Emmy-winning composer Glen Roven discusses the reality of the music business
Emmy-winning musician Glen Roven presented the harsh reality of the music business to students and faculty in his seminar “How to Survive in Show Business” on Feb. 12 at Chamichian Recital Hall.
Roven— an esteemed composer, conductor, lyricist and music producer — gave audience members advice inspired by his own experiences in the music business.
“(My career has been) a life-affirming, life-brutalizing; best of times, worst of times experience,” Roven said. “Be gracious. Be kind. Appreciate the work. Don’t expect anything back from them. The universe will take care of the thank you notes, I promise.”
Roven recounted several stories of his difficult and often frustrating experiences in the music industry.
“If you’re struggling with something (as an artist), do something else. Go around it,” Roven said. “Just say I’m not going to try it this way. I’m not going to try to push it in first person. What would happen if I tried it in third person?”
In the seminar, Roven gave several examples of times he “got around” problems in music. One such example was the time a singer and the singer’s record label backed out on a song only three weeks before the deadline.
“I couldn’t wallow in the pain. I couldn’t wallow in the frustration,” Roven said. “I had to be proactive.”
Instead of continuing his effort to change the singer’s mind, Roven took action and asked Catherine Zeta-Jones to perform the song instead.
After telling the story, Roven showed the audience the song ahead of its release, which led to applause.
“(The seminar) was fantastic,” said Jay Batzner, Associate Professor of Composition and Technology. “He definitely didn’t sugarcoat anything.”
Recent Central Michigan University alumnus Tim Van Atter said enjoyed the seminar also.
“It was an excellent opportunity for musicians or anyone interested in the music industry to be able to listen to the testimony of such an experienced professional,” Van Atter said.
Casey Robards, lecturer in collaborative piano, said Mount Pleasant is "not a major metropolis."
“When the world comes to your doorstep, show up," Robards said.
