Music/Recording Industry:
Faculty Spotlight

Kerry Fiero on Teaching "Applied Strategies: Breaking into the Music Business"

Kerry Fiero has been in the music business for the past 15 years, wearing multiple hats including music manager, booking and promoting music venues, artist liaison on music videos, production on award shows, tour managing, event planning and production, music marketing, and working in Entertainment Law. She has been an adjunct professor in the MRI program for six years.

This is a new class in the program. I designed this class after discovering the need for students exploring the music business to get a crash course on how it all works, and for more seasoned students who had a direction but needed to learn the operations of the business to grow their career. It is a Music Business 101 class where you get all the information of how the business operates, the players, and the terminology, how you make money combined with the more sophisticated information of strategies to grow your career.

We will cover the operations of the music business in today's changing climate, artists and the music professionals that surround them, live performance, marketing, publishing & licensing, TV/Film/radio, record deals, online marketing and distribution, plus the business of songs and songwriting. In addition we cover strategies for the business behind the art of music, branding strategies, lessons learned from artists who have had multiple decade long careers, and through entrepreneurship for the DIY music business of today. We live in a time where being able to wear multiple hats and “walk the walk and talk the talk” are necessary to keep afloat in this biz.

Through articles, guest speakers, and movies, we find inspiration in how people are breaking into the music business these days and how people are using strategies to grow and evolve and make a living at the music business.

My philosophy of teaching has always been that the lessons taught should be more than just retained information, but instead information that can be taken, digested and then used to advance one's career pursuits. So, each semester as I get to know my students, I pick guest speakers, and angle lectures to directly satisfy their curiosity and provide them with information that can be applied to their real life pursuits. I constantly encourage the students to find ways to take the lessons and apply them into their own life.

I am passionate about teaching and love the enthusiasm and synergy my classes have as they start to unravel the mysteries of the music business and then start to see where they can carve out their participation in it. The music business is all about relationships and so getting to know one another is critical.

While “Applied Strategies: Breaking into the Music Business” is an elective in the Music and Recording Industry Program, it is a vital class that every artist, producer, or aspiring music business professional should take. In an ever changing highly competitive industry, it is so important to understand how the whole industry operates and all the strategies needed to succeed to get multiple streams of income, have your music heard, launch your business, turn your hobby into a profession, or achieve whatever success means to you.

What are students saying about the class?

“The Applied Strategies: Breaking into the Music Business class, taught by Kerry Fiero, is fantastic! This class covers the complete spectrum of music industry culture and business that artists and music professionals alike need to understand to start and maintain a career in today's Music marketplace. She personalizes her interaction with each student during lectures, directing their attention to areas of specific importance for their individual careers. By personalizing the class experience for each student, she creates a dynamic and invaluable learning environment. Mrs. Fiero's dynamic teaching style will capture and keep your attention. This class is exciting, informative, and thorough - you will not want the semester to end!”
-Leah Chavez