Tyvon Branch to participate in Business of Music Boot Camp

Originally published on SBReport.net on March 7, 2013

Oakland Raiders safety Tyvon Branch is one of 22 current and former NFL players taking a lesson on breaking into the music industry with the Second Annual Business of Music Boot Camp.

The four-day crash course, which runs from March 18-21, 2013, is collaboration between NFL Player Engagement and the Clive Davis Institute in NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. The course is designed to help the players learn various aspects of the music industry including production, artist development and management, digital music, publishing, marketing and touring. The Clive Davis Institute hopes to allow the players to leave with a "better understanding of establishing a career in the music industry and how to develop business plans from their creative ideas."

Those running the camp believe there are similarities between making it as a professional athlete and as someone in the music industry.

“Succeeding in the recorded music industry requires many of the same attributes found in successful athletes – focus, commitment and passion – so the participants in the Boot Camp are starting out ahead,” said Jeff Rabhan, Chair of the Clive Davis Institute at NYU. “What we provide the players with is expert coaching in a new field, and they leave with a much tighter grasp of how the industry works and how best they can compete in it.”

Faculty members of the four-day course include big names in the music industry including president of VH1, Tom Calderone; founder of Crush Management, Jonathan Daniel; music icon and innovator Darryl "DMC" Mc Daniels of Run-DMC; CEO of Family Tree Entertainment, Michael "Blue" Williams; co-founder of Musicians on Call, Michael Solomon.

The camp is just one of 10 training programs that the NFL Player Engagement offers to help players develop skills for post-NFL careers.