MEIEA Summit 2025

Jessica Muñiz-Collado, Moderator
1:15 - AI Music Generators in Music Industry Curriculum
1:45 - Practical Music Theory for the Music Industry Student

AI Music Generators in Music Industry Curriculum
  Benom Plumb, University of the Pacific
Benom Plumb gives a presentation about incorporating AI music generators, particularly Suno and Udio, into Music Industry Studies curriculum. The research focuses on the results of an assignment titled, “Create an AI Song!”, from Plumb’s MMGT 11: Introduction to Music Business course at University of the Pacific from the Fall 2024 semester. Of particular interest are the resulting positives and negatives, student conclusions, and creative outputs of AI music generators, Suno and Udio. The sample size of the research information is derived from a class of 50+ students that includes music industry majors and non-music majors. The research conclusions are unique because of this mix of creative and non-creative students (due to the course being offered as a General Education requirement at Pacific). Plumb offers insight for curriculum development in the fast-paced world of artificial intelligence as it relates to student learning outcomes—and connecting those experiences to current event impacts and the legal challenges brought by major music companies against Suno and Udio.

Practical Music Theory for the Music Industry Student
  Charles Brooks, University of North Alabama
After 25 years of teaching music to middle school students, high school students, college students, and some industry professionals, I find that almost all people who take up music have issues understanding music theory as a form of study. Music is a language and learning how to use a new language is very difficult. Many music industry students wind up leaving the industry and music altogether because of the perception that understanding music theory is mysterious and daunting, far too daunting to unravel. The fact is this is just not true. When stripped down to its bare essentials, the building blocks of music can be very straightforward and easy to understand. So, that’s what my book: A Practical Guide To Understanding Music Theory is dedicated to accomplishing. It gives the music industry student music theory in a way that’s accessible and straight-forward. Many music industry and entertainment students are quite good storytellers and stumble upon a hit from time to time. However, if the independent contractor is to be consistent as a new artist they need as many tools at their disposal that they can obtain to set themselves apart from others in the industry that have similar skill sets. My methodology follows a spiral-learning model in order to introduce theory to the reader in a way that is flexible enough to slowly add more complex ideas as the student progresses. Starting with a basic, easy-to-understand concept and slowly adding to that, one piece of information at a time.

             Joe Steinhardt, Moderator
2:30 - This Law Was Made For You and Me: Copyright and Resistance in American Popular Music
3:00 - “It’s a Melody Played in a Penny Arcade”: Copyright and Compensation in the Music Industry

This Law Was Made For You and Me: Copyright and Resistance in American Popular Music
  Jason Lee Guthrie, Clayton State University
Popular music and popular musicians have a long history of using their art to influence public opinion and to resist political oppression in the United States. Yet copyright, the legal protection for creative work, is often perceived to be a tool used by the music and entertainment industries to exert control over individual creators, rather than as a mechanism of resistance. While the history of American popular culture is certainly replete with examples of content creators, and especially songwriters, being contractually taken advantage of, there are also important examples of musicians skillfully using copyright to maintain control over their songs and to resist appropriation by political campaigns. Beginning with an exploration of the career of Woody Guthrie, this presentation will highlight American artists who have used their work to express political opinions and have used copyright to prevent their work from being coopted by opposing political narratives. Other artists that may be discussed include Ella Fitzgerald, Phil Walden, Al Green, Dolly Parton, Tom Petty, Prince, David Byrne, K’naan, and Taylor Swift.

“It’s a Melody Played in a Penny Arcade”: Copyright and Compensation in the Music Industry
  Greg Smith, PhD Candidate, University of South Carolina
  Armen Shaomian, University of South Carolina
This study examines the alignment of current compensation models for musical works with the original intent of U.S. copyright law, specifically focusing on the fairness and equity of these models in today’s streaming and digital economy. By analyzing the various stakeholders involved, including composers, songwriters, publishers, artists, musicians, producers, and record labels, this research aims to determine whether the current revenue distribution models adequately compensate creators for their contributions.
To achieve this goal, the study will be divided into three parts:

• Creator Compensation: A deep dive into the compensation models for composers, songwriters, and publishers, assessing the impact of streaming and digital platforms on their revenue streams. This part will particularly examine the historical context of statutory mechanical royalties, which have remained largely unchanged despite significant technological advancements and inflationary pressures. For instance, the statutory mechanical royalty rate for musical works, which was first set at 2 cents per copy in the 1909 Copyright Act, has failed to keep pace with inflation. The current rate for 2024 is 12.4 cents. If this rate had been adjusted for inflation since its inception, it would now be significantly higher, at around 70 cents per copy.
• Performer Compensation: An examination of the compensation models for artists, musicians, producers, and record labels, considering the challenges and opportunities presented by the digital age. This part will delve into the complex interplay between traditional record deals, streaming royalties, and touring revenue, assessing how these factors impact the overall compensation of performers.
• Platform Revenue Structure: A dissection of the revenue structures of major streaming platforms, analyzing how royalties are distributed to creators and the implications for fair compensation. This part will explore the opaque nature of platform revenue models and the potential for negotiating more favorable terms for creators.

By understanding the historical context of copyright law and the evolving landscape of the music industry, this research seeks to shed light on the potential disparities in compensation and propose recommendations for a more equitable system that benefits all stakeholders.

               Katy Richards, Moderator
5:00- “XQ” – Towards a Dynamic Interplay of Intelligence Within the Experience of Learning
5:30 - Immersion in Entertainment: Is it Worth the Effort?

“XQ” – Towards a Dynamic Interplay of Intelligence Within the Experience of Learning
  Joe Miglio, Berklee College of Music
My objective is to share my (ongoing) study of experiential learning as a powerful tool for multiple levels of meaning making and demonstration—where knowledge is gained through direct experience, reflection, and the synthesis of active participation—and how this model (XQ) creates subject matter and self (as subject) knowledge. The goal of this study is to investigate, analyze, and assess instructional design and delivery being utilized as the educational ‘event’ and as ‘experience’ leading to discovery and ‘explanation’ Emphasizing the aesthetic of artistry—the interaction activities within the learning can be defined as ‘practice’ and the demonstrable integration of the teaching learning collaboration (“TLC”) in its outcomes as ‘performance.’ My hypothesis is that this serves dual purposes in the way learning as intelligence (“-Q”) is both a visible demonstration of content and learned skills (externalized demonstration defined as “IQ”) and a less visible journey of self-discovery (internalized discernment as “EQ”), creating a bridge between content-action and context-awareness for all members of the “TLC”—both faculty and student as lived and learned ‘experiencers.’ The synergy between external demonstration and internal discovery is what makes experiential learning so powerful. These two dimensions—doing and discovering—feed into each other. The activity itself, whether it’s a simulation, a collaborative project, or hands-on practice, serves as a mirror reflecting back to the learner not only what they know but who they are in the learning process. This dynamic interplay nurtures both skill acquisition and self-awareness, laying the groundwork for a form of learning that is not only “skill-deep” but “skin-deep” as self-transformative.

Immersion in Entertainment: Is it Worth the Effort?
  Ray Eddy, University of Central Florida
Immersion is understood to be a heightened state of focus, causing everything outside of the movie, concert, video game, sporting event, or theme park to “disappear” from the user’s consciousness. Designers seem to believe that many activities need to promote themselves as “the most immersive experience ever.” However, because immersion often requires a certain amount of effort from the consumer, this article challenges the assumption that immersion is every patron’s goal in an activity. Immersion can be enjoyable, but there are certainly circumstances where individuals simply want to relax and spend time with friends without the imposition of technological interactions or “staying in character.” 
Starting with a definition of immersion that brings it into the modern era and modifies the ways it should be measured, this research article goes on to examine immersion from various perspectives, such as the quality of the immersive experience, the effort the user must expend, whether immersion is optional or forced, and crucially, how much the user actually enjoys the experience of being immersed. The paper concludes with recommendations for entertainment designers on how to best incorporate immersive options into their experiences, maximizing both consumer attraction and potential repeat visitation.