Based in Philadelphia, and playing shows all over the globe, the five band members of Sweet Pill visited Rowan University to teach student musicians, artists, and other creatives about branding.

Creatives 230, the student-led experiential learning lab at Rowan’s Rohrer College of Business, hosted the Sweet Pill workshop, which was moderated by Jennifer Drumgoole, the Creatives 230 Faculty Director. The workshop ran from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Business Hall, room 235. Students from all different majors sat to learn as each member hosted their own session filled with advice, tips, and information for all kinds of creatives.

The band Sweet Pill was formed in Philadelphia with members Zayna Youssef, vocalist, Jayce Williams, guitarist, Ryan Cullen, the bassist, Sean McCall the guitarist and backup vocalist, and Chris Kearney, the drummer. Since then the band has performed at various venues and festivals, and have been on tour. The band will also headline their first festival and perform at Vans Warped Tour this summer.

Youssef is also a Rowan alumni, who found out about Creatives 230 last year.

“It’s really cool. I wish I had it when I was at Rowan, because it’s collaborative, and it’s not your traditional sitting in a classroom kind of thing,” said Youssef. “So it’s really cool to meet other people from other majors. And you know, you take what you know and put it together and make something cool.”

She was also a graphic design student during her time at the university, so during her session of the workshop, she discussed how to find the branding of one’s band and find a cohesive identity together as creatives. This helped students understand how to stand out in a crowd since there are many artists around the world, so she stressed the importance of creativity. She does this by helping design the merch and logo for Sweet Pill.

Some of the students who sat through the workshop were upcoming artists, or looking to be, so Williams led the workshop that discussed how to build a community, whether that is at Rowan or on social media. When he attended Rowan, he ran a venue called 4333 which hosted shows. Williams promoted the shows they hosted to residents and fans, and these skills led to helping grow the band.

“The music industry program here, we had a lot of guest speakers that were really engaging, but it wasn’t people who were from Rowan who got their start here,” said Williams. “Every student that has attended this is really engaged, and they’ve been here from the start. This event is six hours and this is our first time doing this…We can tell that these students care and are going to listen to the things that we’re trying to teach.”

Many students stayed for the full six hours to listen to each band member showcase their advice. Alongside those sessions, they also heard Cullen’s discussion about merch and how musicians make money while touring. McCall taught students about stepping out of their comfort zones and building relationships, a community to network in the real world.

Kearney showcased what a band’s spending looks like. Alongside touring and releasing music, bands also must be able to track their finances to know where the money goes, and in total how they get paid. As a band that tours, it’s more than just the band members who are a part of this, but also managers, their crew, lawyers, and much more.

“So while there are a lot more expenses when we are touring, playing shows is the way we make most of our income along with merch sales,” said Kearney. “So before we embark on a tour, we always see how much all the expenses will cost versus the potential amount of income the band will be earning.”

Attendees learned that being in a band is also like managing a business, which incorporates various steps to ensure that the business can run smoothly. At the end of the workshop, students were able to ask questions that pertained to their band or creative outlet and how to grow an audience for it.

The band started first as Youssef’s project for her music business thesis, where she learned how to promote it and host a show, which it has snowballed into a successful business, that has garnered thousands of listeners.

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