UM to host its inaugural Global Business Forum, "Harnessing the Power of the Connected World"

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TOP MUSIC BUSINESS AND MUSIC TECHNOLOGY EXECUTIVES TO PARTICIPATE IN THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI GLOBAL BUSINESS FORUM

Prominent Executives to Discuss Impact of the Connected World on the Music Industry

CORAL GABLES, Fla., January 14, 2009 -- The University of Miami will host its inaugural Global Business Forum, "Harnessing the Power of the Connected World," on January 15 and 16, 2009. The Global Business Forum, organized by the University of Miami School of Business Administration, will feature expert commentary from a wide range of industries from Finance to Health Care to Music. Expected to draw hundreds of attendees, the conference will focus on the challenges and opportunities offered by an increasingly interconnected world. The University of Miami Frost School of Music will host two panel sessions offered as part of the overall Global Business Forum. These sessions, which will also feature top executives from the music business and technology fields, will explore how increased connectivity impacts the music business and music technology areas.

"The Frost School established the first programs in Music Business and Entertainment Industries and Music Engineering as models for the nation," said Shelton G. Berg, dean of the Frost School of Music. "We were among the first to establish a record company, and the first to sign a major administration deal for a student-run music publishing company. As we continue to lead in incubating ideas for music and music technology, we have assembled a peerless group of panelists to discuss future trends. The Frost School sessions for the Global Business Forum promise to be important and engaging discussions." Dean Shelton G. Berg will facilitate the two music-related panel sessions.

The first panel discussion, "Harnessing Intellectual Property in a Connected World", will be co-moderated by Serona Elton, Assistant Professor of Music Business and Entertainment Industries at the Frost School of Music on Thursday, January 15 at 1:45 PM. The panel will feature John Kennedy, CEO of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), Eric Baptiste, Secretary-General of the Confederation Internationale des Societes d'Auteurs et Compositeurs (CISAC), and John Echevarria, Executive Vice-president of Operations for Latin America of Universal Music Group International. This panel, representing most of the stakeholder constituencies interested in music as intellectual property, will examine the challenges faced today in the global world and discuss the solutions of today and the potential solutions of tomorrow.

The second panel discussion, "Commercializing Music Technology in a Connected World", will be co-moderated by Corey I. Cheng, Director of the Music Engineering Technology Program at the Frost School of Music on Thursday, January 15 at 3:45 PM. The panel will include Bob Kohn, Chairman and CEO of RoyaltyShare Inc., Schuyler Quackenbush, Chair of MPEG Audio Subgroup and President of Audio Research Labs, and Rob Fuhlbrugge, Sr. Director, Advanced Development and Technology Sourcing for Shure Incorporated. The panelists will discuss how technology has changed radically in the past few decades, gaining limitless global reach through highly efficient methods for cataloging and distributing music. Panelists will also be asked to discuss what other music technologies lurk just around the corner, and what might be next “big thing” in music technology.

More About the Global Business Forum

The scheduled keynote speakers include Michael L. Ducker, president, International of FedEx Express, Muhtar Kent, president and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, Frances Aldrich Sevilla-Sacasa, president of U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management, Arun Sarin, former CEO, Vodafone Group, Donna E. Shalala, president of the University of Miami and former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Jim Skinner, vice chairman and CEO of McDonald's Corporation, and Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric Company.

The title sponsor for the Forum is Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida Inc. Other sponsors include Bank of America, U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management, Total Bank, Blackline Systems, FedEx Express, the University of Miami Citizens Board, The Jeffrey Group, The Miami Herald, Poder magazine, and WorldCity Business magazine.

The early registration fees, available through Dec. 10, are $500 for members of the University of Miami (UM) community (alumni, faculty, staff and students) and $750 for non-members. After Dec. 10, the UM fee is $750 and the non-UM fee is $1,000. More information and online registration is available at www.bus.miami.edu/gbf.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Members of the media wishing to cover the Global Business Forum may apply for credentials at www.bus.miami.edu/gbfmedia.

About the University of Miami Frost School of Music

Building on its foundation as a Conservatory of Music, the Frost School has pioneered new curricula and was the first in the nation to offer professionally accredited bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Music Business and Music Engineering Technology. The Frost School was also among the first to offer degrees in Studio Music and Jazz, Music Therapy, and Accompanying and Chamber Music. In addition, the Frost School was the first in a major university to develop a student-run label, ‘Cane Records, and a publishing company, Category Five. The School’s innovative programs, combined with its traditional areas of concentration, offer its students one of the widest choices of career programs of any music school in the nation. More information about the University of Miami Frost School of Music can be found at www.music.miami.edu.

The University of Miami is the largest private research institution in the southeastern United States. The University's mission is to provide quality education, attract and retain outstanding students, support the faculty and their research, and build an endowment for University initiatives. www.miami.edu

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Contact: Ross DeBardelaben, rad@miami.edu, +1-305-284-1149, of the University of Miami Frost School of Music, or Elizabeth Amore, eamore@miami.edu, +1-305-284-5500, of the University of Miami Media Relations