ARLINGTON, Texas— Students at the University of Texas Arlington are getting to experience the hustle of the music industry firsthand.
The school already offers courses revolving around audio production, recording techniques, and digital music technology -- all specific classes for those wanting to get into the business.
The Department of Music is offering students a chance to get real hands-on experience by letting them run their own record label.
For more than a year, Professor Dan Cavanagh has been preparing UTA Records and UTA Records X for launch.
In exchange for college credit, students help record music or albums.
UTA Records centers around music recorded and released by faculty members, while UTA Records X is more student driven.
Cavanagh says on that label—students work collaboratively to recruit artists, record them, and share profits from the final product.
So far, two albums have been released so far on UTA Records, and the first release from UTA Records X is in the works.
Some recordings of bands have been made, but nothing is finalized yet.
Everything is legit, Cavanagh says, contracts are involved and whatever money the label makes is put toward future products.
Cavanagh said that there’s only so much you can teach in a classroom.
“We’re not just standing in front of a room of students lecturing to them,” Cavanagh said. “We can partner with them and learn just as much from them as they can us.”
Not to mention, the music industry is evolving at a rapid rate. Most artists now rely more on streaming than selling CDs or albums.
Students are encouraged to discuss and tackle how they get the music they record to the masses.
“We want them to ask, ‘How do we connect this music with the people who want to hear it?’ Instead of just randomly blasting it out there anywhere,” Cavanagh said.
Senior EJ Calderon said he can’t believe he’s getting college credit to make music.
“It’s a sense of fulfillment when you feel, ‘Wow that snare hit sounds a lot better than it did 5 seconds ago.’ It’s like encapsulating something that everyone else can enjoy,” Calderon said.
“It’s a learning experience each step of the way. You learn that there’s more to just signing a contract at a label. You get to focus on what does that really mean and understand how the music world works.”