Dae Bogan’s Music Industry Entrepreneurship Winter 2023 Class At UCLA Wraps With Student Startup Presentations
An artificial intelligence music production platform. A global music mentorship and collaboration social media platform. An app to track your favorite artist shows and connect to attend with other solo concert-goers. A digital music service for independent music where artists can engage with their listeners. And a marketplace where musical artists can find visual artists to design album artwork.
Those were the startup ideas that my students pitched during their final presentations tonight in my Music Industry Entrepreneurship class at UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.
They put in 10 weeks of market research and strategic business planning to conceptualize 5 highly feasible startup ideas while learning from my lectures and guest speakers including Jeff Ponchick (formerly of Repost by SoundCloud), Vickie Nauman (CrossBorderWorks), Shara Senderoff (Futureverse / Raised In Space), Josh Simons (Vampr), Darryl Reid (E-Mixed), and Kristin Graziani (Stem).
An intense 10-weeks series of 4-hour masterclasses (one per week) has come to an end. I am proud to know that another batch of tomorrow’s music industry game-changers are armed with the skillsets and entrepreneurial mindset to contribute to the continued evolution of the music industry.
One such example is my former student (2019) David Hartley, Founder & CEO of SoundSmith. David utilized my office hours to explore an idea at the intersection of music and influencers and express his interest in diving into entrepreneurship. After excelling in my music industry entrepreneurship class and graduating in 2020, he began to work on his idea with his friend/co-founder. Eventually, they were accepted into both the Startmate business accelerator and the Melbourne Accelerator Program. Recently, David was named a The Music Network 30 Under 30.
Proud Teacher Moment – Student Outcomes
Proud Teacher Moment
This is why I love what I do in the world of academia:
[Re: Screenshot 1]
Below is an email from a former student who took my Music Industry Entrepreneurship and Innovation class at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music in 2019. She was an international student from China who, before taking my class, was unsure how her interests in math and music could turn into a career in the music industry.
When she enrolled in my winter 2019 class, she was pursuing a Bachelors degree in Applied Mathematics and had never worked in the music industry, nor was she a musician. We spent many office hours sessions talking about possible post-grad paths based on her academic background and interests.
Through my curriculum she learned about the intersection of music, data, and technology and wanted to explore the field further. As I had done with many other students, I helped her get her first internship in the music industry. She landed a data analytics internship at an in-vehicle music streaming startup-—a startup that I had been mentoring through the Capitol Music Group / Capitol360 gBeta MusicTech accelerator program.
The internship with the startup would set the tone for her academic and career journey post-grad.
A few months after taking my class, I wrote one of her letters of recommendation to support her candidacy to attend the UCLA Anderson School of Management. She was accepted and later graduated with a Master of Science degree in Business Analytics.
Today, she is a Data Scientist at TikTok and graciously claims that “All of this couldn’t have happened without your help.”
Clearly, she’s being way too kind.
[Re: Screenshot 2]
The second message is from another former international student of mine from Australia. He also excelled in my UCLA class. I helped him get his first music industry internship at Repost by SoundCloud, a former music rights client of mine.
Like the student mentioned above, I spent many office hours with him discussing his career goals, which were to build and launch his own startup. I even advised him on the idea itself. After graduating, he went on to build upon his idea with his co-founders and eventually launched the startup in real-life.
Today, he has been named a Music Network’s 30 under 30 finalist and his startup has gone on to raise money and be accepted into two different startup business accelerators.
He graciously praised that, “Your class really enabled me to start to think with ambition and to imagine how technology could positively make an impact on the music industry and I wanted to say thank you for the opportunity to be in your class. It was a pivotal part of my life that led me to where I am today and helped me shape my ‘why’ as a human. This whole journey started there.”
Clearly, he’s being way too kind.
——–
I have no words to express how proud I am to see my students go off into the world and do great things with the encouragement and motivation that they received—that I bestowed—while spending 11 awesome weeks with Professor Dae. =)
Cheers to my former students and to the next cohort (2023) of Music Industry Entrepreneurship students!
On Teaching Next-Gen Startup Founders
On Teaching Next-Gen Startup Founders
When I conceptualized and developed a course on building and launching tech startups in the music industry at UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, my goal was simple yet ambitious: I wanted to prepare the next generation of young entrepreneurs to enter the competitive startup landscape with a breadth of music industry knowledge, a fundamental understanding of strategic business research and planning skills, an entrepreneurial mindset, and founder insights gained from guest speakers, internships, and networking opportunities.
After spending several years advising, mentoring, and consulting founders of music tech and digital media startups, I felt that universities and colleges had a unique opportunity to prepare individuals early on with a robust class in music industry entrepreneurship and innovation. UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music agreed and hired me to develop and teach such a course course in 2016; a course that Billboard recognized among its list of “The 15 Best Music Business Schools In 2017.”
It is with this backdrop that I am made ever more proud by many of my former students who do exactly what I had hoped my class would inspire them to do: pursue a path towards music industry entrepreneurship.
That said, I’d like to shine a spotlight on one of my former students and his innovative startup.
David Hartley is a former student and the founder of SoundSmith, a marketplace for artists, labels and distributors to automate their influencer marketing on TikTok. They’ve recently been accepted to the Startmate business accelerator program.
David took my class in Winter 2018 and was a shining example of a model student. Not only was he engaged during lectures and guest speakers, he excelled in completing course assignments. He and his collaborators leveraged my officer hours to seek advice on their startup ideas and took full advantage of the ancillary opportunities that I offered students to land an internship at Repost by SoundCloud.
Students like David is what makes teaching music industry entrepreneurship enjoyable and stories like his is what makes it rewarding.
See David’s message to me below via LinkedIn (shared with his permission).
Dae Bogan Returns To UCLA Herb Alpert School Of Music To Teach Winter 2021 Quarter
I am thrilled to announce that I will be returning to UCLA for the 5th year to teach my course “Music Industry Entrepreneurship” at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.
In 2017, I was honored to be recognized by Billboard in its 15 Best Music Business Schools of 2017 and later named to the Billboard 2019 Digital Power Players list for my work as a serial entrepreneur at the intersection of music copyrights, royalties, and technology. While updating my curriculum to fit a 100% online format will be a challenge, I look forward to guiding my international students in their exploration of entrepreneurship and innovation in the music industry.
This upcoming Winter ’21 quarter will coincide with my role as Head of Third-Party Partnership at The Mechanical Licensing Collective, which is the non-profit organization designated by the U.S. Copyright Office to issue and administer the newly created blanket digital audio mechanical license in accordance the Music Modernization Act of 2018. The historic passage of the MMA made it the most significant update to the U.S. Copyright Act in decades. To this end, I was honored to advise the U.S. Congressional Budget Office during its economic analysis of the bill and was humbled to be invited by Copyright Royalty Judge Hon. Steve Ruse to participate in the unclaimed royalties study symposium and speak at the Library of Congress on the ways in which The MLC could reach, engage, and support self-administered songwriters and small and emerging music publishers in the United States and abroad.
In a word, I don’t think I could be happier about where my hard work, accomplishments, and setbacks have lead me since deciding this time of year 17 years ago to pick up and relocate to Los Angeles from Cleveland, OH as a homeless, unemployed 18-year-old aspiring musician. While I pivoted from being the talent to supporting the talent early own, my passion for empowering and educating music creators and music entrepreneurs has never been stronger.
I can’t wait to see what this next chapter has to offer!
Dae Bogan’s ‘Music Industry Entrepreneurship’ Class To Return To UCLA Summer 2019
UCLA Summer Sessions has confirmed that my Billboard-recognized course, “Music Industry Entrepreneurship,” will be offered this Summer during Session A.
UCLA, UC, and non-UC students (including individuals who are not enrolled in college anywhere) are welcome. Enrollment is now open at summer.ucla.edu.
The class will meet on Thursdays (June 27 – August 1) from 6pm to 9:50pm at UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music with the exception of Thursday, July 4th (there will be a total of 5 class meetings).
Course Description:
From digital-first record labels and music messaging apps to AR/VR (augmented reality / virtual reality) music experiences and blockchain-based music startups, entrepreneurs have been disrupting and innovating across the music industry since the launch of Napster in the early 2000’s. In this course, you will learn and apply principles of entrepreneurship and fundamental business strategies to the music industry. We will analyze case studies and current events and participate in critical discussions around music industry entrepreneurship. Course work will consist of developing business plans, workgroup labs, and building out infrastructure for start-ups that focus on technology and innovation in the music industry; all culminating in the pitch of a fictitious music industry company at the end of the quarter. You will also take away cautionary tales and lessons for success from founder stories presented by guest speakers of music industry start-ups and executives from established music industry companies.
Student Testimonial:
Without a doubt one of the most useful classes I have taken in my undergraduate career at UCLA. Professor Bogan has so much real world knowledge and knows how to convey that knowledge in a classroom setting immensely well. All the course material was invaluable to my progression and aspirations of being in the music industry. Every lecture was extremely well-prepared, with amazing guest speakers and information that I will be using for the rest of my life. Professor Bogan did a phenomenal job and I will be recommending this class to all my friends interested in music or starting their own company. Can’t say enough good things about this class. – Anonymous, Student Course Evaluation
Apple To Recruit College Students For Apple Music From UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music
I am pleased to announce that Apple has selected my Billboard-recognized class, Music Industry Entrepreneurship and Innovation, at UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music as a preferred source to recruit aspiring music industry professionals into its college internship programs at Apple Music.
Upon successful completion of an internship and graduation from UCLA, recent grads may become eligible for full-time employment at Apple music divisions.
An Apple Worldwide Recruiting representative will visit my class in January 2019 to promote their internship program to my students and answer any questions that students might have.
I am pleased with Apple’s decision to partner with universities and educators that deliver best-in-class education and experiences to students who may become tomorrow’s music industry leaders.
In reviewing my class students have shown great appreciation for the course and the speaker series that I curate throughout the quarter:
Hi Dae, Just wanted to thank you for an awesome class. This was one of the few classes at UCLA where I felt I was taught skills, not just about the subject matter but in how to go about achieving my career goals, that were applicable to my endeavors and will be used for the rest of my life. I got more out of it than I had with any other course here and I would highly recommend your class to to anyone interested in a music industry career.
– Student testimonial, Winter Quarter 2018
Without a doubt one of the most useful classes I have taken in my undergraduate career at UCLA. Professor Bogan has so much real world knowledge and knows how to convey that knowledge in a classroom setting immensely well. All the course material was invaluable to my progression and aspirations of being in the music industry. Every lecture was extremely well-prepared, with amazing guest speakers and information that I will be using for the rest of my life. Professor Bogan did a phenomenal job and I will be recommending this class to all my friends interested in music or starting their own company. Can’t say enough good things about this class.
– Student testimonal, Winter Quarter 2018
In addition to the relationship with Apple, I am excited to announce that I’ve established a relationship with music tech start-up accelerator Techstars Music that allows me to recommend student and alumni owned start-ups for consideration to receive seed investment and to participate in its accelerator program.
I look forward to continuing to add value to my course to offer students one of the best experiences in their academic careers at UCLA.
Dae Bogan Returns To UCLA Herb Alpert School Of Music To Teach Billboard-recognized Course
I am happy to announce that my UCLA top rated and Billboard recognized course on music entrepreneurship will return to UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music next quarter, Winter 2019.
Course Title: MSC IND 188: Music Industry Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Course Description: From digital-first record labels and music messaging apps to AR/VR (augmented reality / virtual reality) music experiences and blockchain-based music startups, entrepreneurs have been disrupting and innovating across the music industry since the launch of Napster in the early 2000’s.
In this course, you will learn and apply principles of entrepreneurship and fundamental business strategies to the music industry. We will analyze case studies and current events and participate in critical discussions around music industry entrepreneurship.
Course work will consist of developing business plans, workgroup labs, and building out infrastructure for start-ups that focus on technology and innovation in the music industry; all culminating in the pitch of a fictitious music industry company at the end of the quarter. You will also take away cautionary tales and lessons for success from founder stories presented by guest speakers of music industry start-ups and executives from established music industry companies.
Personal Note: I developed “Music Industry Entrepreneurship and Innovation” as a forward-thinking course which reflects the kind of entrepreneurial exploration we will do around new business models and emerging technologies (e.g. artificial intelligence in music composition, blockchain in music rights administration, cryptocurrency as royalty payments, augmented reality and mixed reality in music education, virtual reality in music experiences such as concerts, etc.). I’m looking forward to taking this journey with you starting January 2019.
Student testimonials:
Without a doubt one of the most useful classes I have taken in my undergraduate career at UCLA. Professor Bogan has so much real world knowledge and knows how to convey that knowledge in a classroom setting immensely well. All the course material was invaluable to my progression and aspirations of being in the music industry. Every lecture was extremely well-prepared, with amazing guest speakers and information that I will be using for the rest of my life. Professor Bogan did a phenomenal job and I will be recommending this class to all my friends interested in music or starting their own company. Can’t say enough good things about this class. – Anonymous, Student Course Evaluation
Very strong thought person allows him to be a very quality, natural teacher and mentor. Very cool to learn from a self made millionaire. Very humble and engaging. Understands the value on unorthodox education. – Anonymous, Student Course Evaluation
Hello Dae,
Hope your week has been going well! I just wanted to thank you for an amazing quarter. I really learned a lot from you and would love to keep in touch in the future. The information I gained from your class will help me in developing my professional career in the music industry and I just wanted to let you know how much of an impact you’ve had on me. Thank you!
Best,
R.
Hello Professor,
Thank you so much for all the knowledge you have provided this year, I have profoundly enjoyed your class.-M.
Hi Dae,
Thank you for everything this quarter.
Not only have I learned so much about the music industry and entrepreneurship skills from your class, but you also taught me how to value my time and sense of self highly. With these valuable tools and mindsets, I have started to believe in myself so much more and I have also set higher standards for my life with purpose, thanks to you.
I appreciate the active investment you put in our actual learning through outside resources and guests. This class was a special experience, which has honestly been very hard to find in many of my professors these four years.
[Omitted]
I wish you enormous success in your future! I hope to be there one day as well 🙂
Best Regards,
E.
Dear Professor Bogan,
Hope this email finds you well! [Omitted]
I was truly inspired by your entrepreneurship and knowledge. It is great to see someone that looks like me be passionate, knowledgeable, and successful in the music industry. I also am grateful for all of the tools you gave us to create our own businesses. The things we learned are truly priceless and will help us structure our ideas and concepts for a lifetime. Moreover, thank you for the diverse array of music industry professionals you brought into the class, because of the depth of your network, you connected us with someone from just about every aspect of the industry, which gave me personal accounts of what is needed to get into this industry. I can tell that you carefully craft every aspect of your class, and I truly appreciate the effort and dedication to student learning.
[Omitted]
Not a goodbye, but definitely see you later! Thanks for a great quarter!
Best,
S.
Hi Dae,
Just wanted to thank you for an awesome class. This was one of the few classes at UCLA where I felt I was taught skills, not just about the subject matter but in how to go about achieving my career goals, that were applicable to my endeavors and will be used for the rest of my life.
I got more out of it than I had with any other course here and I would highly recommend your class to to anyone interested in a music industry career.See you around hopefully,
A.
UCLA To Offer Dae Bogan’s Music Industry Entrepreneurship Class This Summer, Open To General Public
For the second time, UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music plans to offer Dae Bogan’s Music Industry Entrepreneurship class this summer. The non-theory workshop-style class will be offered under the college’s Special Courses in Music Industry designation MUS IND 188 and will be open to UCLA students as well as the general public.
About the course:
Learn and apply real-world business strategies and entrepreneurship principles to the music industry from a serial entrepreneur who has founded six and successfully sold three music industry companies. Meet and network with music industry entrepreneurs and professionals during an in-class speaker series. Whether you’re interested in founding a music industry company or working your way up to management of an existing company, learn skills from professionals who’ve taken music industry companies to the next level in recorded music, music publishing, live/touring, artist management, marketing/branding, and tech.
Enrollment:
- Open to UCLA students and the general public.
- Financial aid is available.
- UCLA Summer Sessions website
- Course Details page: click here
Previous students’ testimonials:
Without a doubt one of the most useful classes I have taken in my undergraduate career at UCLA. Professor Bogan has so much real world knowledge and knows how to convey that knowledge in a classroom setting immensely well. All the course material was invaluable to my progression and aspirations of being in the music industry. Every lecture was extremely well-prepared, with amazing guest speakers and information that I will be using for the rest of my life. Professor Bogan did a phenomenal job and I will be recommending this class to all my friends interested in music or starting their own company. Can’t say enough good things about this class. – Anonymous, Student Course Evaluation
Very strong thought person allows him to be a very quality, natural teacher and mentor. Very cool to learn from a self made millionaire. Very humble and engaging. Understands the value on unorthodox education. – Anonymous, Student Course Evaluation
Hello Dae,
Hope your week has been going well! I just wanted to thank you for an amazing quarter. I really learned a lot from you and would love to keep in touch in the future. The information I gained from your class will help me in developing my professional career in the music industry and I just wanted to let you know how much of an impact you’ve had on me. Thank you!
Best,
R.
Hello Professor,
Thank you so much for all the knowledge you have provided this year, I have profoundly enjoyed your class.-M.
Hi Dae,
Thank you for everything this quarter.
Not only have I learned so much about the music industry and entrepreneurship skills from your class, but you also taught me how to value my time and sense of self highly. With these valuable tools and mindsets, I have started to believe in myself so much more and I have also set higher standards for my life with purpose, thanks to you.
I appreciate the active investment you put in our actual learning through outside resources and guests. This class was a special experience, which has honestly been very hard to find in many of my professors these four years.
[Omitted]
I wish you enormous success in your future! I hope to be there one day as well 🙂
Best Regards,
E.
Dear Professor Bogan,
Hope this email finds you well! [Omitted]
I was truly inspired by your entrepreneurship and knowledge. It is great to see someone that looks like me be passionate, knowledgeable, and successful in the music industry. I also am grateful for all of the tools you gave us to create our own businesses. The things we learned are truly priceless and will help us structure our ideas and concepts for a lifetime. Moreover, thank you for the diverse array of music industry professionals you brought into the class, because of the depth of your network, you connected us with someone from just about every aspect of the industry, which gave me personal accounts of what is needed to get into this industry. I can tell that you carefully craft every aspect of your class, and I truly appreciate the effort and dedication to student learning.
[Omitted]
Not a goodbye, but definitely see you later! Thanks for a great quarter!
Best,
S.
Hi Dae,
Just wanted to thank you for an awesome class. This was one of the few classes at UCLA where I felt I was taught skills, not just about the subject matter but in how to go about achieving my career goals, that were applicable to my endeavors and will be used for the rest of my life.
I got more out of it than I had with any other course here and I would highly recommend your class to to anyone interested in a music industry career.See you around hopefully,
A.
From the syllabus (subject to change):
About this course
From recorded music and music publishing to live music and merchandise, entrepreneurs have been disrupting and innovating across the music industry for decades. In this course, students will learn and apply fundamental principles of entrepreneurship to the music industry. Students will analyze case studies and current events and participate in critical discussions around alternative business strategies in music industry entrepreneurship. Course work will consist of group assignments, workgroup labs, and strategic planning; all culminating in the presentation of a fictitious music industry company at the end of the session.
Learning goals
Students will finish the program understanding:
- Fundamental principles of entrepreneurship.
- The nature and function of strategic business planning.
- Business tools and concepts around market research and ideation.
- Forces affecting the music industry that shape how businesses operate.
- How to develop and execute a lean go-to-market strategy.
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