Columbia College Chicago’s Record Label Partners with Global Distribution Company

Music graphic
Columbia’s AEMMP record label partners with Ingrooves to further distribution

 

Students will soon have the opportunity to work on streaming platforms that distribute music globally thanks to a new partnership between Columbia College Chicago’s record label AEMMP, and Ingrooves, a global music marketing and distribution company that provides labels with a strong technology framework.

“The music business has shifted a great deal since I began teaching AEMMP Hip Hop in 2012, and an even more tremendous amount since AEMMP Records started over 30 years ago,” says Alexander Fruchter, Assistant Professor in Columbia’s Business and Entrepreneurship department. “The industry is dominated by streaming. Previously we were able to provide our students with an authentic label experience by releasing physical product and complimenting the physical release with free downloads. Now, in 2020, we need to exist on streaming platforms and work with digital distribution companies in order to provide our students with the full hands-on experience.”

Since 1982, Columbia College Chicago’s AEMMP, pronounced “amp” and named after the Business and Entrepreneurship department’s previous name—Arts Entertainment Media Management Program—has been providing Chicago musicians with recording, production, and marketing opportunities. AEMMP’s staff, which is made up entirely of Columbia students, has been helping artists release and distribute their records for almost four decades.

Partnering with a company that’s at the forefront of digital distribution means that AEMMP will be able to gain a presence on streaming services and distribution platforms that stretch all over the globe, notes Fruchter. “They will get to be active participants in the music business and gain experiences that I never even envisioned when I was a college student. They will gain access to analytics, marketing assets, royalty reports, and industry professionals that will prove to be invaluable and prepare them for a career in the music industry.”

“AEMMP Records is the longest running student record label in the world,” adds Jerry Brindisi, Associate Professor of Business and Entrepreneurship at Columbia. “The Pedagogical Approach in AEMMP Records course has been the impetus for all practicum course offerings within the Business and Entrepreneurship department and launched the department’s annual trip to Austin, Texas for the South by Southwest festival where the label hosts its annual artist showcase.”

“We’re excited to see where this new partnership will take the work of the musicians AEMMP represents as well as the work of our students,” says Fruchter.

MEDIA INQUIRIES

Daisy Franco
Communications Manager
dfranco@colum.edu
312-369-7507

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