On Thursday, Oct. 17, Monmouth students had the opportunity to visit Warner Music Group (WMG) Headquarters in New York City. The group consisted of students from multiple majors, who traveled to the city early in the morning to speak to alumni who now work for the company and hear advice from people who have been in their shoes at one point.
Upon arrival at the headquarters, students were treated to a tour of the space where they walked through offices, viewed archived art pieces, and even walked through a pop-up merchandise display to show artists how their pieces would look in a storefront setting. Attendees were able to see a variety of merchandise from Warner artists like Melanie Martinez, The Grateful Dead, Green Day, and My Chemical Romance, many of which are hard to come across because of their limited runs. A music student’s dream is to see these pieces in the flesh.
Once students were seated in the conference room, they were able to have a conversation with Nicole Vitale, the Senior Manager of New Release Content for WMG. Nicole graduated from Monmouth in 2012 with a BA in Communication and a minor in Radio/TV. She was a member of the Residential Life team and WMCX, where she acted as Production Director, Music Director, and General Manager. She began her career as an intern with Sony Music, where she then moved to work with independent labels such as Megaforce Records and Ultra Records.
In her time with the students, she emphasized finding a niche and working with it, like what she did with 300 Entertainment and her ability to adapt in the workplace. When 300 Entertainment was acquired by Warner in 2021, she officially became part of the Warner team. Now, she works with all departments of the Warner label in some shape or form, which is one of her favorite parts of her job. Vitale shared advice with the students, mostly about staying determined in a job field as difficult as the music industry.
Students also had the chance to speak with Shannon Lawrence over Zoom, another Monmouth Alumni who works for Warner as a part of their Copyright and Rights Enforcement team at their space in Nashville, TN. After graduating from Monmouth in 2019 with a BA in Music Industry and a minor in Law, Lawrence moved to Nashville to pursue a career in the music industry, which helped her land at WMG. During her time at Monmouth, Lawrence was active with both the Student Activities Board, acting as the Concerts Chair, and Blue Hawk Records, where she appeared on multiple student compilation albums. During her time with the students, she explained her role in registering WMG songs with copyright laws and how her team helps to enforce copyright infringement. She also expressed that she would like to eventually work on an A&R (artist and repertoire) team, but she is using her time at WMG to help build connections and learn as much as she can through her work there.
The day ended with a small panel focused on an internship opportunity that WMG offers called the Emerging Talent Associate (ETA) program. This offering helps prospective WMG employees or those interested in working with a record label, get an overview of what life is like at WMG. Students received advice on what WMG looks for in a candidate and what should be included in their resumes, portfolios, and written responses submitted to WMG. More information about the program, open to everyone over 18, can be found on WMG’s website, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Overall, the Career Trek was immensely helpful and rewarding to students looking to get an overview of the inner workings of a music group as expansive as Warner. Students gained multiple first-hand perspectives of leaving Monmouth and venturing into a career in the music industry. A special thanks should be extended to Joe Rapolla, Julia Angeliadis, Elizabeth Cotta, and Jeffery Mass for organizing a smooth and resourceful outing for the lucky Monmouth attendees. It’s trips like this that make learning at Monmouth University rewarding and set us college students up to succeed in our field.
