Hannah Goldberg Presenting at 13th International Music Business Research Days

Hannah Goldberg, of Romulus, NY, will present her research on live music festivals to an international audience of students and professors during the 13th International Music Business Research Days (IMBRA) in Vienna, Austria, from Oct. 18-20.

Hannah, a member of the Class of 2023, is a SUNY Oneonta Music Industry major with a minor in Audio Arts Production. She will be virtually presenting at the conference and is one of four students selected from universities around the world to showcase their research during the Young Scholars' Workshop section of the 13th IMBRA. The three-day event will feature multiple presentations on "parallel worlds in the music industry." The conference begins with the Young Scholars' Workshop on Oct. 18, where Hannah will present her music industry festival research to students, professors and future colleagues attending the 13th IMBRA.

The Young Scholars' Workshop provides the four students with a mentor who will give feedback after their presentation. Hannah has 30 minutes to present her research, followed by a 10-minute mentoring session, concluding with a Q&A session with the audience. "My topic of research is music industry festivals," said Hannah. "The live music scene encompassing factors including COVID-19, the impact it had on the live scene, and coming back from that."

During her sophomore year at SUNY Oneonta, Hannah began her research when she became involved with the Well Dunn Foundation. The national foundation helps students in music industry programs pursue internships that often include live music experiences. "A lot of the opportunities that come about through this foundation are live music," said Hannah, "So Professor Nancy Tarr told me I should get involved and submit an application. I did and interned at the Bonnaroo music festival in Tennessee."

Shortly after Hannah arrived in Tennessee and helped set up for the music festival, Bonnaroo 2021 was canceled due to Tropical Depression Ida. Fortunately, the event's cancellation is "what started the independent study idea," said Hannah. "Professor Tarr said, 'Why don't we interview the people you met there and review some other industry professionals, get a sense of the live scene and how everything runs, the organization and all of that.' After that, she suggested I submit my research to continue the study."

Hannah's presentation also includes research on the financial impact of COVID-19 on musicians. "Coming back from that kind of changes our approach to live music," she said. "How the trends in the industry are going now, coming back from being virtual, musicians having to make money in other ways, and how that is kind of sticking with us. So, opening the conversation about different avenues of income, how musicians are affected, how we can all work together to continue this career path, the things that are going toward live music, and people going back to live music but still having hesitation with COVID-19."

Additionally, Hannah will present her research on gender equality in the music industry. "When it comes to audio, especially being an engineer, the percentage of women represented in that field is small," said Hannah. "It's important to encourage and emphasize that, especially through education. SUNY Oneonta has been great for me because I have met many women who are empowering and encouraging me to break the mold."