As a way to feature the talent of Rowan University and nearby community, the music department has begun a unique program: Rowan Music Group (RMG). 

RMG is the student-run record label and is working on their third release. Though RMG is offered through the music industry curriculum, participation in the group is not exclusive to those in the major. Through the program, students created six extended plays (EPs). While an album usually contains about 10-12 songs, an EP usually only contains about four to seven.

Michael McArthur, a professor in the music department and president of RMG, explained that this semester, the process of releasing the EPs was different than it had been in the past. Instead of releasing one EPs featuring songs of all different genres, the group decided to release six different ones, each featuring a different genre.

“So this semester, we created six genre-specific EPs,” McArthur explained. “They cover the gamut, from dance to singer-songwriter to alternative, hip hop and R&B, covers and study sessions, which is an instrumental piece…Something to study to and it comes out the week of finals.”

A few students involved with the group include junior music industry major Devon Dyer, senior music industry major Carl Chase, junior music industry major Brittany Cook and junior music industry major Emily Deluzio.

Dyer, who is a part of RMG’s sponsorship and branding team, explained how she got involved with the group after becoming Student University Programmers (SUP) director of live events, which led her to fall in love with the music industry.

Chase, an artist featured on the EPs, fell in love with the music industry at a young age. He explained how his uncle was a DJ who exposed him to dance music at a young age, and how he loves watching how people react when they hear that genre.

“I think it’s a great thing that we finally have a platform for artists, not just Rowan, but the surrounding areas,” Chase said. “We have so much talent within this general area that just needs to be recognized… There’s not many colleges that have a thing like this.”

Cook also discussed the influence and inspiration of her music style and choice.

“So I’m on the cover EP,” Cook said. “But the song I cover is a Bruce Springsteen song and I’ve always been a fan of people who can tell stories and obviously he’s a really good song writer so that’s kind of where my influence comes from as an artist.”

McArthur explained that because the semester is 15 weeks long, the group plans to release the EPs during the last four weeks of the semester.

In order to create the EPs, the group starts with the music. They take submissions from artists who are interested and have a passion for music. The music then gets brought to the artists and repertoire class, who decide which submissions will go beyond just the classroom.

Deluzio, who works on the promotions and touring team for RMG, explained how while the whole process is important to produce and release the EPs, it is especially important to stay organized and communicate among the different teams.

“Organization and communication are the two main things that go into account when making a project of this scale,” Deluzio said.

RMG is preparing to release the study sessions EP in honor of finals and to help students study.