Former Dean of the College of Business and professor of management, Dr. Randy Settoon, recently lectured students on how to market and manage being a musician by giving examples of his former experiences.
Settoon lectured in the Pottle Musical Hall Theater about the importance of marketing music to masses and managing the musicians who make it. He views speaking during a Fanfare event as “a true honor.”
The Hammond, Louisiana native is one of the five members of the Ruddox Band. Settoon refers to “Catching lightening in a bottle” as capturing music in its rare form and finding ways to make your product a demand of the listeners and record companies. He believes this is one of the main keys of being a successful musician.
According to Settoon, even though being in the music world is fun, it also requires hard work and dedication. In order to keep focus, Settoon believes that having a clear understanding of when it is time to work results in knowing when it is time to have fun.
“Remember it’s a job, don’t get big headed,” said Settoon. “Setting goals is the foundation to achieving and pursuing any career. It is hard work and it’s a job. You have to set goals.”
Emori Wright, a freshman art major with concentrations in animation and new media found that the lecture did not meet her expectations.
“I believed that the lecture was intended to speak out to students on how to succeed at being a musician, but I would not recommend this lecture to anyone,” said Wright. “He spoke about his personal experiences mostly instead of giving actual facts on managing a music career. I was very disappointed.”
Michelle Brister, a music major with concentrations in instrumental music education and guitar, was dissatisfied with the content and structure of the lecture.
“I was really interested in attending the lecture, but as the lecture progressed, I felt as though he was off topic,” said Brister. “He didn’t really state clearly on how to manage a career as a musician. Basically, he talked about himself most of the time.”
Contact Dr. Settoon at [email protected] for more information.