Syracuse University announces new Bandier Program for Music and the Entertainment Industries

Syracuse University announces new Bandier Program for Music and the Entertainment IndustriesJune 06, 2006Sara Millersemortim@syr.edu

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Syracuse University has announced the launch of The Bandier Program for Music and the Entertainment Industries. The College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) will join the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and The College of Arts and Sciences to launch one of the first undergraduate, multidisciplinary programs in the country to prepare students for a career in the music and entertainment industries. Graduates of the new Bandier Program for Music and The Entertainment Industries will have a thorough understanding of these industries, the media, business, music and the liberal arts.

Funded through a gift by SU alumnus Martin Bandier ’62, chairman and co-CEO of EMI Music Publishing, the Bandier Program will blend music, communications, business and entrepreneurship curricula into a 128-credit program leading to a bachelor of science degree. As a program geared toward the non-performer, the Bandier program uniquely includes options for various credit-bearing experiential learning opportunities, such as internships in entertainment booking, promotions and public relations, radio and television studios, and record label development, as well as on-campus supervised extracurricular activities that might not normally bear academic credit. Seniors will also be encouraged to spend their fall semester in London, which will provide an international practical internship experience within an industry that has increasingly become more global.

“With the growth and consumption of music at an all time high and the ever more diverse avenues through which we can earn income in this business, the demand for a training ground to give students a real understanding of the many different skills required has become crucial,” Bandier says. “The desire of so many young students to enter the entertainment industries had to be answered by a specialized program tailored to produce our future executives. There’s currently no formal training program for our industry. This program is the first opportunity for us to have a system, to feed educated, qualified and ambitious kids into the industry.”

“The new Bandier Program for Music and the Entertainment Industries is an outstanding and innovative contribution to our Scholarship in Action vision for Syracuse University,” says SU Chancellor and President Nancy Cantor. “It will create one of the first undergraduate, interdisciplinary programs in the nation to prepare students for a career in music and entertainment industry management. Most importantly, it will provide our students with exclusive opportunities to learn, discover and collaborate with the industry leaders who are shaping the music and entertainment industries. We thank Marty Bandier for his vision and generosity in creating this one-of-a-kind program.”

The Bandier Program was designed with input from educators of various disciplines, prominent industry leaders and recent SU graduates. Many SU alumni are top leaders of the world’s largest and respected entertainment companies. They inspired and helped guide the development of the program and will continue to serve as advisers and visiting lecturers. These individuals, in addition to Bandier, are: Rick Dobbis ’70, global business representative for the Rolling Stones; Rob Light ’77, managing partner at Creative Artists Agency; Phil Quartararo ’77, executive vice president at EMI Recorded Music North America; and John Sykes ’77, president of network development for MTV Networks.

Applicants will be accepted and a bachelor of science degree will be granted upon approval from the New York State Department of Education. A dual degree, planned for fall 2007, will offer students the option of pursuing a joint degree with the Newhouse School’s television, radio and film program or public relations program.

“Marty’s gift will enable us to offer premier programming,” says David Rezak, VPA’s director of program design, affiliate artist and instructor of music industry. “Students will have weekly contact with industry leaders, constant exposure to trade publications and data streams, and unique experiential learning opportunities.”

“The Bandier Program is a true manifestation of Chancellor Cantor’s vision of Scholarship in Action,” says VPA Dean Carole Brzozowski. “Because of the very public nature of the discipline, students will have ample opportunities to interact with our community of experts across the world, especially during their London semester and internship. I am proud to have worked with my fellow deans to create such a fully integrated, multidisciplinary program at the University.”

Bandier is one of the world’s most influential music executives–credited with redefining the role of music publishing in today’s music business and building the world’s largest and most successful music publishing company.

Bandier’s first career path was law, but he soon joined the entertainment industry and quickly learned about the business of music publishing and began acquiring great catalogs of contemporary and classic songs.

Bandier began his music career scoring top-ten hits with best-selling songs for artists including Dolly Parton, Barbra Streisand and Captain and Tenille. He went on to purchase some of Nashville’s best-known songs, including “Me and Bobby McGee,” “Everlasting Love” and “A Rainy Night in Georgia.”

In 1986, Bandier and his partners purchased the mammoth CBS Songs catalog for $125 million. At this time, he revolutionized the staid music publishing world by expanding the use of the catalog in commercials, films, sound recordings and stage productions.

Having sold his business to Thorn EMI in 1989, Bandier went on to become chairman and CEO of EMI Music Publishing. During his tenure, he has capitalized on his exceptional abilities and uncompromising determination to vigorously pursue and acquire some of the most famous songs ever written. EMI Music Publishing currently controls the rights to more than one million song titles, including “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town,” “New York, New York” and “Somewhere Over The Rainbow.”

Having built his reputation on publishing singer-songwriters along the caliber of Carole King, Queen, Smokey Robinson, Rod Stewart and James Taylor, Bandier’s impressive roster of U.S. and international signings include such diverse performers as James Blunt, Alicia Keys, Sting, Rob Thomas, Usher, Kanye West and Jay Z.

EMI Center for Internship, Mentoring and Career Development

A generous gift from EMI Music Publishing will also enable SU to establish the EMI Center for Internship, Mentoring and Career Development on campus, which will be devoted to helping students identify and coordinate internship, mentoring and career opportunities in the music and entertainment industries.

Through the EMI Center, students will gain an early competitive edge in the music business marketplace by having valuable insights into the inner workings of the industry; unprecedented access to executives and leaders; valuable resources to coordinate internships in New York, London, Nashville, Los Angeles, Syracuse and elsewhere for academic credit; career placement services before and after graduation; and mentoring opportunities through the pairing of students with entertainment industry leaders, many of whom are SU alumni.

The EMI Center will house a music and entertainment industry library of electronic and print directories and publications, as well as maintain memberships in professional organizations and provide access to key industry tracking data. Many of these resources will be accessible to students from remote locations through the center?s website.

EMI Music Publishing (www.emimusicpub.com ) is the world’s largest music publisher with more than one million titles in its catalog. Its current hit-making writers and producers include Arctic Monkeys, Black Eyed Peas, Natasha Bedingfield, James Blunt, Kelly Clarkson, Daddy Yankee, Jermaine Dupri, Eminem, Enya, Gorillaz, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Daniel Powter, Eros Ramazzotti, Kanye West and Pharrell Williams.