Nissan Wasfie, a music business professor at Columbia College in Chicago, discusses the unique ways in which art and commerce converge in the entertainment industry. Wasfie covers topics as wide-ranging as choosing a manager, the advent of the iPod, and the importance of having a business plan, and explores the economic impact of each of these subjects.

Music business professor Nissan Wasfie stresses the importance of planning to the success of any business venture. Citing a Harvard study on the link between planning and success, Wasfie argues that having financial and creative goals can help entrepreneurs and artists achieve their vision.

Music business professor Nissan Wasfie offers some tips on what to look for when hiring a manager, as well as discussing the pros and cons of managing one’s own career.

Music business professor Nissan Wasfie explains why you can’t compete with the demand for free music, and suggests some alternatives that could help breathe new life into an industry struggling to reinvent itself.

Music business professor Nissan Wasfie makes predictions about the future of record labels, and speculates about what kinds of investors will succeed in the next phase of the music industry.

Music business professor Nissan Wasfie explains why it makes economic sense to release all entertainment media simultaneously through all available channels rather than staggering availability (for example, releasing a film in theatres and on DVD on the same day, rather than months apart).

Music business professor Nissan Wasfie shares the advice he gives his students about pursuing a career in music and succeeding in life in general.

Music Business Professor Nissan Wasfie discusses how he got started in his career.

Music business professor Nissan Wasfie outlines what he tells his students are the most important attributes to consider in a manager.

Music business professor and art consultant Nissan Wasfie stresses the importance of ethics in the arts industry, and how he advises his students to balance an awareness of artistic integrity with having a successful business.

Music business professor Nissan Wasfie defines economics and explains how economic principles apply to the music business.

Music business professor Nissan Wasfie gives an account of the iPod’s impact on the music industry, from the early days of file sharing to Steve Jobs’ economic motivations in legalizing music downloads.

Music business professor Nissan Wasfie discusses the unique challenges of marketing music as opposed to marketing other kinds of products. Citing examples, Wasfie illustrates the guesswork that is often involved in connecting an artist with the right audience and the surprises that often crop up along the way.

Music business professor Nissan Wasfie offers some unconventional advice on how to best market music, arguing that consumers’ price sensitivity requires music marketers to view their product as a means to an end rather than a commodity in and of itself.