The University of Michigan Music Business Club held the fourth annual Michigan Music Business Conference Saturday. The event hosted a range of music industry figures from Leven Kali, Grammy-nominated producer and songwriter, to Jacqueline Saturn, president of Virgin Music Group North America. The conference offered recruitment hours, workshops and other opportunities for students to have one-on-one conversations with professionals from the industry.
During opening remarks, LSA and Music, Theatre & Dance senior Jackson Manfredi and LSA senior Erika Petterson, co-vice presidents of the conference, reflected on the mission of MMBC and said that while the University does not have a music business program, the club seeks to connect interested students to the field.
“The Michigan Music Business Club was built on the mission to empower, educate and prepare the next generation of executives, tastemakers and power players in the music industry, and that’s why we’re here,” Manfredi said.
In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Manfredi said the conference is critical to bridging this gap.
“We wanted to start the conference to build a bridge between the University of Michigan and the entertainment industry — specifically, the music business industry — and we want to provide an easy pipeline for students who are interested in going into that,” Manfredi said.
A keynote panel followed, featuring Saturn and Jenna Adler, a music agent from the Creative Artists Agency. They discussed their early years in the music business world, how their careers have evolved and their experiences as women in a male-dominated field.
Saturn said her love of music production has been consistent throughout her career, but she discovered a deep passion for developing and promoting new artists along the way.
“When I think back to how it all started, it feels exactly how it is now, really just based on passion and love for music,” Saturn said. “That feeling of what it’s like when you identify something so early and you really believe in it, and you watch sort of the path grow — there’s nothing better than that feeling. So it’s all really based on the love and belief in artists.”
Later in the panel, Adler said she felt satisfied seeing the music industry evolve into a more diverse profession.
“The agency world was all male-dominated, so that’s why for me, it’s so important to champion the next generation of diverse executives and agents,” Adler said. “Now, to see our hallways in our offices, to be so diverse and to have so many women and young moms, and all of it roaming the hallways gives me so much joy.”
During an afternoon panel, Grammy-nominated artist Quinn XCII and producer Ayokay discussed how their music careers evolved from a college hobby. Ayokay is an alum of the University and shared how his time in Ann Arbor shaped his craft.
“The people I met in Ann Arbor, in the creative space, are the first ones that showed me the music I would like,” Ayokay said. “I really fell in love with music when I was in Ann Arbor.”
In an interview with The Daily, Engineering senior Arinjoy Das, MMBC co-president, said the conference is not limited to only club members, but anyone with an interest in music or business.
“Now, finally, we’re going into our fourth year, and we’re bigger and better than ever before, bringing artist keynotes as well as industry professionals that a lot of students haven’t heard from,” said Das. “It’s an opportunity for students in general, whether they’re coming from a business background or for the love of music and the industry; the MMBC conference is the perfect place to host that.”
In an interview with The Daily, LSA sophomore Sanaa Devgan, a conference attendee, said the event gave non-members, like herself, a valuable networking opportunity.
“I think it’s super important for students in general, especially those that aren’t exactly connected to (School of Business) resources, since this is an event that’s open to everybody at Michigan,” Devgan said. “It’s nice to have those opportunities to network and to interact with people in the industry.”
Daily Staff Reporter Micayla Horwitz can be reached at hmicayla@umich.edu.
