MEIEA Summit 2025

               Yvan Kelly, Moderator
9:00 - From Creators to Engineers: Understanding the Motivations of Audio Production Students in Music Education

From Creators to Engineers: Understanding the Motivations of Audio Production Students in Music Education
  William Thompson, The University of Southern Mississippi
  Paul Linden, The University of Southern Mississippi
Academic programs in audio production offer graduates a diverse range of career opportunities, including live sound engineering, recording, mastering, game audio design, and sound design. However, the motivations driving students to pursue these degrees often diverge from the traditional professional pathways associated with audio production education. Many students in these programs self-identify as music creators, emphasizing artistic pursuits over technical production. Despite this, they frequently choose technical audio production degrees rather than artistic disciplines focusing on performance or composition.
This study aims to explore the motivations behind students’ academic and career choices in music-related fields, specifically investigating the potential misalignment between students’ creative aspirations and the technical focus of audio production curricula. Through surveys of undergraduate audio production students, the research examines their self-identification, career goals, and preferences in musical styles and creative roles. The findings will illuminate the barriers and perceptions influencing these decisions and provide insights into the evolving landscape of music education. Ultimately, this research seeks to inform curriculum design, fostering better alignment with students’ aspirations and the demands of the contemporary music industry.

Dan Galen Hodges, Jr., Moderator
2:00 - Steve Albini: A Study of Fierce Independence in Underground Music Entrepreneurship Through One of His Final Interviews
2:30 - Chibsons and Chenders: Counterfeit Guitars from China

Steve Albini: A Study of Fierce Independence in Underground Music Entrepreneurship Through One of His Final Interviews
  Justin Sinkovich, Columbia College Chicago
  Philippe Ravanas, Columbia College Chicago
On May 7^th, 2024, legendary audio engineer, musician, and provocateur Steve Albini went home for the night during the sessions for an album he was engineering at his studio, Electrical Audio, and died of a heart attack. Albini was best known for his dedication to analog recording, producing albums like Nirvana, The Pixies, and PJ Harvey, his Chicago-based studio complex, and as the vocalist and guitarist for the Big Black and Shellac. He is also widely known for dismantling the mainstream music business in the media with his eloquent and often polarizing disdain.
Two months before Albini’s passing, Philippe Ravanas and Justin Sinkovich conducted an interview researching the creative, economic, and sociological factors shaping one of alternative music’s most notable entrepreneurs. The interview explored how an innovator like Albini succeeded by forging his path while maintaining strict autonomy and artistic vision. The series of scheduled interviews with Albini was unexpectedly concluded after the first. Still, Ravanas and Sinkovich interviewed Electrical Audio technician and engineer Greg Norman to discuss Albini’s death and the plans for the studio. Sinkovich also started working with Albini decades prior in the studio and as the Director of Digital Distribution and Promotion at Touch and Go Records, the label representing Big Black and Shellac.
The research is framed by several theories, including Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems model, social capital theory, and entrepreneurship theory. Through the lens of the theoretical framework, the session will provide insight into Albini’s value system and business acumen that shaped his success and notoriety. The session will discuss the history of Albini’s artistic, recording, and business practices compared to industry standards. It will also reveal how Electrical Audio plans to move forward in a rapidly shifting industry without its fearless leader, Steve Albini.

Chibsons and Chenders: Counterfeit Guitars from China
  Christopher Reali, Ramapo College of New Jersey
During spring 2024, I visited a friend’s music store. As I was about to leave he said, “Have I ever showed you the guitars from China?” I replied, “No, I don’t think so.” Before opening his office door, he casually remarked, “Once you see these, there’s no going back.” He showed me several guitars, including a stunning “Gibson” Les Paul, Jimmy Page model, and said it was actually a “Chibson,” a Chinese-made counterfeit. As a guitar player, I was initially surprised. As a researcher, I was very curious. Over the next few weeks, I fell down numerous rabbit holes in an effort to learn more about Chibson’s. In brief, the name Chibson typically refers to all Chinese-made counterfeit guitars, regardless of which company is being copied. So there are Chenders, Chibanez, Chickenbaker, Chartin, Chaylor, and others all made to look, feel, and sound like guitars manufactured by Fender, Ibanez, Rickenbacker, Martin, or Taylor, respectively. These instruments are sold to customers across the world primarily via direct message links to hidden pages on websites or openly on sites such as Ali Express, Temu, DHGate, and eBay. Much of the marketing, promotion, and appreciation for Chibson’s occurs on private Face Book group pages.
 On November 23, 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Gibson announced the seizure of over 3,000 counterfeit electric guitars. According to the authorities, this is the “largest seizure of fake musical instruments” on record, with the guitars’ estimated value exceeding $18 million if they were authentic. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development recently valued the global scope of physical counterfeiting for all products at $509 billion dollars. This paper presents preliminary observations and findings about the buying habits of people who purchase “Chibsons” and the worldwide networks related to the sale of counterfeit guitars. This research draws upon survey responses from over one hundred Chibson owners, interviews conducted with musicians and guitar store owners, conversations with representatives from the U.S. Department of Commerce, and correspondence with guitar manufacturers.

                Paul Linden, Moderator
3:15 - Improving Student Work Readiness and Graduate Outcomes through Strategic Training Partnerships
3:45 - Experiential Learning through Academic Artist Residency: A Case Study

Improving Student Work Readiness and Graduate Outcomes through Strategic Training Partnerships
  Katy Richards, Australian College of the Arts
To prepare students for careers in their chosen industries, educational institutions often partner with industry bodies to provide internships and guest speakers, offering valuable practical experience and career insights. In this presentation, however, I will explore a different type of partnership with an industry education provider designed to enhance student work readiness and graduate outcomes through targeted training and certifications. Launching in 2025, the Australian College of the Arts (Collarts) will begin a strategic partnership with the Arts Centre Melbourne (ACM) to provide training and qualifications that complement Collarts’ academic programs. ACM is a government-owned series of indoor and outdoor venues and a Registered Training Organization specializing in Creative Arts training. While their training has historically been for their venue staff, this partnership enables Collarts students to access ACM’s industry-specific certifications, such as:

• Work Health and Safety in Live Production
• Work Safely at Heights
• Arena Rigging
• Operate Flying Systems
• Develop and Implement Own Self-Care Plan for the Creative Industries

This initiative extends across various Collarts courses, including Stage Management, Music Production, Audio Engineering, Circus Arts, Performing Arts, and Event Management. Each course can select the most appropriate additional certifications for their students. These certifications are crucial for safety compliance and mandatory to work on a live production. Students will graduate with their diploma or degree from Collarts, along with the skill set and certifications required for immediate employment. By integrating these qualifications into Collarts’ curriculum, the partnership is anticipated to significantly enhance students’ work readiness and graduate outcomes by providing comprehensive skill sets and certifications. These qualifications offer clear pathways to employment, ensuring students are equipped for immediate and meaningful roles in live entertainment after they graduate. This presentation will explore the process of building a partnership with an external provider while ensuring cost efficiency. I will also demonstrate examples of embedding additional qualifications into the curriculum without compromising the quality of education.

Experiential Learning through Academic Artist Residency: A Case Study
  Joe Steinhardt, Drexel University
  Ryan Moys, Drexel University
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the value and potential for Artists Residency programs in music industry education through a case study on work we did with Keith Secola at Drexel University in 2023 and 2024. Keith Secola is Anishinabe (Ojibwa), originally from the Mesabi Iron Range country of northern Minnesota. Secola is an influential and celebrated artist, whose best known song, NDN Kars (Indian cars), has been the number-one requested song on tribal radio since 1992. In 2011, he joined the ranks of Jimmy Hendrix, Hank Williams, Crystal Gale, and Richie Valens and was inducted into the Native Music Hall of Fame.
 Starting in 2023, we have been working with Keith to record a rock opera called Seeds in residency at the Music Industry Program at Drexel University. Recording the album at Drexel allowed Keith to bring his experience and knowledge to our program and allowed us to work toward the repatriation of our resources to Indigenous artists. While Keith has been working on the rock opera for nearly a decade, and has performed part of it live, including at The Kennedy Center and The Smithsonian, we utilized a recording and production technique that aims to incorporate the recording environment into the fabric of the recording itself. Thus, this recording project not only engaged student engineers and producers, but offered them a look at and chance to be directly involved in the writing and performance process of the work. The finished album will also engage students in the marketing and label elements. Thus, students leave the experience not only with hands on practice and knowledge, but with earned industry credits. The full learning outcomes from the experience are explicated, and describe the value of this type of learning and education to the student and professional experience.