Anthony Andrews ’15, Music Business and Industry

On-Campus Experience, an Internship of a Lifetime, and Major Career Milestones.

As a student in Northern Vermont University-Lyndon’s music business and industry (MBI) program, Anthony Andrews ’15 played a key role in helping to organize GreggFest, an annual music festival on campus.

For two years, he was security manager for the two-day, student-run Greggfest, the biggest music event on campus, held in memory of MBI student Jake Gregg, who died of cancer.

“GreggFest was one of the best experiences I’ve had. We had students working toward a goal for a great cause through music,” says Anthony, who earned a bachelor’s degree in music business and arts management and an associate degree in business administration.

Real-world Experience on Campus

GreggFest is coordinated by NVU-Lyndon’s chapter of the Music and Entertainment Industry Student Association (MEISA), of which Anthony was secretary for most of his time at NVU. “With students collaborating, we made GreggFest happen. By making GreggFest happen, we proved to the community that NVU-Lyndon was capable of having large events and drawing crowds of people from out of state and capable of helping our friend Jake and his family through a difficult time. It was a great opportunity for everyone in the music program,” Anthony says. Proceeds now support scholarships for MBI students.

GreggFest helped Anthony build the career skills he needed for his future, but it wasn’t the only real-world opportunity he had through NVU.

Developing Skills as an Intern for James Taylor

Immediately after he graduated in 2015, Anthony interned for James Taylor, and the following summer he worked as the production assistant/coordinator for James’s band and production tour team.

“That tour really changed my life. So far, it’s been the highlight of my life: being able to travel across the country, waking up in a new city every day, meeting new people, understanding who the key players were, and understanding how a music tour really functions,” Anthony says.

An MBI professor who knew some of James’s production team helped Anthony land the internship, which led to the job with James the next year. On the road, he sometimes worked 18-30 hours straight. “The pay was great. My sleeping schedule was awful,” he recalls, “but I wouldn’t have changed the experience for the world.”

Hands-on Experience Through NVU Helps Land a Job

Through Anthony’s experience at GreggFest and in his internship, he landed a job as tour accountant with Nigro, Karlin, Segal, Feldstein & Bolno, LLC (NKSFB) in Los Angeles. The business management firm works with some of the world’s top entertainers.

“From the time I spent on James’s tours, I knew I wanted to continue to work on the touring side of the music industry, but I didn’t want to be on the road touring. I wanted to work in business management,” Anthony says.

He credits NVU-Lyndon with boosting his career success. “Lyndon has played a major role because the faculty looked out for me through my college years and all my courses, understood my strengths and weaknesses, and knew where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do. They helped provide the James Taylor opportunity for me, which eventually blossomed into me being where I am today,” he says.

In less than a year at NKSFB, Anthony was promoted to senior tour accountant. “That was another milestone for me, and I’m eager to see where I go next,” he says. He works with over 20 clients in all music genres but mostly pop, hip-hop, and electronic.

Learning from faculty with music careers

MBI faculty have music careers, too. Among them are Joe Gittleman, founder of and bass player with The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and Brian Warwick, sound engineer for “Weird Al” Yankovic and other stars. “Having professors that are also professionals in the industry is certainly a leading factor in me and many others going to college at Lyndon,” Anthony says.

He considered a music program at another school but preferred NVU’s smaller classes and “faculty members who truly cared about my education and future,” he says.

Because Anthony benefited from his professors’ connections in the music industry, he knows the value of networking in his position at NKSFB.

“The more people I know, the more I learn about other aspects of the music industry such as upcoming artists, new laws and regulations in the industry, the key players, what major tours are hitting the road…and more. I also learn about artists who may not have business management, which is exactly what my firm offers,” Anthony says.

“That is what Joe Gittleman taught my class from day one: go out there, be a part of shows, ask questions, get involved, do internships,” he says. “I am constantly going out to concerts and events knowing that I am going to run into someone I know or should know. Getting out there and learning and exchanging knowledge will only benefit you professionally. It’s all about networking. It’s as simple as that.”