Sunday Arrival Through Friday Departure
Your Week Inside the Music Industry
A general overview of what a week at Future Hitmakers Academy looks like — from your first night in to your final curtain call.
Please note: The schedule below is a representative sample and is subject to change. Music industry professionals graciously give their time to our students, but their first priority is always their clients and artists. Session topics, formats, speakers, venues, and activities may be adjusted, substituted, or rescheduled without notice to accommodate the schedules of our industry guests and any unforeseen circumstances. Enrolled students will receive a confirmed, detailed schedule closer to the program start date through their student portal.
Day 0
Sunday
Arrival & Welcome
Day 1
Monday
Label Immersion
Day 2
Tuesday
Live Events Day
Day 3
Wednesday
Artist Management
Day 4
Thursday
Publishing & Radio
Day 5
Friday
Showcase & Send-Off
Sunday — Arrival Day
Welcome to Future Hitmakers Academy
Afternoon — Arrival & Check-In
From 4:00 PM
Student Check-In Opens
Arrive, get settled into your room, meet your roommate, and take a breath — the week is just getting started. Staff will be on hand to welcome you and get you oriented.
Evening
Welcome Dinner
Your first meal together as a group. A chance to start connecting with your fellow students and get comfortable before the week kicks into gear.
Monday — Day 1
Understanding How the Music Industry Actually Works
Label Immersion
Morning — Record Label Visit
8:00 – 9:00 AM
Breakfast & Team Kickoff
Start the day together. Team-based breakfast with your assigned instructor before heading out for the week's first major experience.
Mid-Morning
Record Label Visit & Tour
Step inside a working record label. Get a behind-the-scenes look at how the departments operate — from A&R and marketing to distribution and digital — and hear from label leadership about what it takes to run an artist's career from the inside.
Mid-Morning
Department Walkthrough
A guided tour of label departments — see where the work actually happens and the people who do it every day.
Afternoon — Industry Roles & Group Project
Midday
Lunch + Morning Recap Challenge
Fuel up and lock in what you learned this morning. Team-based recap activity — the leaderboard starts here.
Afternoon
Industry Roles Panel
A panel conversation with working professionals covering a range of music industry career paths — from business and management to creative and production. Real people, real careers, real answers.
Late Afternoon
Group Project Work Time
Apply what you've learned so far to your team's ongoing group project. Every day builds on the last — this is where it starts coming together.
Evening — Live Music Experience
Cap off Day 1 with a live music show at an iconic venue. Dinner included. A night out to experience what you've been learning about — from the audience side.
Tuesday — Day 2
How Live Music Actually Happens
Touring & Live Events
Morning — The Touring Ecosystem
7:30 AM
Breakfast & Day 1 Recap Quiz
Early start today. Quick team recap challenge from Monday before we dive into the business of live music.
Morning
Touring Ecosystem Panel
How does a tour actually get built from scratch? Hear from the professionals who make it happen — booking agents, promoters, and venue representatives walk you through how a show goes from an idea to a sold-out night.
Mid-Morning
Logistics & Infrastructure Panel
The trucks, the buses, the gear — none of it moves without the logistics teams who run the road. Learn how touring companies, transportation providers, and equipment suppliers keep the whole machine moving.
Late Morning
Group Project: Tour Build — Strategy Phase
Your team begins building a tour from the ground up. Routes, venues, strategy — you're the promoters now. This project will be reviewed at the end of the week like a real industry pitch.
Afternoon — Behind the Tour
Midday
Lunch + Afternoon Speakers Join
A working lunch — afternoon panelists join the group as the day continues.
Early Afternoon
Behind the Tour — Operations Panel
Once the tour is booked, the real work begins. Tour managers, production managers, sound and video engineers, and stage designers explain how every single show gets built, loaded in, run, and torn down — night after night.
Mid-Afternoon
Tour Merchandise Panel
Merch is more than t-shirts — it's a revenue stream, a branding tool, and a fan touchpoint. Learn how touring merchandise is designed, manufactured, priced, sold, and tracked on the road.
Late Afternoon
Group Project: Tour Build — Finalize
Apply today's learning. Lock in the operational details of your team's tour plan before the evening.
Evening — Iconic Venue Concert Experience
Dinner followed by a show at one of the most legendary live music venues in the country. Tonight you're not just an audience member — you're a student who now understands exactly how this night came together.
Thursday — Day 3
Building & Managing an Artist's Career
Artist Management
Morning — Business, Legal & Publicity
7:30 AM
Breakfast + Tuesday Recap Challenge
Breakfast burritos and a team quiz to warm up. The leaderboard is tightening — every point counts heading into the final day.
Morning
Business & Legal Panel
Contracts. Royalty splits. Deal structures. How does money actually flow in the music industry and who protects the artist? Business managers and entertainment attorneys break down the financial and legal side of building a career in music — the stuff most people learn the hard way.
Late Morning
Publicity & Media Panel
Before the world knows an artist's name, a publicist has been working behind the scenes. Learn how music publicists build and protect an artist's public image, pitch stories to media, and shape the narrative around a career.
Afternoon — Management, Marketing & Project Finalization
Midday
Lunch + Afternoon Speakers Join
Working lunch as the afternoon's guests arrive. The conversation doesn't stop.
Early Afternoon
Artist Management Panel
The artist manager is the person who sees the whole picture. Hear from working managers and marketing leads about how they develop artists, navigate the industry on their behalf, and make career decisions that last a lifetime.
Mid-Afternoon
Marketing, Social Media & Digital Strategy Panel
Today's music industry runs on digital. Social media managers, digital marketing professionals, and influencer strategists explain how artists build audiences, grow brands, and convert followers into fans — and fans into revenue.
Late Afternoon
Final Project Work Block
Last chance to finalize your team's week-long project before tomorrow's presentations. Apply everything — all four days of learning come together right here.
Evening — Grand Ole Opry
Dinner followed by an evening at one of the most iconic stages in the history of American music. The Grand Ole Opry has launched more careers than we can count. Tonight, you're in the room.
Wednesday — Day 4
The Business of Songs — Publishing, Royalties & Radio
Publishing & Radio
Morning — Performing Rights & Publishing
8:00 AM
Breakfast + Tuesday Recap Quiz
Team challenge to start the morning — points on the line for the weekly leaderboard.
Morning
Performing Rights Organization (PRO) Panel
Ever wonder how a songwriter gets paid when their song plays on the radio, at a restaurant, or on a streaming playlist? Representatives from performing rights organizations break down how music royalties work — writer share, publisher share, performance royalties, and streaming basics.
Late Morning
Music Publishing Panel
Music publishers are the champions of songwriters. Hear from publishers, creative directors, and song pluggers about what publishers actually do, what they look for in writers, how co-writing works, and how songs get pitched and placed.
Afternoon — Radio, Streaming & Songwriters in the Round
Midday
Lunch + Group Project Work
Apply the morning's content to your team project. How does today's knowledge change your perspective on the music you've been building around all week?
Early Afternoon
Radio & Streaming Panel
How does a song get chosen for radio? What does a music director actually listen for? How has streaming changed everything? Radio program directors, music directors, and streaming platform representatives pull back the curtain on how music gets heard.
Mid-Afternoon
Songwriters in the Round
One of the most intimate experiences of the week. Professional songwriters share their songs and the stories behind them — a glimpse into the creative process from the people who do it for a living. An unforgettable afternoon.
Evening — Legendary Songwriter Showcase Venue
Dinner followed by a show at one of the most storied listening rooms in the music industry — where hit songs were born and careers were launched. Tonight connects everything you learned today.
Friday — Day 5
Showcase, Celebration & Send-Off
Graduation Day
Morning — Final Presentations & Awards
7:30 AM
Breakfast & Pack-Up
Light breakfast while finishing packing. Room checks by staff before checkout. Bags staged for departure.
9:00 – 11:15 AM
Final Team Presentations
This is what the whole week has been building toward. Each team presents their group project to the room — reviewed and evaluated like a real industry pitch. Every voice matters. Every idea counts. Show what you've got.
11:30 AM
Awards & Recognition Ceremony
The winning team is crowned. Student of the Week is recognized. Special awards for leadership, creativity, and standout contributions throughout the week. A moment to celebrate everyone who showed up and gave it everything.
12:00 PM
Certificate of Completion Ceremony
Every student is called by name, recognized in front of the group, and presented their Future Hitmakers Academy Certificate of Completion. Photos encouraged. You earned this.
Afternoon — Farewell Lunch & Dismissal
12:20 PM
Farewell Lunch & Parent Arrival Window
A final meal together as a group. Parents and guardians may begin arriving during this window. Time for last photos, exchanged numbers, and goodbyes that feel more like see-you-laters.
1:00 PM
Official Dismissal
The week is a wrap. You came in as a student. You leave as a Future Hitmaker. Go make something happen.
Every Day of the Week
What to Expect Throughout the Program
Industry Panels Daily
Every day features multiple panel discussions with working music industry professionals covering different career paths, departments, and disciplines.
Team Projects
You'll be assigned to a team at check-in and work together throughout the week on a cumulative group project that each team will present on Friday, just like a real industry pitch.
Daily Recap Challenges
Each morning kicks off with a team-based recap quiz from the day before. Points accumulate on a weekly leaderboard toward the Friday awards.
Nightly Live Experiences
Monday through Thursday, evenings feature dinner and a live music experience at an iconic venue — putting everything you learned that day into real-world context.
All Meals Included
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks are included every day. You'll never have to think about food — just focus on learning.
Confirmed Schedule Coming
Enrolled students receive a detailed schedule with specific venues, guests, and times once enrolled so that students can pack accordingly. A finalized schedule will be provided upon check-in.
Ready to Experience It Yourself?
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