Music Entrepreneurship Program Inspires Artists to Think Outside the Box

More and more, music schools and institutes are incorporating entrepreneurship classes, organizations, clubs, seminars and workshops into their programs. Why is that?

In order to explore the truth behind this fact, Carolina Money reached out to David Cutler, Director of Music Entrepreneurship at USC, and some of his former students who decided to approach their art in innovative ways. 

Cutler is the author of the book The Savvy Musician, designed to help musicians in the 21st century "build a career, earn a living, and make a difference." He is also behind The Savvy Musician in Action, a 'Shark Tank-like' initiative designed to help artists increase income and impact. This year, The Savvy Musician in Action will take place from June 7-12.

One of our interviewees, Kate McKinney, is also one of the founders of the Project Opera Camp. In 2014, McKinney and her business partner, Brenton O’Hara, competed in The Proving Ground – USC’s annual entrepreneurial competition – and won a $20,000 grant to turn their project into reality. Project Opera Camp is a non-profit organization that teaches life skills, leadership, and character development through music. Camp activities will be back in 2017. Here you can learn more about their initiative.

Susan Zhang and Nick Luby, founders of The Concert Truck, just finished their first week-long tour of Columbia, SC. They plan on expanding and improving their initiative in the future. To learn more, visit their Facebook page. 

Stay tuned for tips, thoughts and insights from David Cutler as we bring his interview in full, next week!