Hilary Rosen delivers the Expo's keynote address.
	Photo by Bob Kramer

"The industry as a business is going through an industrial revolution . . . obviously not everyone is interested in going into the music business. But I think the unique perspective I have is sort of providing an overview of the state of the industry and some of the challenges that we are facing and what I think the future is of both music and the business, and I separate those two things rather deliberately."

When asked what she does as president and CEO of RIAA, Rosen says, "My job as CEO is to create a better environment for the promotion and sale of music. That involves everything from working with the technology community and the record company to look at things like technical standards for music on the Internet to the promotion of sales . . . to providing a significant amount of market research about our consumers and our fans to essentially protecting the copyright interests of artists and record companies as we face technological challenges."

Rosen is an advocate for arts education and plans on speaking with music students in colleges, starting here at Berklee. An interest of hers is the topic of online distribution of music. "We [RIAA] will have done our job well if in five years there is a thriving online music community with artists and record companies, and creators and entreprenuers working together to deliver new music to the fans."

Berklee students hold a particular fascination for Rosen because they are creators as well as fans. Rosen is "particularly interested in music students and how they see this raging debate with respect to free music because there is a different level of appreciation for what it takes."

What does Rosen see in the future of music distribution? "I think the future is really fantastic. It is so clear that people want music and see music as an important part of their lives. Our responsibility now is to figure out the most interesting and creative, consumer-friendly way to get people new music and the music they love. The Internet represents new ways of doing that."

Rosen was pleased with Berklee's wide range of music business courses. "Berklee is extraordinary in offering programs/classes on the business of the music industry. More and more schools are seeing this as something they must do to support their students to give them an alternative way to be in the industry and to earn a living without entering the cut-throat competition of actually being a performer."

A version of this article originally appeared in the February 22, 2000 edition of The Groove.

Links of Interest
•	Industrial Mettle Music Career Expo shed light on the challenges and opportunities in the music business.
•	Rooted in the Gospel While awards and nominations pile up, a quickly rising Susan Tedeschi '91 contemplates her past.
•	Berklee News Archive Get caught up on the latest campus happenings.