What was your response when a teacher asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up? An astronaut? Doctor? Lawyer? Scientist? Maybe a firefighter? 

For the students completing the Music Business (MBUS) Certificate program at the University of Georgia, the answer was most likely “rockstar.”

“When I grow up, I wanna be a star. I wanna sing and play guitar.” - Hotel Fiction

“When I grow up, I wanna be a star. I wanna sing and play guitar,” are the opening lyrics of Athens’ student band Hotel Fiction’s number one song on Spotify. The song, Astronaut Kids, has more than a million streams, and the band has more than 40-thousand Spotify monthly listeners. 

Why It's Newsworthy: The Music Business Certificate program at UGA has played a role in the formation and success of many student bands in Athens, GA. These bands are touring across the country and their music is reaching audiences on an international scale.

According to the UGA Music Business Certificate program’s Facebook page, the program was established in 2006 "to train the future leaders" of the music industry "in the midst of the Athens music scene". Jade Long and Jessica Thompson, the duo that started Hotel Fiction, graduated last spring with certificates from the program making them two of the many MBUS students hoping to pursue a career in the music industry when they “grow up.” They have since performed shows in cities across the U.S. including Chicago, Cincinnati, and Nashville, Tenn.

There are currently at least twenty student bands in Athens, Ga., and the three with the highest average numbers of monthly listeners on Spotify all have members who are currently completing or have already completed UGA’s Music Business Program. According to the Terry College of Business’ website, the curriculum gives students "the chance to learn from key industry experts, including artists and managers while gaining hands-on experience from coordination and marketing events, producing content, managing artists, and operating labels.”

“UGA students are essentially the feeder system into the Athens music scene.” - David Barbe

David Barbe, the Director of UGA's Music Business program, explained, "UGA students are essentially the feeder system into the Athens music scene," in a promotional video for the certificate on the Terry College of Business’ website. "The university has lots of smart, creative, young people. Those people want to play in bands, Athens has venues to play. One feeds the other."

The network the MBUS program provides played a role in the formation of both AFTM and Underground Springhouse. John Cherry, the keyboardist for AFTM and a fifth year at UGA, knew he wanted to play music when he got to college. "The only musicians I knew were students," Cherry explained over the phone while driving to play an AFTM show in Tuscaloosa, Al.

“The MBUS program was kind of the network that threaded the connection that allowed me to be in AFTM.” - John Cherry

While Cherry is the only member of the band not involved in the MBUS program, he explained that almost all of the musicians he knew during his freshman year were. “The MBUS program was kind of the network that threaded the connection that allowed me to be in AFTM,” Cherry explained. 

Underground Springhouse has a similar story. In the Spring of 2020, drummer Jacob Sherwin was enrolled in an artist management class where he met fellow MBUS student Max Motley. This connection ultimately led to Motley becoming the band’s full time keyboardist in March. A few weeks later he recommended his long time friend Mitch Davidson for the recently open position of lead guitarist.

Just like AFTM, four out of the five current members of Underground Springhouse were/are involved in UGA’s MBUS program. “I feel like it’s awesome because everyone’s got the same education and same background and can see how things can work,” explained Sherwin when discussing how the program has benefited Underground Springhouse.

Both bands have headlined the Georgia Theatre multiple times and have an average of approximately 20,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. AFTM has traveled as far as the Mercury Lounge in New York City for a show and is opening for the well known rock band Moon Taxi at the Eastern in Atlanta on Nov. 27th. Underground Springhouse’s top song on Spotify, Joyfell, has over a million streams. The band has a handful of Spotify listeners around the world including 1,192 in Canada, 116 in Brazil, and 234 in Australia according to its Spotify for artists dashboard.

Practicing 30+ hours a week on average and playing shows almost every weekend, Hotel Fiction, AFTM, and Underground Springhouse are committed to making music a full-time career. Their involvement in UGA’s Music Business Program further speaks to their dedication and if you look at their success, it’s clear that the program has an impact.