Tebbs teaches at national trade show

Dr. Mckay Tebbs, assistant professor, taught two sessions about music publishing. He was accompanied by Austen Pfeiffer of Alliance, Nebraska, who earned the NAMM President’s $750 scholarship for trip expenses. While at NAMM, Pfeiffer completed assignments, including interviewing vendors, for the Music Business (MUS 420) course he is taking with Tebbs.

Tebbs said there was standing room only for his workshop, “Music Publishing 101: What it is and how to start your own company,” in a classroom with about 90 seats. It can be viewed online.

In his presentation, Tebbs reviewed the steps to establish a publishing company and detailed the role of copyrights, licenses, registration, and royalties in the music industry. He also described major performance rights organizations and included a case study about how the Beatles lost ownership of their music catalog and how Paul McCartney regained his rights in 2017.

“Even though it was designed for college students, it drew in a lot of others. I was pleased so many were interested in the topic. They asked a lot of questions. It was a fun experience. I’m glad I got to do it,” he said.

An especially meaningful moment was when Tebbs’ high school band director, Eddie Candland of St. George, Utah, walked into his class.

The session was part of the GenNext program recently added to the conference for college students. Tebbs said about 30 colleges attended.

“NAMM recognizes these students are the future of the industry and it’s important to help them make connections,” Tebbs said.

Tebbs applied to teach at NAMM in September through the College Music Society, an organization which granted him a summer fellowship in 2017. He was notified of his successful application in October.

—Tena L. Cook, Marketing Coordinator