More than 30 students from Durham College’s (DC) Music Business Management (MBM) program enjoyed a valuable opportunity to mix and mingle with music industry representatives on September 19 during Indie Week’s Student Sessions: Round 5 event at The Paddock Tavern in Toronto, Ont.

As an event partner, DC’s MBM students were involved in assisting with the execution of the event, and also had the opportunity to learn and network during a curated industry panel on music licensing with Aideen O’Brien from Entertainment One and Jennifer Beavis from BMG Rights Management Inc. MBM graduate Kyle Merkley of Arpix Media moderated the discussion.

Afterwards, students participated in speed-mentoring sessions with O’Brien, Beavis, Merkley, Scott Taylor of Supergroup and Rich Brisson of Cadence Music Group. The sessions were followed by a line-up of live music, which featured a set from second-year MBM student Klinsvin Gilbert.

“This event is a fantastic opportunity for our students to get their foot in the door of the industry before they graduate,” said Marni Thornton, professor and program co-ordinator of the MBM program at DC. “They are creating valuable connections and exploring some of the diverse types of jobs that exist within this field, while also gaining insight into music industry events.”

Student Sessions is a lead-up event to Indie Week, the premiere emerging artist festival taking place from November 13 to 17. For more information, please visit www.indieweek.com.