The Road To Athens: An Interview With UGA Music Business Program Coordinator Keith Perissi

by Kristen Fraser
04/14/2008

Much of a musician’s life is spent on the road.

The road to Athens was quite a journey for Keith Perissi, making stops all over the U.S. and throughout Europe six times before ending in Athens, Ga.

Perissi, the UGA Music Business Program coordinator, was once the bass player for Cigar Store Indians, described as a band with a unique American roots rock style, and traveled far and wide for 15 years. During that time, Perissi also fulfilled the role of manager, booking agent, promotions director and even tax preparer.

“Anything I thought we should do, I went out and learned how to do it,” Perissi said. “Learning entrepreneurship through experience is exactly what we’re trying to teach our students in the Music Business Program.”

While on the road, Perissi met Bruce Burch, a Nashville songwriter and publisher, who started UGA’s Music Business Program in 2006. Perissi credits Burch for the success of Cigar Store Indians because Burch allowed them to record four songs at EMI Publishing, which led to their record deal.

Burch and Steve Dancz, the program co-director, brought their desires for a music-business program at UGA together and created a joint program between the Terry College of Business and the Hodgson School of Music. The purpose of the Program is to develop business leaders for the music industry.

Perissi’s passion for the Music Business Program was evident throughout our casual interview on couches in the Music Business Program Lab. His humility was also unmistakable, as he preferred talk about the Program, the students and his colleagues over discussion of his own accomplishments.

Perissi believes that the best thing about the UGA Music Business Program from a student's perspective is the networking opportunities made available to them. All students are required to attend Atlantis, a conference at which they meet artists, producers and numerous other industry professionals.

Students also learn tricks of the trade from various guest speakers who offer advice and share their stories with the students in the Program.

The list of guests includes numerous noteworthy professionals including Jan Smith (Vocal Coach for Usher, Rob Thomas, Jennifer Nettles, etc.), Manuel Seal (Grammy-winning songwriter), Michael Rothschild (President of Landslide Records) and Drive-By Truckers (Athens-based band/hit songwriters), just to name a few.

“One of our main goals is to help open doors for students, and guest lectures is a great way for them to hear how people got where they are and for them to begin networking for themselves,” Perissi said.

There are a few other programs like UGA’s Music Business Program; however, UGA’s Program is unique in the fact that some of the others do not require internship or externship experiences.

And, typically when they do require them, they say “Go get them for yourself,” but UGA’s Program prides itself on helping students find these opportunities.

“These externship experiences increase the success rate of our students and provide every possible opportunity for experience in the industry - right here in Athens,” Perissi said. “The real-world aspect sets us apart.”

Another unique opportunity UGA’s Music Business Program offers its students is the chance to participate in a Student-Run Record Label. The students divide into teams and serve as the record label for different bands. They must do everything from promotions to accounting to sound-checks and everything in between. Their work culminates in a live concert.

To help support the Music Business Student-Run Record Labels, you can attend a concert with eight different bands on April 17, at The Melting Point from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Many UGA students and faculty supported the Music Business Program last semester when the Program held its first “Second Life” concert. Because of the impact technology is having on the music industry, the Program strives to ensure that its students are taught the most up-to-date skills.

Students learn how to use ProTools recording software in their labs, which is the standard recording system used in the music industry nation-wide.

As a result of technological advancements, the music industry as a whole is expanding into new fields. There has been a lot of progress in the video game sector, where artists license songs to put into video games. This has led to what are called 360 Deals.

Perissi said artists and bands should strive to be connected to sports, video games, records, merchandise, television, film and any other arena with which they can build connections.

Because of this trend in the music industry, the UGA Music Business Program is planning to evolve into the Entertainment Business Program, in which it would incorporate sports, endorsements, and video games, with a focus on how all of the different entertainment sectors work together.

When asked what the biggest challenge or issue facing the music industry today is, Perissi’s response, not surprisingly, was digital rights management.

According to critics of filesharing, downloading music illegally hurts the music industry because it takes money away from the artists. One solution that many people in the music industry are discussing is a Subscription Model.

“The Subscription Model is the best solution I’ve heard thus far,” Perissi said.

Under the Subscription Model, an individual would pay a monthly fee to download music, similar to the way we pay for cable television channels each month.

One may wonder why Perissi would choose Athens over a larger city, such as Atlanta, with more musical opportunities.

“If you walk around downtown, you can hear 12 great bands at affordable prices, and all of different genres,” Perissi said. Perissi believes that compared to Atlanta, the variety and accessibility of Athens’ music scene puts it on top.

The UGA Music Business Program is also the home of the Phil Walden Record Collection, which includes lots of rare items from Walden’s celebrated music career, and that can’t be found anywhere in Atlanta.

Perissi also enjoys working with the students in his position as Coordinator, as well as when he lectures on Venues (Concert Production) and Booking, where he has special expertise since he is an active booking agent.

The Music Business Program is a certificate program, which requires 21 hours of coursework to fulfill. If you are interested in applying for program, applications are available now online. Fill out an application and begin the road-trip of a lifetime.

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