Fresh out of the music industry, Dr. Brittany Schaffer will become the new dean of Curb College. She comes from Spotify, where she was the head of artist and label partnerships in Nashville.
Schaffer will begin working at Belmont May 1. Dr. Sarita Stewart, who has been acting as interim dean of the college, will become senior associate dean.
No stranger to Nashville: she’s worked for Spotify in Nashville for the past five years, and before that was with Loeb & Loeb LLP for seven years as an attorney.
“We are thrilled to see Brittany appointed to this important position,” said Mike Curb, the Curb Records founder and chairman, in a statement released Monday. “Her background in the digital world, particularly with Spotify, will allow our students to learn about the future of the music business.”
Her appointment follows a search which garnered attention nationwide.
With Billboard naming Curb College one of the 2022 top music business schools, the role of the dean is an increasingly important one, especially in determining the growth and future of the school.
“We were looking for somebody that could really take this to the next level,” said Provost David Gregory. Schaffer’s experience as a creative is expected to fuel this vision for growth at Curb College and use her skills she honed at Spotify.
This included creating and maintaining artist relationships, marketing campaigns and cultivating partnerships across Nashville’s music industry. Specifically, she focused on growth and global strategy for Spotify in the country, Christian / gospel and Americana genres.
However, Curb College is not just home to music business majors. Motion pictures, audio engineering and emerging media are just a few of the many majors that call Curb College home.
“She’s always been a champion of creativity,” said Gregory. “And I think that’s how she will lead media studies, film, journalism. A lot of these things will benefit because of that creativity.”
As the dean of Curb College, Schaffer will also be responsible for fundraising for th e college.
Gregory is confident in Schaffer’s ability to do this well, citing her relationship-building skills from Spotify to be her greatest asset in this area.
“It’s both fundraising and friend-raising. You have to build relationships,” said Gregory. “I see Dr. Schaffer certainly being able to do that because she’s built systems before and she’s built these relationships.”
Schaffer will be on campus Friday morning to meet with students and faculty.