Georgia State University recently appointed Atlanta music entrepreneur and professional, Richard Dunn, to instruct its new Touring & Concert Management course, which is being offered for the institution’s Spring semester at its School of Music. The inaugural course will last for 16 weeks.
Dunn currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for The Atlanta Voice, one of Atlanta’s oldest Black-owned newspapers founded in 1966 by his grandfather J. Lowell Ware.
“It’s truly an honor to be able to use my decades of experience in the music industry to educate the next generation,” Dunn said. “It’s an even bigger blessing that I get to do it at Georgia State University, which is one of the biggest colleges in the state of Georgia located right in the heart of my hometown Atlanta. I never thought that my passion for music and the things that I did professionally in the music industry would allow me this opportunity.”
Offered to undergraduates, the course will consist of teaching students about the relevant financial and business decisions when planning and operating a tour, booking live gigs, event and venue management, and interacting with booking agencies and artist managers.
An Atlanta native, Dunn’s impact in the music industry spans over 20 years. He is mostly known for the Muddy Water Group, a company he started in 2007 that specialized in artist bookings, grassroots promotion, project management, digital marketing, artist management, and general entertainment consulting.
Prior to the Muddy Water Group, he co-founded Groovement Inc., an artist management and event production company that focused on the soul scene. The company helped launch the career of Indie Arie.
He later partnered with Michael McQuary (co-founder of Mindspring) to start Brash Music in 2004. Brash Music served as an indie label that included the likes of ColdPlay, PJ Morton, Aaron Shust, and Anthony David.
“I am thrilled to have Richard Dunn join our music industry faculty here at GSU,” said Al Thrash, a program coordinator and Professor of Practice in Music Management for the School of Music at Georgia State University. “Our students will benefit greatly from his wealth of knowledge and experience in the touring and live music production space. Richard has played a major role in the success of countless artists, and he embodies both the business and creative culture of Atlanta that continues to influence the rest of the world.”
Dunn’s accomplishments in entertainment continue as he most recently served as Film/TV & Brand Sync A&R for United Masters.
He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Pinky Cole Foundation, ATL Collective and ReimangineATLl. He also is the Head of Cultural Development at RYSE Creative Village.