The Announcement:
Audible Treats is excited to work with TikTok, the worldâs leading platform for music discovery
TikTok and After-School All-Stars (ASAS) are pleased to announce the launch of the inaugural Songwriting Academy, where All-Stars students will showcase their unique voice and perspective through the creation of original lyrics. Students will meet in a safe and secure virtual environment to explore the creative, technical, and business aspects of the music industry.
The 13 hand-selected students will receive mentorship and coaching from industry experts, including: Timbaland, Melanie Martinez, Jack Harlow, Tainy, JetsonMade, DJ Dahi, Jozzy, Tiagz, Ilsey Juber, Anitta, and Mikey Keenan.
“We set out to build a program to give students from under-represented communities the opportunity to be heard and to connect with like-minded individuals in the creative community,” says Daniel Gillick, Senior Manager of Music Content and Label Partnership, TikTok. “Music brings us together and is a powerful creative outlet that is an integral part of TikTok. We are excited to be working with ASAS, Sony/ATV, and the Bandier Program to inspire the next generation of great songwriters, recording artists, industry executives, or even TikTok stars.”
The Songwriting Academy will kick off with a weekly TikTok livestream starting on June 24th at 3pm PST. Throughout the Songwriting Academy, artists, songwriters, and producers will also go live on TikTok to share their stories and creative processes around some of their biggest songs. To join the livestream: tap the TikTok Summer Songwriting Academy banner in TikTok’s Discover page, or simply go to @afterschoolallstars on TikTok.
âThis partnership with TikTok is about giving our students a voice and platform to stand up for themselves and their communities,â says Carlos Santini, EVP of Programs at After-School All-Stars. âMusic has a rich history in speaking out against injustice and speaking up for the rights and freedoms of all people. Our afterschool programs sit in the very cities that have experienced the inequities brought by COVID-19 and the ongoing racism that has yet again been exposed through police brutality and the death of George Floyd and many others in the Black community. Our collective voice will be heard in a bigger way because of this amazing collaboration!â
The Songwriting Academy will take place over four weeks, with each week being headlined by one of the academy artists interacting with the students as they work through the curriculum. At the end of the academy, a culmination event will take place with an opportunity to have lyrics showcased in a public platform.
Providing the curriculum and faculty for the Songwriting Academy is The Bandier Program, Newhouse School at Syracuse University, ranked one of the top music business programs in the US. Also providing talent from the songwriting and producer community is Sony/ATV.
âIt is the mission of the Bandier program to prepare the next generation of music industry leaders,” says Bill Werde, Director of the Bandier Program for Music Business and the Entertainment Industries, “and it is a personal passion to bring the creativity and opportunity of the music business to students in under-resourced communities. I hope some of the After-School All-Stars students decide to study with me at Syracuse University one day or choose other paths available to them for making it in the music business. I know that these students have the energy and the answers that tomorrowâs music industry needs.â
The Songwriting Academy faculty also includes Schyler OâNeal, a songwriter and music educator based in Long Beach, California. OâNeal also helped to develop the curriculum.
The Songwriting Academy is made up of 13 hand-selected, talented students between the ages of 13-18, as well as 14 program mentors from the following cities: Hawaii, Los Angeles, Miami, New Jersey, New York, North Texas, Orlando, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C.
<< Click here for a complete list of participating student bios. >>
Check out the Rolling Stone feature about the Summer Songwriting Academy:Â https://www.rollingstone.com/pro/news/tiktok-after-school-all-stars-launch-songwriter-academy-1019685/
For more info, please contact:
Michelle McDevitt, Andrea Higgins, Erin Treat, Audible Treats
Leah Linder, TikTok
Andrea Bazan, After-School All-Stars
The Background:
About TikTok:
TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. Their mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy.TikTok has global offices including Los Angeles, New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Mumbai, Singapore, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.
Click here to read TikTok’s statement to its Black community:Â https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/a-message-to-our-black-community
About After-School All-StarsÂ
Founded in 1992 by Arnold Schwarzenegger, After-School All-Stars is a leading national provider of school-based, free, comprehensive after-school programs. The organizationâs mission is to keep children safe and help them succeed in school and in life. Every school day, students in under-resourced communities have access to free programs that allow them to increase academic readiness, explore career opportunities, develop regular health and wellness habits, practice visual and performing arts, and build STEM skills. 90,000+ children from 19 U.S. locations benefit: Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Newark, New York, North Texas, Orlando, Philadelphia & Camden, San Antonio, South Florida, Tampa Bay, Toledo, Washington D.C., Bay Area and Puget Sound.
For more information, visit www.teamallstars.org #TeamAllStars
About Sony/ATV
Sony/ATV Music Publishing recruited participating talent from the songwriting and producer community and helped formulate the topics for the curriculum in partnership with the Bandier Program. Leaders at Sony/ATV supporting this initiative directly include Jon Platt (Chairman & CEO), Jennifer Knoepfle (SVP, Creative), Amanda HIll (SVP, Creative), Ian Holder (VP, Creative) and Dana Baxter (SVP, Corporate Communications dana.baxter@sonyatv.com).
About the Bandier ProgramÂ
The Bandier Program in Recording and Entertainment Industries combines the study of the business of music, media, marketing and entrepreneurship with hands-on experiences to prepare students for successful careers in the music industry. The program has taught top executives at some of the biggest, most important and most innovative companies in music, as well as artists including Drew Taggart of the multi-platinum, global superstars the Chainsmokers, and critics favorite, indie pop star Clairo. Program Director Bill Werde ran Billboard for five years until 2014, and continues to advise music and media companies as well as artists. https://newhouse.syr.edu/academics/degrees/bachelors/bandier-program
Links:
TikTok:Â @TikTok
After-School All-Stars:Â http://www.teamallstars.org/
Bandier Program:Â https://newhouse.syr.edu/academics/degrees/bachelors/bandier-programÂ