Welcome to the Entrepreneurship Center for Music (ECM) at the University of Colorado Boulder College of Music!
Did you know? According to the 2024 Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP) report, “The overall largest gap between skills acquired and those needed in paid work is for ‘business, financial or entrepreneurial skills’ —65% of working alumni reported these skills as ‘important’ or ‘very important’ in their employment.”
At the College of Music, we’re addressing that gap: The ECM is a national leader in musicians’ professional development. As one of the first such programs in the country, the ECM advances the college’s universal musician vision by equipping music students with the skills and tools they need to create sustainable careers in the arts.
With the arts business undergoing enormous changes in how content is produced, distributed and consumed, ECM programming goes beyond the traditional career skills taught at some music schools: Our students are encouraged to develop entrepreneurial skills to explore the vast opportunities inherent in a changing marketplace and develop plans to implement career-enhancing ventures across the artistic spectrum.
The most recent national data from AUTM (the leading global organization for recording data on university commercialization) showed that CU Boulder’s startup production was fifth among all U.S. universities—a strong indicator that the university is nationally recognized.
What is the student experience like?
From Erika Gossett, who earned a BM in flute performance (’23)—as well as a BA in media studies, a minor in business and a Music Entrepreneurship Certificate—thus exemplifying the College of Music’s universal musician vision:
The Music Entrepreneurship Certificate really helped to help me to think more analytically and in a different way than I'm used to. I feel like a lot of musicians are really focused on the creative side of things, and pursuing a business minor and the entrepreneurship certificate definitely helped me to think entrepreneurially, find my footing and discover a new career path. The most valuable thing I learned is how to work with a team.