UGA and Athens come together through the Classic City’s Sounds
By Lia Jordan
The Music Business Certificate program at the University of Georgia is one of the school’s most popular programs; not only on campus, but within the local Athens community. The goal behind the program is to prepare students who are passionate about music for a career in the music industry, and what better place to do that than in a community with such a strong local music scene.
Director of the Music Business Program, Professor David Barbe, made it his goal to bring UGA and the local Athens music scene together through the program: “When I came to UGA I was aware that there was the ole town versus gown that plagues a lot of college towns,” says Barbe. This phenomenon occurs when a university and a town feel separate from each other even though they are in one very small geographic area.
Director of the Music Business Certificate Program David Barbe sits at his desk in Moore-Rooker Hall, where the MBUS program is located. Barbe made it his goal to help bring UGA and the local Athens Music Scene together through the MBUS Certificate Program.
“When I came on board to the program, since I had such strong ties to the local Athens music scene, it was important to me to try and bridge that gap and facilitate that relationship,” explains Barbe, “I felt like I was not doing either side justice if I didn’t do that.” Barbe feels as though he has bridged the gap and accomplished this goal though the program.
To accomplish this goal, the Music Business Certificate Program places students at internships in the local Athens community. This allows for the University to come together with the local music scene and bond over something that The Classic City is so proud of: music.
The program focuses on the local music scene in many ways. There are a number of students involved in outside organizations that emphasize the importance of local music whether it is a local artist, venue, or record company. “My classmates are constantly advertising their own music and shows and trying to get the whole class to support them,” says Kate Anderson, a third year student in the Music Business Program.
Music Business lecturer Andrew Rieger further explains on the certificate’s role within the local Athens community. “A lot of our students work as interns for various businesses in Athens,” explains Rieger. The goal behind immersing students into the local Athens music scene is to provide students with hands on experience to learn about how venues are managed.
“My label, Orange Twin, has interns from the Music Business Certificate Program,” says Rieger. Students get to learn how a record label works through this specific local internship. “Bands like Widespread Panic, a big band from Athens, has interns from our program that work in their organization as well,” says Rieger. Through this unique local experience, students get to see how a large, popular band operates.
“I think the intern program that we have at the Music Business program really is a great way for students to get real, local experience,” says Rieger, “having a local internship and getting that hands on experience really helps students get integrated into the actual music scene.” These opportunities are available solely because of the rich and vibrant music scene thriving in Athens.
“The program allows students to interact with the local music scene as much as they would like,” explains Weldon Delmer, a fourth year student who is in the Music Business Program. Many of the internships are for local venues like the Georgia Theatre and the 40 Watt. Just like how Anderson explained, “students often frequently make announcements about bands they are in or they know of that are playing around Athens,” says Delmer.
The program teaches students about changes within the local Athens music scene and the music industry in general. Through Rieger’s class called “Distribution of Recorded Music” he teaches students about one of the biggest changes in the industry by using his knowledge of owning his own local record label.
When his record label Orange Twin first started out, CD’s were the main sellers. Digital music did not even exist. “We have slowly seen that change to where digital sales and streaming accounts for most of our income,” says Rieger. Rieger speaks to his class about how CD sales have diminished a lot and vinyl sales are actually starting to increase. Streaming ad digital sales have become another dominant way that Rieger’s local label makes money.
Barbe teaches a class called “Emerging Issues in the Music Industry.” Barbe says at the end of the day it gets down to one fundamental question: “what do artists have to do to be able to make a living by doing what we love?” The biggest emerging issue Barbe has observed for the music industry in Athens is how much it has grown, which has its positives and negatives. “A new artist in Athens used to be able to have an immediate impact,” says Barbe, “it is hard to stand out in this bigger crowd now.”
Like most students who apply to the certificate program, Delmer initially applied because she has been interested in music and the business of music since before her time at UGA. “I heard a lot of positive things about the certificate program,” says Delmer. “People I know that took it spoke highly of David Barbe, the director of the program.”
Delmer’s biggest motivator for applying to the program was to gain real world experience. Delmer feels as though all of the information she has learned has been very applicable to the real world. This is great because the Music Business Program does not just have a classroom feel, but rather, it gives a more hands-on feel for how the music industry works.
The beauty of the program is that students who graduate go on to achieve careers in a wide variety of genres within the music industry. One of the goals for students is to be able to realize all of the opportunities that one can pursue within the music industry. “Jobs range from creative people, financial people, publicists, managers, record label people, producers, artists, data analysts, tour managers, booking agents — whatever,” explains Barbe. This allows for students with a range in preferences and tastes to find their own niche within the music industry.
This idea behind giving the students a wide variety of avenues to explore is exactly what drew Kate Anderson to apply for the program. “I’ve always loved music ever since I can remember,” says Anderson, “but I also enjoy math. So why not combine the two?” With the certificate Anderson has been able to learn the business side of the industry as well as enjoy the music side. The idea of combining one’s interests with one’s passions is a driving force behind how the Music Business Certificate Program was designed.
Through the MBUS Certificate Program, students are places at local internships at ‘Athens Favorites’ locations such as the Georgia Theater. This allows UGA students and townie favorites to come together for music.
One of the most interactive ways that the Music Business Certificate Program has immersed itself within the local music scene is through Sofar Sounds. Weldon Delmer has been able to spread the word about this program to her classmates.
Sofar’s goal is to create an immersive environment that brings guests and artists closer together in a tight-knit space. Weldon decided to use her connections and peers within the Music Business Program to revive the initiative and bring it back to Athens after it took a break for a few years.
“I find venues, artists and do marketing for the shows,” says Delmer. “It’s three artists and they play in unconventional locations.” The unique thing about Sofar is the location is not disclosed until the day before the show and the artists are anonymous until you arrive. The capacity for the shows has ranged from 30–60, so they are usually pretty small.
“It’s a good way for people interested in the Athens music scene to have a unique concert experience,” says Delmer. Another bonus about using the certificate program to spread the word about Sofar is it provides a good way for local musicians to be able to get recognition within the community in a smaller environment.
Many University of Georgia Alumni who are passionate about the local music scene wish that this program had been around when they attended UGA. Among those who do is Jason Thrasher, a 1999 UGA graduate. “I came to Athens for the art and music scene,” says Thrasher, “that is the reason why I am still here. Athens is a great town, but it’s really the culture of the music and the art that has kept me here for so long.”
To show that passion for the local Athens music scene, Thrasher decided to publish Athens Potluck in November of 2017. Athens Potluck is a photo book about the local Athens music scene. Thrasher picked the first person to be featured in the book, which was Laura Carter from the Athens’ band Elf Power. Each person that he photographed picked the next person for Thrasher to feature. The book “ended up being a stream of consciousness journey through the music scene,” says Thrasher.
“There are still even more great musicians in Athens who didn’t make the book,” says Thrasher, “Athens is a special place and nobody can ever put his or her finger on exactly what it is.”
Thrasher’s book opens with a quote explaining the concept behind how his book works.
Students and professors who are a part of the Music Business Program would say the music scene is what makes it special, and through the program they are able to experience this. The program has continuously grown recognition and attention on campus and within the community. “I have been working with it for the past two and a half years and the program is growing for sure,” explains Rieger. “We turn away a lot of students just because there is not room. It is a very popular program.”
“I think that most of the music people in town can agree that they have greatly benefited from the presence of music business interns in their places,” says Barbe. Professors really encourage students to get out into the local music scene. Barbe says, “we hope that we are developing a new generation of patrons for the great thing that we have here in Athens.”
MBUS Certificate Program Infographic
