Monmouth University students consisting of Blue Hawk Records (BHR) members and several graduates attended the 10th annual Mondo.NYC Music and Technology Conference in New York City. The conference was held at Arlo Williamsburg Hotel from Oct. 14 through the 17. The trip was coordinated by Jeffrey Mendez, senior music industry major and Kylensky Miracle, junior business major and overseen by Joe Rapolla, professor and Chair of the Music and Theatre Arts Department.
The event was centered around music, arts, and technology professionals all working with the music industry. This included industry artists, leaders, and entrepreneurs; including David O’Connor, Vice President of Artist & Business Development for Live Nation and Founder of OnesToWatch; Todd Dupler, Chief Advocacy & Public Policy Officer for The Recording Academy; and Antoinette Trotman, SVP Business Affairs Administration for Universal Music Group.
The experts covered a multitude of fields from legal, business admins, marketers, and music journalists. This week of panels, showcases, and networking opportunities explored the issues that the current future of entertainment faces. Monmouth students attended panels that focused on advocacy, social media, music supervision, and the relationship between technology and creativity. BHR students, in particular, networked with these professionals for future partnerships with the university and their student record label. Those who attended left feeling inspired with more awareness of what professionals do daily.
One of the event coordinators, Miracle, also expressed how he benefitted from learning different aspects of the industry. He explained how learning about advocacy was, “…uplifting for the future of the music industry as a creative and business professional, learning about how the industry benefits the economy and the legal action taken to protect creatives and their work to continue to promote growth in our economy was eye-opening. It was an honor to have been able to attend such an informative and inspiring event with my fellow classmates,” Miracle said.
Allison Spinelli, a sophomore music industry major said, “I learned so much about the music business and was able to learn from real industry professionals about their personal experiences in the industry. My biggest takeaway from the experience was how connections and hard work have a direct correlation with success in the industry.”
Other music industry majors like Olivia Crocco, senior and Connor Hackett, junior were grateful to hear from influential industry experts from Billboard, Warner, Sony, and more. “I thoroughly enjoyed all the panels and took away so much information from each, especially the panel on how social media affects the industry with great commentary from management teams and A&R, giving direct insight to the career path I would love to follow,” Crocco said. She explained that although these events might seem daunting walking into a room full of professionals was “truly inspiring” for the future.
Along with learning about professions and future areas for careers, students also heard about personal experiences. Event coordinator, Mendez went to a sync panel featuring Randy Class, a Grammy nominated producer and songwriter for Selena Gomez and Shawn Mendez. Class talked about writing across different catalogs and how diversity in genres can open doors within the industry.
“What stuck with me most was hearing that one good placement can do more than millions of streams and keep earning even while you’re spending time with family,” Mendez said, “To be present with loved ones while your work continues to move is what makes sync so powerful and something I aspire to capitalize on.”
Opportunities like Mondo.NYC continue to strengthen Monmouth students’ education and their futures after graduation. Conferences like this are how students can develop a network and create lasting experiences related to their careers. Students left feeling a sense of hope and eager to start making a foundation for themselves to grow in the music industry.
“From music advocacy to music supervision, I know that there’s a career for me out there, and the education I gain at Monmouth will help me succeed in one of the many fields that exist in this exciting industry,” Hackett said.
