Culminating	
  Experience	
  Thesis:	
  Reflective	
  Paper	
  
	
  Operational	
  Project	
  “The	
  A69s”	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
	
  
Daniel	
  Omphroy	
  
Global	
  Entertainment	
  and	
  Music	
  Business	
  
Master	
  of	
  Arts	
  
July	
  2014	
  
	
  

1	
  

	
  

The	
  original	
  idea	
  for	
  my	
  culminating	
  experience	
  was	
  to	
  manage,	
  brand	
  and	
  

market	
  a	
  band	
  to	
  successfully	
  obtain	
  consistent	
  gigs	
  by	
  networking	
  with	
  clients,	
  
promoters	
  and	
  venues	
  both	
  in	
  Spain	
  and	
  internationally.	
  	
  The	
  goal	
  was	
  to	
  assess	
  the	
  
demand	
  and	
  market	
  potential	
  for	
  a	
  live	
  performance	
  band	
  and	
  to	
  measure	
  the	
  
success	
  of	
  a	
  multinational	
  group	
  in	
  an	
  international	
  market.	
  I	
  also	
  hoped	
  that	
  the	
  
band	
  would	
  increase	
  the	
  exposure	
  of	
  Berklee	
  College	
  of	
  Music	
  and	
  its	
  musicians	
  in	
  
Valencia,	
  throughout	
  Spain	
  and	
  abroad.	
  	
  	
  The	
  outcome	
  was	
  a	
  band	
  named	
  “The	
  
A69s”.	
  Comprised	
  of	
  an	
  international	
  line-­‐up	
  of	
  Berklee	
  musicians	
  in	
  the	
  Master's	
  
program	
  we	
  became	
  a	
  group	
  dedicated	
  to	
  funk,	
  blues	
  and	
  having	
  a	
  good	
  time.	
  My	
  
strategy	
  was	
  to	
  have	
  the	
  band	
  perform	
  a	
  variety	
  of	
  popular	
  and	
  danceable	
  songs	
  in	
  
various	
  styles	
  so	
  that	
  any	
  audience	
  can	
  enjoy	
  our	
  high-­‐energy	
  shows.	
  
	
  
Initially	
  it	
  was	
  my	
  idea	
  to	
  form	
  a	
  band	
  as	
  a	
  side	
  project	
  while	
  in	
  school	
  to	
  help	
  
me	
  to	
  continue	
  to	
  build	
  my	
  performance	
  skills	
  and	
  managerial	
  experience.	
  I	
  came	
  to	
  
the	
  conclusion,	
  however,	
  that	
  the	
  band	
  would	
  be	
  best	
  suited	
  as	
  my	
  Culminating	
  
Experience	
  for	
  a	
  Master’s	
  in	
  Global	
  Entertainment	
  and	
  Music	
  Business	
  from	
  Berklee	
  
College	
  of	
  Music,	
  Valencia	
  Campus	
  because	
  the	
  project	
  includes:	
  Marketing,	
  
Branding,	
  Live	
  Performance,	
  Promotion,	
  Production	
  and	
  many	
  other	
  important	
  
facets	
  that	
  can	
  directly	
  be	
  applied	
  to	
  my	
  studies.	
  	
  
	
  
In	
  order	
  to	
  first	
  facilitate	
  the	
  creation	
  of	
  a	
  general	
  business	
  band,	
  I	
  began	
  
reaching	
  out	
  to	
  other	
  members	
  of	
  the	
  business	
  program	
  in	
  hopes	
  of	
  finding	
  
musicians	
  who	
  were	
  interested	
  in	
  participating	
  in	
  a	
  band.	
  I	
  proposed	
  my	
  idea	
  while	
  

	
  

2	
  

introducing	
  myself	
  to	
  other	
  business	
  students	
  in	
  the	
  first	
  week	
  of	
  classes	
  and	
  I	
  
outlined	
  my	
  experience	
  in	
  the	
  entertainment	
  field	
  and	
  my	
  background	
  as	
  a	
  
performer.	
  By	
  the	
  end	
  of	
  the	
  week	
  I	
  was	
  able	
  to	
  find	
  a	
  full	
  roster	
  of	
  musicians	
  
interested	
  in	
  participating.	
  The	
  final	
  line-­‐up	
  included:	
  Vocalists-­‐Mikaela	
  Allen,	
  Ankie	
  
Titular	
  and	
  myself.	
  Guitars-­‐Felix	
  Mayr-­‐Melnhof,	
  Jad	
  El	
  Alam.	
  Drums-­‐Carl	
  Pires.	
  
Percussion-­‐Rozelle	
  Mc	
  Barnette.	
  Flute-­‐Mikaela	
  Allen	
  and	
  Bass-­‐Daniel	
  Toledo.	
  Most	
  
of	
  these	
  musicians	
  already	
  had	
  extensive	
  performance	
  experience,	
  while	
  others	
  had	
  
never	
  played	
  in	
  a	
  cover	
  band	
  before	
  but	
  were	
  intrigued	
  with	
  the	
  idea	
  of	
  performing	
  
with	
  one	
  in	
  Valencia.	
  In	
  our	
  preliminary	
  rehearsal	
  I	
  explained	
  that	
  the	
  ultimate	
  goal	
  
of	
  establishing	
  this	
  band	
  was	
  to	
  obtain	
  credible	
  performance	
  experience	
  and	
  that	
  
any	
  voluntary	
  time	
  spent	
  for	
  the	
  band	
  would,	
  hopefully,	
  be	
  reciprocated	
  monetarily	
  
in	
  the	
  near	
  future.	
  	
  
	
  
I	
  knew	
  that	
  the	
  importance	
  of	
  consistent	
  weekly	
  rehearsals	
  was	
  crucial	
  to	
  the	
  
success	
  of	
  a	
  band	
  and	
  coordinating	
  member	
  schedules	
  was	
  often	
  the	
  most	
  difficult	
  
aspect	
  of	
  managing	
  The	
  A69s.	
  Each	
  member	
  of	
  the	
  band	
  had	
  different	
  priorities	
  and	
  
obligations	
  and	
  finding	
  times	
  that	
  suited	
  everyone’s	
  schedule	
  proved	
  to	
  be	
  a	
  big	
  
challenge.	
  In	
  order	
  to	
  alleviate	
  conflict	
  of	
  schedule	
  or	
  double	
  booking,	
  verbal	
  
communication	
  became	
  the	
  most	
  effective	
  way	
  of	
  determining	
  the	
  best	
  times	
  for	
  
future	
  rehearsals.	
  This	
  was	
  often	
  done	
  during	
  rehearsals	
  or	
  I	
  would	
  personally	
  
contact	
  individual	
  members	
  electronically	
  for	
  their	
  availability.	
  Once	
  a	
  rehearsal	
  
time	
  was	
  decided	
  on,	
  I	
  created	
  a	
  Google	
  Calendar	
  event	
  and	
  invited	
  all	
  members	
  so	
  it	
  
was	
  shown	
  on	
  their	
  personal	
  calendars.	
  I	
  also	
  made	
  sure	
  that	
  there	
  was	
  rehearsal	
  

	
  

3	
  

space	
  available	
  for	
  our	
  use.	
  This	
  was	
  done	
  via	
  the	
  Berklee	
  Intranet	
  where	
  I	
  was	
  able	
  
to	
  access	
  the	
  availability	
  information	
  for	
  Berklee’s	
  ensemble	
  rooms.	
  
	
  
Another	
  essential	
  aspect	
  of	
  a	
  successfully	
  functioning	
  business	
  band	
  is	
  an	
  easily	
  
accessible	
  demo.	
  Creating	
  a	
  demo	
  became	
  an	
  imperative	
  for	
  me	
  after	
  speaking	
  with	
  
the	
  owner	
  of	
  a	
  live	
  performance	
  club	
  “The	
  Black	
  Note”.	
  He	
  explained	
  to	
  me	
  that	
  the	
  
best	
  way	
  to	
  get	
  booked	
  by	
  his	
  venue	
  or	
  any	
  other	
  was	
  to	
  give	
  them	
  a	
  physical	
  demo	
  
with	
  a	
  bands	
  recorded	
  material.	
  I	
  knew	
  then	
  that	
  I	
  had	
  to	
  immediately	
  begin	
  
working	
  on	
  The	
  A69s	
  first	
  recording	
  project.	
  After	
  speaking	
  with	
  a	
  number	
  of	
  Music	
  
Technology	
  and	
  Innovation	
  students,	
  I	
  met	
  with	
  Corey	
  Ashe-­‐Bradford	
  who	
  
expressed	
  his	
  interest	
  in	
  helping	
  to	
  record	
  our	
  first	
  track	
  for	
  our	
  demo.	
  The	
  band	
  
unanimously	
  chose	
  “Let’s	
  Stay	
  Together”	
  by	
  Al	
  Greene	
  to	
  record	
  first.	
  Initially	
  we	
  
reserved	
  3	
  studios	
  in	
  hopes	
  to	
  record	
  the	
  entire	
  band	
  at	
  once	
  but	
  we	
  unfortunately	
  
ran	
  into	
  technical	
  difficulties	
  and	
  were	
  only	
  able	
  to	
  record	
  bass	
  and	
  drums.	
  	
  So	
  as	
  
not	
  to	
  waste	
  the	
  entire	
  bands	
  time,	
  I	
  began	
  reserving	
  studio	
  time	
  for	
  one	
  section	
  at	
  a	
  
time.	
  This	
  made	
  the	
  recording	
  process	
  take	
  more	
  time	
  than	
  I	
  would	
  have	
  hoped	
  but	
  
eventually	
  we	
  got	
  all	
  of	
  the	
  recorded	
  material	
  we	
  needed.	
  I	
  then	
  scheduled	
  mixing	
  
and	
  mastering	
  sessions	
  with	
  Corey	
  and	
  gave	
  my	
  input	
  on	
  the	
  overall	
  sound.	
  In	
  the	
  
end	
  I	
  was	
  pleased	
  with	
  the	
  outcome	
  and	
  I	
  was	
  able	
  to	
  then	
  create	
  a	
  SoundCloud	
  and	
  
upload	
  our	
  first	
  sample	
  of	
  music	
  onto	
  the	
  internet.	
  	
  https://soundcloud.com/the-­‐
a69s	
  
	
  
	
  

	
  

4	
  

After	
  seeing	
  how	
  long	
  of	
  a	
  process	
  recording	
  one	
  song	
  would	
  take	
  in	
  the	
  
studios	
  with	
  such	
  a	
  large	
  band,	
  I	
  sought	
  other	
  means	
  to	
  expedite	
  the	
  process.	
  I	
  
contacted	
  Liz	
  Teutsch,	
  associate	
  professor	
  of	
  technology,	
  and	
  requested	
  a	
  session	
  on	
  
Berklee’s	
  scoring	
  stage.	
  She	
  agreed	
  and	
  offered	
  to	
  have	
  the	
  recording	
  session	
  as	
  an	
  
advanced	
  MTI	
  class.	
  I	
  also	
  spoke	
  with	
  Stephen	
  Webber,	
  program	
  director	
  of	
  Music	
  
Technology	
  and	
  Innovation,	
  who	
  suggested	
  that	
  as	
  a	
  cover	
  band	
  we	
  should	
  include	
  a	
  
medley	
  into	
  our	
  demo.	
  We	
  chose	
  record	
  a	
  medley	
  of	
  the	
  songs	
  “Give	
  me	
  one	
  reason”	
  
by	
  Tracy	
  Chapman,	
  “Ain’t	
  No	
  Sunshine”	
  by	
  Bill	
  Withers	
  and	
  “Mercy”	
  by	
  Duffy	
  as	
  well	
  
as	
  our	
  own	
  version	
  of	
  “Baby	
  I’m	
  Yours”	
  by	
  Breakbot.	
  Despite	
  the	
  fact	
  that	
  it	
  took	
  the	
  
MTI	
  students	
  longer	
  than	
  expected	
  to	
  set	
  up	
  for	
  us,	
  we	
  were	
  able	
  to	
  record	
  
everything	
  in	
  one	
  hour.	
  Unfortunately	
  during	
  a	
  mixing	
  session	
  with	
  Ian	
  Kagey	
  we	
  
discovered	
  some	
  issues	
  with	
  the	
  tempo	
  and	
  decided	
  not	
  to	
  upload	
  the	
  recording.	
  
Later	
  in	
  the	
  semester	
  we	
  were	
  given	
  the	
  opportunity	
  to	
  record	
  on	
  the	
  scoring	
  stage	
  
again	
  with	
  Patrice	
  Rushen	
  and	
  chose	
  to	
  re-­‐record	
  “Baby	
  I’m	
  Yours”	
  by	
  Breakbot	
  to	
  a	
  
click	
  track	
  and	
  “Le	
  Freak”	
  by	
  Chic.	
  We	
  had	
  a	
  phenomenal	
  session	
  and	
  we	
  were	
  able	
  
to	
  record	
  quality	
  material.	
  After	
  both	
  sessions	
  I	
  worked	
  closely	
  with	
  Ian	
  Kagy	
  to	
  
listen	
  to	
  the	
  tracks	
  we	
  recorded	
  and	
  choose	
  the	
  best	
  takes.	
  Unfortunately,	
  despite	
  all	
  
of	
  our	
  hard	
  work,	
  I	
  was	
  unable	
  to	
  find	
  anyone	
  with	
  the	
  time	
  to	
  mix	
  and	
  master	
  these	
  
tracks	
  and	
  they	
  never	
  made	
  it	
  onto	
  our	
  soundcloud	
  page.	
  	
  
	
  
One	
  of	
  the	
  biggest	
  hurdles	
  we	
  faced	
  as	
  a	
  band	
  of	
  international	
  students	
  was	
  
finding	
  equipment.	
  Berklee	
  provides	
  all	
  the	
  equipment	
  that	
  we	
  need	
  on	
  campus	
  but	
  
we	
  could	
  not	
  expect	
  every	
  venue	
  we	
  planned	
  to	
  perform	
  at	
  to	
  have	
  all	
  the	
  

	
  

5	
  

equipment	
  we	
  required.	
  I	
  initially	
  looked	
  into	
  a	
  local	
  music	
  rental	
  shop	
  in	
  Valencia	
  
“Call	
  and	
  Play”.	
  I	
  went	
  their	
  office	
  to	
  receive	
  a	
  quote	
  for	
  the	
  equipment	
  we	
  would	
  
need	
  which	
  totaled	
  to	
  377.70€.	
  This	
  proved	
  that	
  we	
  simply	
  would	
  not	
  be	
  able	
  to	
  
afford	
  renting	
  equipment	
  for	
  every	
  gig.	
  I	
  then	
  spoke	
  with	
  a	
  number	
  of	
  faculty	
  
members	
  at	
  Berklee	
  who	
  directed	
  me	
  to	
  Gael	
  Hedding	
  a	
  staff	
  member	
  here	
  at	
  
Berklee.	
  	
  He	
  was	
  able	
  to	
  give	
  me	
  helpful	
  advice	
  on	
  the	
  best	
  possible	
  way	
  to	
  transport	
  
equipment	
  and	
  how	
  that	
  can	
  impact	
  who	
  will	
  be	
  interested	
  in	
  hiring	
  us.	
  He	
  also	
  
indicated	
  that	
  the	
  school	
  would	
  allow	
  us	
  to	
  borrow	
  materials	
  in	
  order	
  to	
  perform	
  at	
  
city	
  venues.	
  I	
  worked	
  with	
  Gael	
  to	
  find	
  the	
  best	
  options	
  for	
  the	
  equipment	
  needed	
  
and	
  successfully	
  completed	
  Berklee’s	
  Off	
  Campus	
  Equipment	
  Request	
  forms	
  for	
  all	
  
of	
  our	
  gigs.	
  The	
  equipment	
  requested	
  and	
  used:	
  Bass	
  Amplifier,	
  2	
  Guitar	
  amps,	
  2	
  foot	
  
switches,	
  2	
  guitar	
  chords,	
  2	
  congas,	
  bongos,	
  drum	
  kit.	
  Another	
  essential	
  aspect	
  of	
  
transporting	
  equipment	
  was	
  Alejandra	
  Menendez	
  Gonzalez	
  who	
  offered	
  to	
  transport	
  
equipment	
  and	
  was	
  invaluable	
  to	
  the	
  success	
  of	
  our	
  first	
  two	
  gigs	
  in	
  Valencia.	
  For	
  
future	
  gigs	
  we	
  used	
  taxi	
  services	
  for	
  our	
  Valencia	
  gigs	
  and	
  a	
  car	
  rental	
  service	
  for	
  
our	
  gig	
  in	
  Barcelona.	
  	
  
	
  
Facebook	
  was	
  our	
  main	
  form	
  of	
  outreach	
  for	
  prospective	
  clients	
  and	
  
interested	
  parties.	
  Our	
  Facebook	
  page	
  has	
  our	
  demo	
  material,	
  photos,	
  videos	
  and	
  
information	
  regarding	
  our	
  upcoming	
  performances	
  and	
  events.	
  Currently	
  our	
  
Facebook	
  has	
  254	
  likes.	
  Each	
  member	
  has	
  administrative	
  access	
  to	
  the	
  page	
  to	
  help	
  
further	
  increase	
  social	
  media	
  impact	
  and	
  reach.	
  An	
  internal	
  Facebook	
  page	
  was	
  also	
  
created	
  for	
  the	
  band	
  to	
  help	
  with	
  song	
  selection,	
  set	
  lists	
  and	
  any	
  other	
  pertinent	
  

	
  

6	
  

information	
  that	
  needs	
  to	
  be	
  circulated	
  internally	
  within	
  the	
  band.	
  References	
  for	
  
songs	
  via	
  YouTube	
  and	
  song	
  suggestions	
  are	
  also	
  posted	
  and	
  chosen	
  by	
  band	
  vote	
  
and	
  overall	
  popularity	
  with	
  the	
  public.	
  
https://www.facebook.com/Thea69s	
  
We	
  also	
  created	
  a	
  Twitter	
  account	
  to	
  further	
  extend	
  our	
  social	
  media	
  reach.	
  
(https://twitter.com/thea69s)	
  
Photo	
  and	
  video	
  documentation	
  of	
  the	
  band	
  are	
  critical	
  to	
  the	
  distribution	
  of	
  our	
  
brand	
  and	
  generating	
  a	
  following.	
  	
  Aishwary	
  Narolia,	
  Gabby	
  Banks,	
  Jasmine	
  Shepard,	
  
Aalap	
  Deboor	
  and	
  Jane	
  Kim,	
  all	
  business	
  students,	
  offered	
  to	
  take	
  photos	
  and	
  videos	
  
of	
  The	
  A69s	
  at	
  gigs	
  and	
  on	
  campus	
  for	
  our	
  social	
  media	
  channels.	
  	
  
	
  
We	
  have	
  so	
  far	
  had	
  seven	
  successful	
  public	
  gigs	
  where	
  we	
  have	
  obtained	
  
photos	
  and	
  videos	
  and	
  distributed	
  social	
  media	
  information	
  to	
  gain	
  followers.	
  	
  Our	
  
4th	
  official	
  gig	
  and	
  1st	
  paid	
  performance	
  at	
  “El	
  Club	
  Loco”	
  we	
  worked	
  with	
  a	
  local	
  
Valencian	
  promoter,	
  Alejandro	
  Canuto,	
  who	
  created	
  his	
  promotion	
  company	
  
“Livexmusic”	
  (https://www.facebook.com/livexmusicpromotion)	
  to	
  gain	
  greater	
  
visibility	
  in	
  the	
  city	
  of	
  Valencia.	
  The	
  gig	
  was	
  featured	
  in	
  three	
  magazines,	
  “Las	
  
Provincias”	
  (http://www.lasprovincias.es/20140115/ocio/agenda/a69s-­‐berklee-­‐
concierto-­‐lococlub-­‐201401151222.html)	
  “Levante”	
  (http://musica.levante-­‐
emv.com/a69s-­‐berklee-­‐muestra-­‐musculo-­‐sobre-­‐el-­‐escenario)	
  and	
  “Atomica”	
  
(http://www.redaccionatomica.com/noticias/2883/the-­‐a69s-­‐berklee-­‐muestra-­‐
musculo-­‐sobre-­‐el-­‐escenario/).	
  	
  For	
  this	
  gig	
  we	
  were	
  given	
  200	
  tickets	
  to	
  distribute	
  
and	
  were	
  able	
  to	
  successfully	
  have	
  88	
  tickets	
  return	
  to	
  the	
  gig.	
  	
  

	
  

7	
  

Our	
  second	
  paid	
  gig	
  I	
  was	
  at	
  Café	
  Belgrado	
  in	
  Barcelona.	
  For	
  this	
  gig	
  we	
  
worked	
  with	
  the	
  Latin	
  Grammy	
  award-­‐winning	
  percussionist	
  Max	
  Wright.	
  This	
  gig	
  
was	
  one	
  of	
  our	
  greatest	
  accomplishments	
  because	
  we	
  had	
  no	
  established	
  fan	
  base	
  in	
  
the	
  city,	
  and	
  the	
  gig	
  turned	
  out	
  to	
  be	
  extremely	
  successful.	
  	
  	
  
Our	
  third	
  paid	
  gig	
  again	
  took	
  place	
  at	
  Club	
  Loco.	
  Once	
  again	
  we	
  worked	
  with	
  
Alejandro	
  Canuto	
  for	
  the	
  promotion	
  of	
  the	
  event.	
  	
  For	
  this	
  gig	
  we	
  had	
  57	
  guests	
  
arrive	
  on	
  our	
  guest	
  list	
  and	
  collected	
  3euro	
  for	
  each	
  guest,	
  which	
  became	
  an	
  added	
  
revenue	
  stream	
  on	
  top	
  of	
  our	
  fixed	
  rate.	
  For	
  each	
  paid	
  gig	
  I	
  was	
  able	
  to	
  keep	
  a	
  
portion	
  of	
  the	
  funds	
  generated	
  as	
  retained	
  earnings.	
  This	
  will	
  be	
  used	
  in	
  the	
  future	
  
for	
  endeavors	
  such	
  as	
  a	
  band	
  dinner,	
  or	
  to	
  help	
  cover	
  unforeseen	
  expenses.	
  
Currently	
  we	
  have	
  generated	
  1,020.00€	
  and	
  have	
  100.00€	
  in	
  retained	
  earnings.	
  
	
  
Initially	
  our	
  budget	
  was	
  funded	
  by	
  the	
  goodwill	
  of	
  those	
  participating.	
  The	
  
budget	
  relies	
  on	
  members	
  volunteering	
  their	
  time	
  and	
  collectively	
  contributing	
  to	
  
band	
  transportation	
  fees.	
  I	
  was	
  able	
  to	
  avoid	
  equipment	
  expenses	
  by	
  borrowing	
  
from	
  Berklee	
  and	
  rehearsal/studio	
  fees	
  because	
  of	
  Berklee	
  facilities.	
  With	
  the	
  help	
  
of	
  Berklee	
  students	
  and	
  faculty	
  I	
  avoided	
  photographer/videographer	
  costs,	
  demo	
  
engineering	
  fees	
  and	
  equipment	
  transportation	
  costs.	
  With	
  the	
  use	
  of	
  free	
  internet	
  
services	
  such	
  as	
  Facebook,	
  Soundcloud	
  and	
  Twitter	
  I	
  avoided	
  fees	
  associated	
  with	
  
web	
  design	
  and	
  website	
  creation	
  and	
  marketing.	
  I	
  was	
  also	
  able	
  to	
  directly	
  apply	
  
what	
  I	
  learned	
  in	
  my	
  accounting	
  class	
  to	
  the	
  budgeting	
  of	
  this	
  project.	
  
	
  

	
  

8	
  

For	
  the	
  final	
  month	
  of	
  July	
  we	
  will	
  have	
  3	
  more	
  gigs	
  here	
  in	
  Valencia:	
  A	
  4th	
  of	
  
July	
  concert	
  for	
  the	
  Palau	
  de	
  Les	
  Artes	
  as	
  well	
  as	
  a	
  performance	
  at	
  Radio	
  City	
  the	
  
same	
  night,	
  and	
  a	
  final	
  show	
  at	
  the	
  Berklee	
  Graduation	
  concert.	
  When	
  the	
  U.S.	
  
Ambassador	
  visited	
  Berklee	
  in	
  November,	
  I	
  was	
  able	
  to	
  speak	
  with	
  him	
  and	
  mention	
  
The	
  A69s.	
  He	
  said	
  he	
  was	
  hoping	
  to	
  integrate	
  more	
  music	
  at	
  the	
  embassy	
  and	
  I	
  
attempted	
  to	
  further	
  establish	
  a	
  relationship	
  with	
  the	
  U.S.	
  embassy	
  and	
  Berklee	
  
Valencia	
  but	
  my	
  efforts	
  proved	
  unsuccessful.	
  	
  
	
  
The	
  A69s	
  have	
  often	
  been	
  frustrating	
  to	
  manage	
  but	
  ultimately	
  turned	
  out	
  to	
  
be	
  an	
  exciting	
  and	
  meaningful	
  experience.	
  The	
  biggest	
  challenges	
  I	
  faced	
  was	
  
mediating	
  internal	
  band	
  politics.	
  It	
  was	
  extremely	
  difficult	
  to	
  get	
  each	
  member	
  of	
  the	
  
band	
  to	
  achieve	
  a	
  unified	
  commitment	
  to	
  the	
  band	
  and	
  this	
  was	
  reflected	
  in	
  
unproductive	
  rehearsals,	
  minor	
  conflicts	
  between	
  members	
  and	
  members	
  leaving	
  
the	
  band.	
  However	
  the	
  overall	
  outcome	
  of	
  the	
  project	
  aligned	
  with	
  my	
  expectations.	
  
We	
  consistently	
  performed	
  throughout	
  the	
  year	
  and	
  built	
  a	
  fan	
  base	
  in	
  our	
  
hometown	
  of	
  Valencia.	
  Although	
  we	
  were	
  unable	
  to	
  travel	
  outside	
  of	
  Spain	
  we	
  were	
  
still	
  able	
  to	
  perform	
  in	
  Barcelona,	
  Spain’s	
  second	
  largest	
  city.	
  
	
  
	
  

The	
  A69s	
  helped	
  me	
  to	
  grow	
  as	
  a	
  performer	
  but	
  more	
  importantly	
  as	
  a	
  

manager.	
  The	
  band	
  solidified	
  in	
  my	
  mind	
  the	
  importance	
  of	
  communication	
  in	
  a	
  
group	
  and	
  the	
  necessity	
  to	
  remain	
  objective	
  by	
  outlining	
  clear	
  goals	
  for	
  members.	
  It	
  
helped	
  me	
  to	
  further	
  understand	
  the	
  workings	
  of	
  live	
  entertainment	
  and	
  the	
  
marketing	
  and	
  promotion	
  of	
  an	
  event.	
  It	
  also	
  helped	
  me	
  to	
  better	
  understand	
  how	
  

	
  

9	
  

branding	
  plays	
  an	
  important	
  role	
  in	
  gaining	
  a	
  fan	
  base	
  as	
  well	
  as	
  the	
  essentials	
  of	
  
budgeting	
  a	
  project.	
  
This	
  experience	
  has	
  helped	
  my	
  career	
  by	
  giving	
  me	
  valuable	
  expertise	
  in	
  
numerous	
  aspects	
  of	
  the	
  entertainment	
  industry.	
  I	
  was	
  able	
  to	
  gain	
  a	
  new	
  
perspective	
  on	
  live	
  entertainment	
  from	
  the	
  eyes	
  of	
  a	
  performer	
  and	
  manager.	
  In	
  the	
  
future	
  I	
  will	
  use	
  these	
  skills	
  when	
  I	
  return	
  to	
  the	
  U.S.	
  and	
  rejoin	
  with	
  my	
  band	
  back	
  
home.	
  My	
  U.S.	
  based	
  band	
  is	
  hoping	
  to	
  expand	
  our	
  performance	
  network	
  from	
  the	
  
Greater	
  Boston	
  and	
  New	
  England	
  area	
  to	
  include	
  the	
  New	
  York	
  City	
  region.	
  I	
  will	
  use	
  
all	
  of	
  the	
  experience	
  I	
  have	
  gained	
  managing	
  The	
  A69s	
  to	
  help	
  facilitate	
  this	
  
expansion.	
  	
  
Unfortunately	
  after	
  the	
  end	
  of	
  our	
  final	
  semester	
  here	
  the	
  band	
  will	
  disperse	
  
to	
  seven	
  different	
  countries	
  all	
  over	
  the	
  world.	
  Thus,	
  sadly	
  The	
  A69s	
  will	
  no	
  longer	
  
be	
  able	
  to	
  perform	
  together.	
  I	
  am	
  truly	
  grateful	
  for	
  all	
  of	
  the	
  help	
  I	
  received	
  from	
  my	
  
classmates	
  and	
  from	
  Berklee	
  College	
  of	
  Music,	
  but	
  most	
  importantly	
  I	
  am	
  grateful	
  
for	
  the	
  participation	
  of	
  the	
  other	
  members	
  of	
  the	
  band.	
  I	
  know	
  that	
  given	
  the	
  time	
  
the	
  band	
  would	
  be	
  able	
  to	
  achieve	
  even	
  greater	
  success	
  and	
  our	
  accomplishments	
  
would	
  surely	
  reach	
  new	
  heights!	
  	
  

	
  

10