Rowan Music Group (RMG) is a 501c3 student-run non-profit organization. Founded in January 2017, RMG serves as a professional student-run record label located within Wilson Hall on the main Glassboro campus. Once music industry majors take the Artist Services class, they are ready to rock and roll. As opposed to most upperclassmen reading through their textbooks or jotting down notes in lectures, music industry majors are harmonizing on Mondays and Wednesdays.
“Rowan Music Group is the perfect opportunity for anyone who wants to work in the entertainment business,” said Donnah Campbell, music industry major.
Together with her peers, Campbell works closely with RMG as the coordinator for the publicity department. The students enrolled in Artists Services I, Artist Services II, and Artist Services III hustle to scout, produce, and promote new talent with industry education and cutting-edge technology. RMG hosts various departments which provide students with various roles, each equipped with a set of tasks and responsibilities. Such tasks include drafting emails, creating designs for the website, social media, and flyers, and preparing press releases for promotion.
“When it was time for me to decide where to go to college, they rarely offered a music industry degree. Rowan offers it but there weren’t many places that offered it. I had to take the opportunity.” said Campbell. “You are learning about everything about publishing, contracts, public relations, and artist work. I just thought it was good for me to learn it all because whether I decide in the future I want to continue as an artist or work at a label, everything to this degree I feel has prepared me for that.”
While Campbell is working she’s set to drop her first-ever EP available on Spotify on April 30. The EP consists of four self-written songs, one of which is titled “Someway Somehow”. Though she may not be signed with Rowan Music Group, the record label shines a spotlight on similar artists.
“For artists, we’re taking on early artists that are pretty much unknown,” said Steve Feinberg, president of Rowan Music Group. The current roster features local and underground musical artists such as Kiaura Rose, Gianna Jones, and Polaroid Fade. Each artist represents a different genre of music such as pop, rock, hip-hop, etc that RMG hopes will help create diversity within the label and they are constantly looking.
“We scout people and try to form a relationship or navigate what connections we have with others. Sometimes Steve finds someone he really likes but we have a Google form sheet in the link tree of our Instagram bio we occasionally check when we are looking for artists,” said Dylan Repici, social media manager of Rowan Music Group.
As RMG is looking to sign new talent beneath their label Fienberg is also looking to rename Rowan Music Group and have RMG operate as a professional independent record label. It will still be facilitated and run on the Glassboro campus but a new title is in the works.
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