her from here in the United States.”

According to a study by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), Brazil is the world’s eighth largest music market in the world, with total music sales revenue growing approximately 9 percent year-over-year since 2011. Comparatively, Brazil’s digital sales grew 27 percent year-over-year during the same period of time.