Hilary Shaev spent her life wanting to be around music. But when she arrived at Duke as a freshman in 1985, she had no idea that she would actually do so professionally.
Shaev, Trinity '89, is living her dream as executive vice president of promotions for Virgin Records. A former WXDU disc jockey, she's currently responsible for getting artists like Korn and Janet Jackson played on radio stations across the country.
"When I entered Duke, I didn't think it would be possible to get this kind of dream job," she said. Shaev now stands as the example par excellence of a Duke graduate who has made it big in the music industry.
When one thinks of the University's academic fields of excellence, the list might include biochemical engineering, public policy or political science, but not the music business. Especially not the music business.
And yet around the country, alumni are working throughout the music industry, proving that success after Duke doesn't have to come in law, medicine or consulting. But not everyone has had the fairy tale rise to success that Shaev has had.
For her, it was the chance glance at a magazine article that really set her down the path.
"As a sophomore I read about college reps projects through the music industry in Rolling Stone," said Shaev. "I thought to be able to market artists and be a full-time student was really a dream job. I found out through my connections that CBS [now Sony Records] had an opening, and I got it."
Although alumni such as Shaev are firmly established in their positions, more recent graduates are still struggling to find their place in the music industry.
"I cobble together income from several different sources," said Jamie Garamella, Trinity '99. "Right now I play in a couple of bands, teach lessons and do some sound engineering, recording, producing and writing jingles for the radio."
Garamella decided to plunge into the music business after trying his hand at several other career paths.
"When I graduated, I got a job with a dot-com and worked all day in a cubicle and on the side, spent the rest of my energy on music," he said. "Since I spent all of my energy on music, I thought, why don't I just do it?"
As his experience shows, deciding to enter the industry doesn't necessarily mean securing a job that can sustain a living. For that matter, it doesn't mean securing a job at all.
"There's no annual turnaround here like in other fields," said Ethan Schiffres, Trinity '05, who works for Everfine Records and Red Light Management in New York City. "Unlike Goldman Sachs, they won't always take a group of seniors every year. People who tend to get jobs have connections through reputation and establishment in the field."
Devin McGaughey, Trinity '03, who is both an artist and co-founder of independent record label Holster Records, voiced similar concerns. He said the chances of getting any job were tenuous at best.
"The music industry is based on character," he said. "There are bad people and speculation is all over the industry, so anything that gives you a heads-up for that would be good preparation. We knew nothing before graduation and found you can get screwed a lot if you're not careful."
McGaughey added that Duke grads face a further challenge to entering the music business because the University does not have a curriculum that prepares them for the field.
"Nothing from Duke really helps me in my work today-maybe some basic econ concepts that I find interesting to apply now, like supply and demand," Schiffres said. "You can't really teach [the music business] in college unless there's a specific major for it."
Yet other alumni said that the liberal arts education is preparation enough for at least some parts of the business.
"The classes that really influenced me were the Hollywood film music class, because it combined music and film, and a couple of classes with [associate professor of English and literature] Susan Willis," said Dave Karger (Trinity '95), a senior writer for Entertainment Weekly. "They taught me to look at pop culture and media with a critical eye."
Karger, who visits yearly to speak to Duke's magazine journalism class, added that the University has improved tremendously in helping students who want to enter the entertainment industry.
"It's gotten better, since I was there, in fostering the arts on campus and being more well-rounded," Karger said. "For example, there was no journalism class at my point."
Despite Duke's lack of coursework specifically targeting the music business, alumni continue to flourish in the field.
Take McGaughey, for example. With fellow alum Sean Gaiser, Trinity '02, he plays in the band Kenin. The group has generated a sizable following throughout the Washington, D.C. area and is currently recording its third album.
McGaughey is also a self-described multi-tasker. With Justin Fishkin, Trinity '01, he co-founded Holster Records, which released Kenin's most recent album, Just Another Blast, in March 2005.
"We're ADD-scatterbrain industry people," McGaughey offered by way of explanation.
Whether established or still struggling, the alumni are all connected in their passion for music. Shaev credits this passion as the main influence in choosing her career.
"Music is a magnet and you will find a way to be drawn to it if you love it," said Shaev.
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