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Artivate: A Journal of Entrepreneurship in the Arts                                                                                                                         Volume 8, Issue 1 
http://artivate.org                                                                                                                                                                                              pp. 67-68 
 
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Copyright © 2019,  Karen Munnelly  
 

BOOK REVIEW  
The 21CM Introduction to Music by Mark Rabideau 
Reviewed by Karen Munnelly, Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin 

 
 

Abstract 
Created for students and instructors alike, Mark Rabideau’s The 21CM Introduction to 

Music Entrepreneurship provides a cohesive curriculum for a semester-long course in arts 
entrepreneurship.  
 

In 21CM Introduction to Music Entrepreneurship, Mark Rabideau navigates both 
instructor and student through various facets of entrepreneurship. What sets this book apart from 
many other texts on arts entrepreneurship is that Rabideau is not trying to convince anyone that 
music entrepreneurship is necessary due to a dwindling job market, but instead focuses on the 
excitement of endless possibilities available to musicians. 21CM Introduction to Music 
Entrepreneurship is about thriving and limitless opportunities as opposed to the need to be 
entrepreneurial.  
 

21CM Introduction to Music Entrepreneurship is more than a textbook. It is an entire 
course. Rabideau has designed this digital textbook to be a hybrid/flipped classroom, which is 
taught both by the authors and the instructor. The interface of the digital textbook is set up very 
similar to an online course in Canvas or Blackboard but allows for greater interaction with the 
content. It includes a course syllabus, weekly chapters with embedded audio and videos, 
PowerPoints, course assignments, discussion prompts, activities, case studies, lesson plans and a 
toolkit of how-to videos with instructions. The syllabus, which can be edited by the instructor 
contains course objectives, a course calendar, and grading criteria. Discussion prompts are 
embedded in the chapter and students can click on the prompt and respond right there in the 
textbook. Students receive seven months of access to the text and instructors receive 12 months 
access. While the purchase doesn’t provide indefinite access to the digital textbook, much of the 
content including chapters, PowerPoints and lesson plans can be downloaded and saved.  
 

Rabideau opens with an emphasis on creativity, something that most would agree is an 
essential trait of being a musician. As Rabideau points out, it is also an essential trait of being an 
entrepreneur. His definition of entrepreneurship has nothing to do with financial gain, but instead 
focuses on problem-solving with “one’s skills, knowledge, passions, and 
resources.” This is illustrated beautifully throughout the book with examples of unique music 
entrepreneurs including interviews and articles by Melissa Snoza of Fifth House Ensemble, 
Stanford Thompson, founder and executive director for the El Sistema–inspired program Play On, 
Philly! and Peter Seymour of PROJECT Trio among others. 
 

Rabideau provides essentially everything needed to teach a music entrepreneurship class. 
The lesson plans are thoughtful and detailed containing student outcomes, homework assignments, 
supply lists, teacher notes, links to videos, activities, and discussion prompts. The digital Toolkit 
contains over 30 how-to videos with printable instructions and samples. Students are walked 
through a range of topics including goal setting, budgeting, evaluation, press releases, websites, 
and fundraising. While the focus of this book is on music entrepreneurship, one could easily use it 
in a course with a variety of arts disciplines after adding examples of entrepreneurship in arts 
disciplines outside of music.  



Munnelly                                                                                                               Book Review: The 21CM Introduction to Music Entrepreneurship 
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Artivate 8 (1) 
 

68 

 
Throughout the text, there are sections by guest authors including James Doser, Director 

of the Institute for Music Leadership at the Eastman School of Music, Mark Clague, Director of 
Entrepreneurship and Career Services at the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre 
and Dance, Jeff Nytch, Director of the Entrepreneurship Center for Music at the University of 
Colorado–Boulder and David Cutler, author of The Savvy Musician: Building a Career, Earning 
a Living, and Making a Difference.  
 

The textbook and curriculum prepare the students to produce an entrepreneurial event as 
the culminating project. During weeks 1-6, the content and activities prepare students to create and 
implement a social entrepreneurial event. Students are asked to volunteer in the community and 
reflect upon the experience. Students learn about opportunity recognition and problem-solving by 
conducting a mini case study on an organization that addresses a problem in a creative an impactful 
way. An informational interview assignment provides students with the opportunity to explore 
creativity by interviewing a musician/artist in their life. Students learn about collaboration and 
prototyping through the marshmallow challenge where teams compete to create the tallest tower 
out of spaghetti, marshmallow, masking tape, and twine. Through cultural asset mapping, students 
gain an understanding of what services, populations, and regions are underserved and discover 
potential organizations to partner with.  
 

The class works together to brainstorm the class project/event. Students are asked to 
consider the audience they hope to impact, how they plan to impact the audience, and what the 
desired outcomes are. Students merge ideas and vote for their favorite pieces, which leads to 
combining multiple student proposals into one cohesive project that meets a needs gap or 
opportunity in the community. The class elects an Executive Director, Information Guru and 
committee heads for the Storytelling Committee (marketing), Ideas to Action Committee 
(logistics) and Funding Priceless Ideas Committee. Throughout the remainder of the semester, 
students work together in-class to produce and implement the project. The online textbook includes 
examples of final projects from DePauw University and Ohio State University. 
 

21CM Introduction to Music Entrepreneurship provides a cohesive curriculum for a 
semester-long course. The guided lesson plans make it possible for an instructor without a wealth 
of experience in entrepreneurship to teach a meaningful and relevant course. Rabideau’s 
inspirational and motivational style of writing is engaging and will resonate with many arts 
students. He has a way of encouraging excitement about a new way of thinking for many students. 
The digital textbook is an excellent resource for institutions looking to add a meaningful arts 
entrepreneurship course to their curriculum.  For those, who don’t fall into the instructor or student 
category, Rabideau does have a similar hardcopy book titled, Creating the Revolutionary Artist: 
Entrepreneurship for the 21st-Century Musician, ISBN 978-1538109922.  
 

References 
 

The 21CM Introduction to Music Entrepreneurship, by Mark Rabideau. 21st-Century Musician 
Initiative and Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2017, ISBN 978-1-5381-0671-6 (e-book), 
$60.00.   

 


