Converse Faculty Attend Research in Popular Music Conference

By John Jeter

A conference about academia’s hottest new subject—the music business—hit some high notes recently for two Converse faculty with subjects such as Luke Combs’ 2023 cover of Tracy Chapman’s 1988 hit, “Fast Car,” Beatlemania and “glocalization” of the world’s music.

Those were just a few among several scholarly papers at the Research in Popular Music conference at Flagler University in St. Augustine, Florida. Converse’s Dr. David Berry and John Jeter presented their work to colleagues from such major marquee institutions as New York University and the University of Southern California’s prestigious Thornton School of Music, among others.

“We were in the same room with the big dogs,” says Berry, Converse Professor of Musicology and Composition and maestro of the Music Business & Technology Certificate program. “We started a dialogue and found out we have the same challenges in teaching music students.”

At the September conference, he and Jeter, adjunct instructor of Music Business and Creating Your Personal Brand, delivered “The Modern Music Entrepreneur,” which starts this way: “Popular Music students must answer the two most critical questions rarely asked in music business courses: Why do you want to be in the industry? How do you brand yourself to distinguish your talent—and your story—from thousands of other artists who want what you want?”

“Popular Music students must answer the two most critical questions rarely asked in music business courses: Why do you want to be in the industry? How do you brand yourself to distinguish your talent—and your story—from thousands of other artists who want what you want?”

“Incredible,” Jeter says. “We heard from brilliant people, like the prof who has worked with record labels, a professor who teaches an up-and-coming rock star with a serious disability, a British scholar who knows seemingly everything about the world of music—just check out the killer website he shared that has 600-odd musical genres. The list goes on.”

We’re able to collaborate, to find solutions to give music students what they need and want.

Dr. David Berry

As Berry comments, the gathering of like-minded scholars, all passionate about teaching music business, proved to be a valuable opportunity. (Incidentally, Berry teaches one of Converse’s most popular courses, The Beatles, although it was a Monmouth University professor who delivered the Beatlemania paper.)

“The cool thing is that this is the beginning of a networking thing,” he says. “It’s exciting to see, and we’re able to collaborate, to find solutions to give music students what they need and want.”

For more information about Converse’s Music Business & Technology Certificate, please contact Dr. Berry at david.berry@converse.edu or John Jeter at john.jeter@converse.edu at Converse’s renowned Petrie School of Music.