Culminating
 Experience
 Reflective
 Paper
 
Vanessa
 Martinez
 -­
 June
 27,
 2014
 

 
1)
 Culminating
 experience
 project
 summary
 of
 project
 that
 was
 completed
 
For
 my
 Culminating
 Experience,
 I
 wrote
 a
 research
 paper
 surrounding
 my
 
thesis
 statement
 that
 the
 business
 practices
 of
 the
 companies
 within
 the
 commercial
 
music
 industry
 have
 killed
 creativity
 in
 music.
 To
 defend
 my
 statement,
 I
 researched
 
the
 careers
 of
 5
 artists
 that
 embody
 the
 true
 spirit
 of
 creativity
 within
 their
 work.
 
The
 artists
 that
 I
 researched,
 Captain
 Beeefheart,
 Frank
 Zappa,
 Kool
 Keith,
 Outkast,
 
and
 Lupe
 Fiasco
 represent
 various
 genres
 and
 span
 6
 decades
 within
 the
 music
 
industry.
 For
 my
 paper,
 I
 focused
 on
 the
 negative
 aspects
 of
 their
 careers,
 including
 
lawsuits,
 unfavorable
 record
 deals,
 and
 the
 industry’s
 response
 to
 their
 creative
 
exploits
 and
 actions.
 
 
Throughout
 my
 paper,
 I
 noticed
 that
 across
 the
 board,
 creativity
 was
 ignored,
 
leaving
 money
 on
 the
 table
 time
 and
 time
 again.
 I
 make
 the
 argument
 that
 if
 the
 
industry
 valued
 creativity,
 trusted
 their
 artists,
 and
 gave
 them
 more
 creative
 
control,
 there
 would
 be
 a
 larger
 possibility
 for
 successful
 records.
 The
 better
 one
 
treats
 their
 artist,
 the
 better
 the
 product.
 I
 further
 argue
 that
 the
 industry’s
 
currently
 volatile
 state
 is
 not
 simply
 due
 to
 piracy,
 but
 rather,
 in
 conjunction
 with
 
decreasing
 consumer
 loyalty
 in
 direct
 response
 to
 the
 recognition
 of
 such
 creative
 
neglect
 at
 the
 hands
 of
 record
 labels.
 My
 research
 paper
 asserts
 my
 opinion
 that
 a
 
renewal
 of
 creative
 freedom
 within
 the
 music
 industry
 will
 allow
 for
 more
 variety
 
and
 a
 more
 diverse
 culture.
 
 
 


 
2)
 Results:
 how
 the
 project
 did
 and
 did
 not
 align
 with
 expectations
 
 
Despite
 being
 a
 business
 student,
 I
 am
 first
 and
 foremost
 a
 musician.
 Upon
 
starting
 the
 Global
 Entertainment
 program,
 my
 academic
 goal
 was
 to
 build
 upon
 my
 
undergraduate
 Music
 Business
 degree
 to
 further
 supplement
 my
 musicianship
 and
 
creativity
 with
 a
 strong
 business
 background.
 Initially
 I
 had
 intentions
 of
 working
 
on
 a
 project
 that
 I
 was
 extremely
 passionate
 about
 and
 would
 help
 me
 with
 my
 
future
 endeavors
 for
 the
 duration
 of
 the
 program.
 However,
 I
 was
 unfortunately
 
unable
 to
 accomplish
 this
 goal
 due
 to
 restraints
 from
 my
 advisor.
 
Beginning
 with
 the
 proposal
 process,
 the
 Culminating
 Experience
 project
 
drastically
 underwhelmed
 all
 of
 my
 expectations
 coming
 into
 the
 program.
 The
 
proposal
 process,
 which
 I
 figured
 would
 be
 extremely
 straightforward
 and
 simple,
 
was
 much
 longer
 than
 I
 anticipated,
 as
 I
 was
 met
 with
 numerous
 difficulties.
 I
 
thought
 the
 program
 was
 going
 to
 be
 more
 open
 to
 the
 unique
 ideas
 and
 
backgrounds
 of
 the
 students
 and
 be
 more
 encouraging
 of
 and
 truly
 support
 its
 
student
 body’s
 goals.
 I
 also
 was
 under
 the
 impression
 that
 since
 we
 are
 in
 a
 Music
 
Business
 program
 from
 an
 extremely
 music-­‐centric
 institution
 like
 Berklee,
 there
 
would
 be
 much
 more
 music
 involved.
 All
 in
 all,
 however,
 this
 program
 felt
 like
 a
 
generic
 business
 program,
 having
 little
 to
 do
 with
 music,
 which
 was
 ultimately
 
reflected
 on
 the
 Culminating
 Experience
 as
 well.
 In
 my
 experience,
 it
 is
 possible
 to
 
successfully
 pair
 music
 and
 business.
 Throughout
 my
 studies
 and
 professional
 
experience,
 I
 have
 encountered
 many
 musicians,
 professionals,
 and
 students
 alike
 
that
 operate
 under
 this
 natural
 inclination.
 Most
 of
 the
 leading
 professionals
 in
 the
 


 

2
 

industry
 are
 able
 to
 do
 just
 that,
 a
 trait
 that
 I
 believe
 is
 key
 in
 the
 success
 of
 these
 
individuals.
 
 
The
 process
 of
 actually
 settling
 on
 a
 project
 that
 my
 advisor
 approved
 of
 was
 
much
 longer
 than
 anticipated.
 Well
 beyond
 the
 halfway
 point
 of
 the
 program,
 I
 was
 
still
 in
 the
 proposal
 process,
 unable
 to
 actually
 begin
 working
 on
 the
 project.
 I
 also
 
expected
 more
 profound
 guidance
 and
 to
 develop
 a
 relationship
 with
 my
 advisor,
 
ultimately
 looking
 to
 him
 as
 a
 mentor.
 Unfortunately,
 this
 was
 not
 the
 case.
 I
 would
 
have
 loved
 to
 receive
 more
 support
 with
 my
 ideas
 and
 goals
 and
 reflect
 positively
 
on
 the
 experience.
 Not
 a
 single
 one
 of
 my
 ambitious
 expectations
 were
 met
 over
 the
 
course
 of
 this
 project,
 leading
 to
 an
 extremely
 frustrating
 experience.
 
 

 
3)
 Plan
 of
 action/
 process:
 where
 project
 met
 expectations
 and
 where
 it
 
needed
 to
 be
 revised
 during
 execution.
 
Initially,
 I
 wanted
 to
 complete
 an
 operational
 CE
 that
 included
 an
 album
 
release,
 the
 establishment
 of
 my
 brand
 as
 a
 musician,
 the
 implementation
 of
 a
 social
 
media
 campaign,
 multiple
 live
 performances,
 and
 the
 creation
 of
 a
 web-­‐based
 drum
 
sample
 platform
 that
 I
 would
 use
 as
 a
 means
 of
 promotion,
 education,
 and
 the
 
advancement
 of
 creativity.
 Upon
 proposing
 this
 project,
 I
 was
 told
 that
 an
 
operational
 CE
 of
 an
 album
 release
 and
 promotion
 wasn’t
 for
 the
 GEMB
 students
 
and
 that
 it
 was
 a
 mistake
 to
 include
 that
 option
 in
 the
 slides
 that
 explained
 the
 
project
 to
 us
 at
 the
 beginning
 of
 the
 year.
 I
 was
 also
 told
 that
 all
 of
 my
 practical
 ideas
 
listed
 wouldn’t
 be
 enough
 work
 for
 a
 CE
 project.
 I
 still
 struggle
 to
 understand
 this
 


 

3
 

thought
 process,
 as
 my
 initial
 idea
 entailed
 much
 more
 work
 than
 any
 other
 project
 
idea
 that
 was
 encouraged
 by
 my
 advisor.
 
 
Ultimately,
 I
 was
 eventually
 encouraged
 repeatedly
 to
 focus
 on
 only
 one
 
aspect
 of
 my
 original
 idea,
 the
 drum
 sample
 platform
 I
 was
 initially
 intending
 to
 use
 
as
 a
 promotional
 medium.
 Despite
 my
 vision
 for
 this
 platform
 as
 promotional,
 I
 was
 
repeatedly
 pushed
 toward
 changing
 this
 idea
 into
 a
 business,
 one
 that
 would
 
generate
 revenue.
 Ultimately,
 at
 the
 hands
 of
 my
 advisor,
 my
 CE
 went
 from
 my
 ideal
 
project
 of
 focusing
 on
 music
 and
 the
 promotion
 of
 creative
 ideas
 to
 one
 that
 was
 
entirely
 focused
 on
 money.
 
 
I
 was
 very
 skeptical
 when
 considering
 this
 new
 option,
 but
 trusted
 in
 the
 CE’s
 
advisory
 system
 and
 explored
 this
 option.
 The
 platform,
 as
 initially
 created,
 was
 to
 
consist
 of
 a
 sample
 library
 comprised
 of
 breakbeats,
 live
 recordings
 of
 me
 playing
 
drum
 grooves.
 The
 main
 premise
 of
 the
 platform
 was
 that
 I
 would
 work
 under
 
creative
 commons,
 opting
 to
 give
 away
 the
 breaks
 for
 free
 to
 musicians
 and
 
producers,
 only
 asking
 for
 artistic
 credit
 in
 return.
 My
 goal
 with
 this
 platform
 was
 to
 
become
 an
 influencer
 and
 seek
 out
 sponsorships,
 studio
 gigs,
 live
 gigs,
 and
 teaching
 
jobs.
 I
 spent
 many
 of
 the
 initial
 months
 of
 the
 project
 working
 on
 the
 actual
 
development
 of
 this
 platform,
 only
 to
 have
 it
 condensed
 into
 a
 business
 plan,
 despite
 
my
 assertions
 that
 it
 was
 not
 technically
 a
 revenue
 generating
 business.
 My
 goals
 
and
 ideas
 of
 the
 platform
 as
 a
 means
 of
 promotion
 were
 simply
 negated
 by
 my
 
advisor
 with
 statements
 such
 as,
 “you’ll
 find
 a
 way
 to
 monetize.”
 No
 attention
 was
 
paid
 by
 my
 advisor
 and
 the
 program
 to
 the
 fact
 that
 I
 did
 not
 want
 to
 monetize
 this
 
platform,
 pushing
 me
 into
 a
 business
 plan
 that
 I
 did
 not
 want
 to
 write.
 


 

4
 

I
 was
 constantly
 being
 pushed
 in
 a
 direction
 that
 I
 was
 unhappy
 with
 when
 it
 
came
 to
 the
 development
 of
 this
 business
 plan.
 After
 my
 mock
 presentations
 and
 
initial
 feedback
 from
 classmates,
 I
 came
 to
 the
 conclusion
 that
 this
 project
 was
 way
 
too
 far
 from
 what
 it
 was
 intended
 to
 be
 and
 how
 I
 envision
 it
 in
 reality.
 Needing
 to
 
make
 the
 most
 of
 my
 significant
 investment
 in
 this
 academic
 program,
 I
 chose
 to
 
take
 the
 opportunity
 to
 leave
 with
 a
 CE
 that
 better
 reflected
 my
 goals,
 that
 I
 was
 
proud
 of,
 and
 that
 contributed
 positively
 to
 the
 seeking
 of
 future
 opportunities
 
within
 education.
 
With
 these
 educational
 goals
 in
 mind,
 I
 was
 simultaneously
 researching
 for
 a
 
piece
 that
 I
 was
 writing,
 with
 the
 ultimate
 goal
 of
 getting
 published
 in
 a
 music
 
business
 publication.
 For
 the
 purposes
 of
 this
 paper,
 I
 followed
 my
 passion
 for
 
creativity,
 a
 constant
 theme
 in
 the
 multiple
 CE
 ideas
 that
 I
 proposed
 this
 year,
 and
 
decided
 to
 write
 a
 piece
 about
 the
 state
 of
 creativity
 in
 the
 music
 industry.
 I
 was
 
inspired
 to
 write
 this
 piece
 while
 listening
 to
 my
 favorite
 musicians
 and
 reflecting
 
upon
 their
 careers,
 which
 have
 unfortunately
 been
 defined
 by
 conflicts
 with
 record
 
labels
 and
 an
 overall
 stifling
 of
 creativity.
 Another
 goal
 of
 this
 paper
 was
 to
 not
 lean
 
solely
 on
 pathos,
 but
 with
 a
 strong
 balance
 of
 the
 emotional
 component
 of
 the
 
argument
 with
 supporting
 music
 industry
 research
 and
 knowledge.
 I
 feel
 that
 my
 
paper
 has
 a
 strong
 topical
 balance
 of
 creativity,
 musicality,
 and
 music
 industry
 study
 
that
 I
 feel
 would
 be
 most
 representative
 of
 and
 supported
 by
 a
 Music
 Business
 
educational
 program
 at
 a
 music
 institution
 like
 Berklee
 College
 of
 Music.
 I
 feel
 that
 
this
 piece
 is
 a
 much
 better
 reflection
 of
 my
 personality,
 my
 background,
 and
 my
 
studies
 here
 at
 Berklee
 Valencia
 that
 will
 ultimately
 help
 me
 with
 my
 future
 


 

5
 

endeavors.
 Unfortunately,
 the
 arrival
 at
 this
 positive
 outcome
 was
 filled
 with
 
negativity
 and
 disrespect
 at
 the
 hands
 of
 my
 advisor
 that
 has
 left
 me
 with
 an
 
extremely
 negative
 view
 on
 the
 Culminating
 Experience
 project
 as
 a
 whole.
 
 

 
4)
 Next
 steps:
 if
 the
 project
 were
 to
 continue,
 what
 would
 the
 next
 phase
 
entail?
 
The
 next
 phase
 includes
 me
 revising
 this
 paper,
 continuing
 to
 improve
 its
 
content,
 and
 opening
 the
 piece
 up
 to
 trusted
 individuals
 who
 could
 give
 me
 feedback
 
and
 editing
 support.
 I
 will
 also
 be
 receiving
 feedback
 from
 individuals
 whom
 I
 
respect
 professionally
 and
 educationally.
 I
 will
 then
 attempt
 to
 get
 the
 piece
 
published.
 
 

 
5)
 Contribution
 to
 the
 discipline
 or
 profession
 
The
 approach
 I
 took
 on
 this
 paper
 proposes
 an
 alternative
 way
 to
 solve
 the
 
various
 issues
 facing
 the
 music
 industry.
 As
 I
 mentioned
 in
 the
 piece,
 it
 is
 easy
 to
 
blame
 industry
 issues
 on
 piracy,
 streaming
 platforms,
 and
 technological
 
advancement.
 I
 propose
 that
 if
 industry
 professionals
 trust
 their
 artists
 and
 their
 
creativity,
 there
 will
 smoother
 transactions
 and
 more
 successful
 projects.
 Both
 sides
 
of
 the
 table
 will
 benefit
 from
 allowing
 the
 musician
 to
 have
 creative
 control
 of
 their
 
own
 art.
 It
 is
 my
 hope
 that
 this
 piece
 will
 be
 instrumental
 in
 opening
 up
 this
 
dialogue
 within
 the
 music
 industry,
 eventually
 playing
 a
 role
 in
 the
 advancement
 of
 
creativity,
 which
 was
 one
 of
 my
 running
 goals
 for
 the
 duration
 of
 the
 Culminating
 
Experience
 project.
 


 

6
 


 
6)
 Impact
 on
 the
 student
 completing
 the
 work
 
 
 
This
 research
 paper
 has
 been
 the
 perfect
 marriage
 of
 music,
 creativity,
 and
 
business.
 I
 have
 been
 allowed
 to
 analytically
 listen
 to
 some
 pieces
 that
 are
 without
 a
 
doubt
 classics
 within
 the
 history
 of
 music,
 as
 well
 as
 learn
 about
 the
 careers,
 
struggles,
 and
 music
 industry
 dealings
 of
 many
 of
 my
 favorite
 and
 most
 respected
 
musicians.
 This
 project
 has
 also
 allowed
 me
 to
 leave
 Berklee
 Valencia
 with
 a
 
document
 that
 is
 a
 sample
 of
 my
 writing
 skills.
 This
 is
 a
 much
 more
 positive
 
outcome
 than
 my
 previous
 project,
 which
 would
 have
 been
 discarded
 of
 upon
 
graduation.
 
 
In
 this
 document
 my
 opinion
 on
 the
 importance
 of
 creativity
 is
 expressed
 as
 
well
 as
 my
 knowledge
 of
 the
 music
 industry.
 This
 is
 also
 a
 piece
 I
 can
 share
 with
 
potential
 employers
 if
 need
 be.
 Given
 my
 significant
 investment
 in
 my
 education
 at
 
Berklee
 Valencia,
 I
 could
 not
 have
 afforded
 to
 leave
 here
 with
 a
 waste
 of
 a
 project,
 
like
 my
 business
 plan
 was.
 My
 research
 paper
 gave
 me
 the
 important
 opportunity
 to
 
actually
 make
 something
 out
 of
 my
 time
 here,
 an
 opportunity
 that
 I
 could
 not
 pass
 
up
 when
 deciding
 on
 my
 CE
 topic.
 
 


 

7