One of the world’s premier music publications, Billboard magazine, recently recognized Belmont University’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business as one of the “2018 Top Music Business Schools” in the country. Acknowledged in the article’s headline for the recent “Belmont at Bonnaroo” Maymester program, Billboard noted that the 17 schools listed in their coverage featured faculty with extensive music industry résumés and provided students with educational experiences in the classroom as well as in the field, including at music festivals. The author wrote, “[Students] attend programs endowed by (and bearing the names of) superstar music-business executives. Some aspire to perform; others to work outside the spotlight. All understand that the industry is more complex than ever and deserving of four years of coursework.”
Curb College Dean Doug Howard, an alum of the music business program and former senior vice president of A&R for Lyric Street Records/Walt Disney Company, said, “I’m honored and grateful to see the Curb College recognized by Billboard magazine as one of the top music business schools in the country. I know from first-hand experience how this college sets individuals up for success in the music business. From faculty dedicated to staying on the cutting edge to programs and internships that partner with industry leaders in Nashville, New York and L.A., Curb College students are being prepared as the next generation of entertainment innovators.”
In praising the Curb College program, Billboard discussed how 20 Belmont students “capped off their curriculum” for a month-long study away program through attendance at Bonnaroo. “In the classroom, the students discussed the role of music in society and the design of sociological research studies. They then continued their work 60-plus miles southeast of campus in Manchester, Tenn. Bonnaroo organizers compiled a dozen questions for the student researchers to ask festivalgoers with the purpose of gaining insight into Generation Z fans.” The article also pointed out the annual “Songwriters in the Round” event held each year during Homecoming and hosted by alumnus and Grammy-winner Gordon Kennedy, making a special mention of this year’s surprise appearance from Garth Brooks.
About Billboard
Beginning in 1894 as a weekly for the billposting and advertising business, Billboard and its popular music charts have evolved into the primary source of information on trends and innovation in music, serving music fans, artists, top executives, tour promoters, publishers, radio programmers, lawyers, retailers, digital entrepreneurs and more.
About the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business
In 1971, Belmont first established a music business program designed to prepare students for operational, administrative, creative and technical careers in the music industry. The program grew in both size and reputation, leading to the advent of the full Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business in 2003. Currently home to more than 2,500 undergraduates with majors in music business, audio engineering technology, entertainment industry studies, songwriting, media studies and motion pictures, Curb College boasts an impressive faculty of academic scholars and authors, entrepreneurs, songwriters, producers, journalists, filmmakers and sound and recording engineers. The college serves as a world leader in music business and entertainment industry education and is the only freestanding college of its kind.
