On Feb. 29, one of the first events conducted through the collaboration of NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music and Atlantic Records was a listening session hosted by Atlantic’s Senior Vice President of Artists & Repertoire Gina Tucci. Clive Davis students were selected at random to showcase their songs to their peers, as well as to receive feedback from Atlantic executives including Tucci and other Artists & Repertoire representatives, who typically seek out promising artists on behalf of labels.
Clive Davis announced an upcoming collaboration with Atlantic Records on Feb. 12, beginning a semester-long affiliation that offers students opportunities with executive figures and resources from within the label. Events within the program provide student artists with opportunities to connect with executives within the record label, allowing for an exchange of feedback and professional experience.
Atlantic Records houses artists such as Ed Sheeran, Kehlani, Cardi B and Wallows. In an announcement last month, Clive Davis introduced a series of eight events between its Brooklyn campus and the record label’s offices in Manhattan, providing students with tangible industry experience, helping them prepare for future recorded music careers.
Ava Henry, a senior at Clive Davis who attended an earlier listening session with Atlantic, expressed the value that feedback from such representatives can hold for NYU artists working to refine their craft. She also noted the chance to gain experience in pitching one’s brand to label representatives, as well as to forge relationships within an increasingly exclusive music industry. It allows students to have face-to-face relationships with constructive critics.
“Creatives are very protective of their stuff, including myself,” Henry said. “But it is helpful to be objective in that way, because you at least know how people are seeing you from that level.”
The events, which consist of a series of listening events and field trips to Atlantic’s various departments, were publicized online and through email correspondence. Some of the events are open to all members of the institute, while select opportunities — such as paid internships — are available by application or seniority.
Senaida Ng, a senior at Clive Davis studying Recorded Music, Music Production & Technology with a minor in Interactive Media Arts, attended the listening session and was selected to play their music during the event. They noted that much of the program hinges on the idea of collaboration itself — not just between Clive Davis and Atlantic, but also between artists.
“One of the things [Atlantic] said the most was that, obviously, we all try and do everything ourselves — we mix and master our own tracks,” Ng said. “But then they say to find other people to collaborate with and make your process even faster.”
The collaboration draws attention to Clive Davis’ programs as a whole, enticing prospective students with the possibility of working with other industry keystones in the future. Kaeya, a high school student from New Jersey who attended a program through Clive Davis in spring 2023, aims to apply to the institute for the fall 2024 semester. While the collaboration with Atlantic lasts solely for the current spring semester, she emphasized how it positively influenced her decision to apply to the institute nonetheless.
“It shows how there are worthy connections and opportunities that I can explore professionally and educationally,” Kaeya said. “It’s really exciting. If I’m going to go to a college that offers these opportunities, that’d be really helpful.”
Upcoming events include Songwriting Feedback Sessions, a discussion hosted by Tucci on electronic music and dance on April 19 and a lecture by Ganbarg on March 8.
Contact Eleanor Jacobs at [email protected].
