Berklee Blogs checks in with Ben Scudder, a Music Business major and current intern at The Echo Nest. In today’s post, Ben tells Berklee Blogs about an exciting project at The Echo Nest revolutionizing music intelligence- and how his classroom experiences have contributed to the project in unexpected ways

There are noteworthy topics being discussed at my internship office lately, focusing greatly on future developments.  As made public a few weeks ago, the Echo Nest recently secured $17.3 million in funding to drive the company’s international expansion, continued sales growth, and new product development.  Led by Norwest Venture Partners, this achievement signifies the rapid growth occurring within the company walls and beyond.  For example, during my first month or so at the internship there were several new hires just about every week.  The company has plans to expand beyond its current core business of music intelligence and hire people to fill non-engineering roles, focusing attention on an expanded sales team.  I have to say that being a part of the team this summer and seeing this level of positive growth first hand has been like a breath of fresh air.

Ever since I began looking into an education in the music business, I was uncertain about the stability of my future.  It seemed like everywhere I looked people were advising against it;  “The recording business is over,” or “You’re going to be poor” were common responses from people I both knew and read about online in regards to this career path.  Coming to Berklee and getting involved in this business truly felt risky because it’s a non-traditional career path.  During my first years here, I didn’t understand the critical role that music technology and applications have in shaping the future of music.  Now, I am experiencing the new music business first hand and seeing new revenue streams being created, new technologies being developed, and seeing the potential that is within so many people come to life and flourish!  It is so reassuring to work with fellow music fans to help shape the future of music interaction.  The Echo Nest is the perfect example of a company that has set a high standard of innovation and excellence, and takes advantage of every technology at its disposal to create a better product and user experience.  The employees are people who inspire me and make me want to work harder, and the success of this company has reassured me that there is a brighter future for this business in the years to come.

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Berklee Blogs hears from Ben Scudder, a Music Business major and current intern at The Echo Nest. In today’s post, Ben highlights the importance of company culture at an internship site- and what it means to an intern settling into a career path.

The Echo Nest culture is one that is very relaxed yet passionate.  I have heard it said inside that “we take our work seriously, not ourselves.”  This truly captures how life is inside those walls each day.  A hard approach that is money-oriented doesn’t seem to be in the minds of those who work at the Echo Nest.  This idea of honest work is further supported when I look on the company website.  For example, under the licensing tab of their website seen here, the process of licensing the use of the platform is discussed as well as basic expectations that the company has for licensees.  It says things like “don’t pretend the data is yours” and “don’t do anything illegal.” 

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Berklee Blogs hears from Ben Scudder, a Music Business major and current intern at The Echo Nest. In his first blog, Ben illustrates the importance of starting early, being organized, and sprinting through the finish line throughout the entire internship search process.

During my internship search, I made a conscious effort to be proactive from the very beginning of the semester in which my search began.  For me, that meant beginning my search in January 2012 for the internship I started in June 2012.  I recommend students first consult the OEL to discuss steps necessary to secure an internship as well as tips that can get them ahead of everyone else.  For example, checking out resources like Intern Sushi or the Berklee internship database early on give people the advantage of having time to apply to many more opportunities.  These databases are ever changing meaning applicants must be actively seeking new listings on a daily basis if they wish to have the best chance of finding a great internship. 

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