Troy University selects Mellon Fellows

A reimagined music industry event at Troy University is aiming to give students more direct, hands-on experience through the Business, Production and Music (BPM) Expo on April 23 and 24. 

The event will bring together students and clinicians for sessions in business, production and performance, with organizers emphasizing practical learning and a more complete picture of how the industry operates. 

Formerly known as MIC Check, BPM Expo is said to reflect a broader vision for Troy’s music industry program. Organizers say the event is meant to give students direct access to industry professionals while showing how music, production and business work together in practice. 

Dr. Chandler Bridges, coordinator of Troy University’s music industry program, said the event is designed to reflect the industry itself rather than a traditional lecture-based format. 

“BPM Expo is built to feel like the industry, not just talk about it,” Bridges said. “In practice, that means students are not sitting in lectures all day.  

“They are working, they are collaborating on songs, recording vocals, sitting in on mixing sessions, asking questions directly to people who do this for a living and then seeing a project go from idea to finished product in real time.” 

Bridges said the move from MIC Check to BPM Expo marks a larger shift in purpose. 

“When we moved from MIC Check to BPM Expo, the biggest change was intent and scale,” Bridges said. “MIC Check was a solid event, but BPM Expo is designed as a full ecosystem.” 

That shift, he said, reflects changes in the music industry itself, where creative, technical and business roles are increasingly interconnected. 

“That intersection between music, production and business is critical right now because the industry no longer supports separation between those roles,” Bridges said. “If students only understand one lane, they struggle.  

“If they understand how those lanes connect, they become much more effective and much more employable.” 

Echo Mann, a graduate assistant in the music industry program, said BPM Expo is aimed largely at recruiting prospective students while also serving current Troy students interested in the field.  

“This is a mostly recruiting event for high school students that are thinking about coming to Troy and joining the music industry program,” Mann said. “However, this is an opportunity for all music students to come and learn different music industry business techniques and to learn from professionals.”  

Mann said the event’s breakout sessions, or tracks, will best represent the range of experiences the program offers, giving students opportunities to learn directly from guest clinicians and engage with multiple sides of the industry.  

The event also will feature Troy’s chapter of the Audio Engineering Society (AES). Steve Hubert, a senior communication major from Chelsea, Alabama, and president of the chapter, said AES will use the event to connect with students interested in audio engineering. 

“As president of AES, my sole focus for us during the event is recruitment,” Hubert said. “I want to find those students who are interested in learning about audio engineering and give them an opportunity to connect with us and really get the group up and running.” 

Hubert said many students do not realize how broad the audio field really is. 

“The average music consumer doesn’t realize how many hands touch a recording before it hits streaming platforms, and often students don’t realize how many career paths there are available,” Hubert said. “A lot of people assume it’s just ‘being a producer’ or ‘running a soundboard,’ when in reality there are dozens of specialized roles that all contribute to what we hear.” 

Bridges said the larger goal of BPM Expo is to give students a clearer sense of where they fit in the industry and how to move forward. 

“The main takeaway we want is clarity,” Bridges said. “We want them to leave understanding how the industry functions, where they fit into it, and what steps they need to take next.  

“That clarity builds confidence, and that is what helps them move forward.”