Last Thursday, April 4, the Rowan Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (RCIE) held a panel discussion for students in Wilson Hall, room 156, with four music producers within the music industry.

The speakers shared their personal experiences of how networking and being a part of the music industry scene requires a lot of work and passion to be a part of the field successfully.

Each speaker shared a unique perspective that helped shape their work ethic to stand out in a competitive environment, which then allowed the attendees to gain an understanding of how to start their journey in the industry.

One of those speakers was Jordan “Jus” Martin, the artist and repertoire (A&R) executive at Epidemic Sound and the head of hip hop.

Martin’s experience with starting in the industry involved a lot of traveling and making sacrifices while completing school and an internship. Despite this, Martin stuck with his plan and reached his goal.

Martin shared some words on why these events can be helpful and gave some personal advice.

“More students should take opportunities at their schools to start building direct relationships with someone they can learn from in the industry,” said Martin. “If there is one thing people should take away from this is that you have to stick to you. You should go achieve that one thing that connects to you and your reason for being here.”

Another speaker was Ezrah Archie, owner of Luxury Studio and head of A&R for 100% Pure Music Entertainment while also being a joint venture partner with Warner Records.

Archie’s experience comes from being in the industry and how important it is to take advantage of opportunities like these.

“Even though the college motto is by the books, things like this panel teach you to see people work in real-time while also giving you up-front knowledge on how things in the real world works,” said Archie.

Archie also shared advice to anyone who looks to be successful in any career.

“Find your niche, your trade, to build your bridge,” said Archie. “To use what you have and put that into your work brings value to the table since people come to bring creativity, and that value adds to every room in your career.”

With speakers imparting their insight to the attendees, it allowed for expanded perspectives from those within the music industry.

One of those attendees was Kaylin Chow, a 21-year-old junior who is a music industry major.

“One thing I took from this event is that the one-sided experience is not a myth in the industry. That it shows there is a risk to go into music, however, as long as you’re focusing on yourself in a competitive space, using your resources, it can make it worthwhile,” said Chow.

This event was made possible by the Student Entrepreneurship Advisory Council (SEAC), which is a student ambassadorship for entrepreneurship within the RCIE.

Ajee’ Jeter, a 22-year-old senior entrepreneurship major, is a member of the SEAC and was the one who led this event.

“More students should have access to opportunities like this for the music industry since it is so competitive. Being able to get a sense of what the industry is like is a good way to grow as an individual and to grow your business,” said Jeter.

Jeter also shared that more events like this will be available in the future, expanding the connectivity of all students to careers.

Overall, this opportunity gave students a bigger perspective on what is possible by networking with people who have the inside information of the music industry, getting students connected with their resources and future, and allowing for a symphony of endless possibilities.

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