ONKORE

Students in Professor Oswaldo Rossi's Music Business course won't be in a classroom on April 11.

Instead, they will be at Flavour Night Club in Coconut Grove hosting the release party for All Rights Reserved, an original CD produced entirely by the class.

"This premiere will indeed be a stepping stone for many students eager to branch out into the music business," said junior Sade Alexander, general manager of the CD.

The free party starts at 9 p.m., will last until midnight or later and is open to the public 18 and older.


The CD is composed of songs from various local artists, students in the class and friends of students. Live performances from bands featured on the CD include FLI Crew, Art Official, Jacob Jeffries Band and Onkore.

Onkore, a solo artist, vice president for the class project and master engineer of the CD, worked on constructing the sound levels, putting the tracks in order and formatting the songs to make the overall sound of the CD coherent.

Onkore looks forward to performing and the extra exposure the event will give him.

"This semester the students worked really hard, and I expect the turnout to be really good this year. I'm hoping to make some new connections, gain some more fans, meet people and take my music to the next level," Onkore said.


Okore's classmates Jahida Jorganes, Pablo Capote and Marcelo Ferreira may also perform between the featured bands.

Rossi believes the connections and experience gained from this event will be invaluable to both the students interested in the business and the bands trying to promote themselves in the industry.

"The idea of having a live performance is to draw a bigger crowd for the bands. Plus, it allows a way to showcase the music that's involved and embodied in the album," Rossi said.

Anticipated guests include Manolo Diaz, head of EMI Music Latin America; and Jorge Mejia, vice president Sony/ATV Music Publishing Latin America.

Some of the companies sponsoring the release party are Epiphone, Gibson and Rock the Vote.

Many students in the class are eager to mingle with prominent figures in the music business and anyone else who could be a potential connection.

"This business is all about who you know and what you can do for someone, and visa versa," Alexander said.

Rossi himself may be a connection for students interested in the music business.

When he's not teaching his Music Business class at night, Rossi serves as director of legal affairs for EMI Televisa Music, a major recording company.

"He knows his stuff inside and out and never hesitates to speak his mind," Alexander said.

While the party promises to be a great time for students, Rossi is preparing for the event to be a bittersweet one for himself.

"For me, this is going to be the last hurrah, since all the music adjunct professors are being let go due to the budget cut," Rossi said.
- The Beacon