6 November 2018
By Mary Bermingham
mary@TheCork.ie
A select group of students from CSN College of Further Education on Tramore Road, Cork, will receive a crash course in making their mark on the music industry on Wednesday (7th November), as a host of well-known faces on the Irish music scene converge on the campus to share their insights and experience.
The Music Business Seminar will be attended by the Year 1 and Year 2 students of CSN’s famed Music, Management & Sound course, which has produced household names such as Mick Flannery, Sinead Lohan and The Frank and Walters. Also among the impressive list of famous alumni to have emerged from the doors of Cork’s very own ‘Rock School’ is singer-songwriter Stephanie Rainey and composer/producer Gavin Dunne, who will lend their expertise to next Wednesday’s special event. Rainey, who graduated from CSN in 2007, was recently signed by Warner Records, the label that launched Ed Sheeran onto the world stage. Dunne, the man behind Miracle of Sound, has a unique perspective to share thanks to his tremendous success building an expanding niche audience across online and social media platforms. Aside from achieving the Number One spot on the iTunes metal chart with his album Metal Up, Dunne’s YouTube channel averages three to four million views on a monthly basis.
These special guest speakers will be joined on the panel by Shane Dunne, MCD promoter and Managing Director of the annual Indiependence music festival, and broadcaster, PR mogul and CSN graduate Michael Carr, who will host the event and filter audience questions and comments.
Those attending the event with aspirations of following a successful career path within the music industry in any capacity, will undoubtedly find the experience incredibly beneficial and worthwhile, with a variety of enlightening topics on the agenda. The panel will share information that is vital for any budding musician or professional embarking on a career in today’s ever-evolving music industry, such as how to present yourself to a venue or record label, how to negotiate a record deal, how to create a success story by taking the ‘do it yourself’ route and how to hold your own when in talks with publishing houses. The over-arching message of the seminar relates to both the importance of maintaining professionalism in every aspect of one’s career, as well as the significance of understanding the nuts and bolts of the business behind the art.
Speaking ahead of the eagerly-anticipated event, Chris Ahern, Course Director of Music Management & Sound at CSN, commented: “We have spent many wonderful years nurturing the noteworthy talent of each student that has passed through this course, but while the progression of a skill is hugely important, the management of that ability and knowing how to successfully utilise it in a professional capacity is paramount to the future success of our graduates. We consistently teach our students how to negotiate the business landscape in the music world and to be aware of the trappings that often go hand-in-hand with this industry, but organising events such as the upcoming seminar is a hugely effective exercise as it gives students the opportunity to learn from their peers – those that were in their shoes just a few years ago.”
He added: “On a personal level, the seminar will also give my colleagues and me the chance to catch up with our graduates, which is something we get great enjoyment from.”
