Building It Up
Blueberry Hill, the legendary music club, is two minutes from Jude Fucetola's childhood home in St. Louis. He grew up keenly aware of rock 'n' roll progenitor Chuck Berry's epic residency there and its place in history. And he arrived already knowing a bit about how to build an audience.
At UCLA, he continued building from there.
In his first year, he started Garden Party, the band he's played with for four years, which has performed at Shabang Music Festival in San Luis Obispo, and at shows across L.A. He's made the most out of his time at The Herb Alpert School of Music, for himself and others. He produces R&B and hip-hop for artists on and off campus and launched an artist development and live entertainment organization his first year, focused on rising UCLA acts. The high-water mark of that effort was a group show at the Mint in L.A. in February.
An A&R internship at Pulse Music Group and a stretch at Live Nation pointed him toward marketing and management as the space he wants to grow in. The Music Industry program's philosophy, he said, is that 75% of what you learn comes from outside the classroom. His four years are proof.
His capstone project is called Scratch Take, a full business plan and investor pitch deck for a hip-hop and R&B concert venue in New York City. He envisioned a space committed to bringing new talent to the forefront of the city's music scene and serving as a cultural hub for creativity and artistry.
"My dream scenario would be working in marketing or talent development for a while, at a record label or a live entertainment company, until I have the money to invest in or start my own music venue and run it," he said.
