"Innovative." That's the answer given by University of South Carolina Department of Sport and Entertainment Management major Emily Fink when asked to describe in just one word the university’s new student-run record label, Greene Street Records.
The project is a partnership between the University of South Carolina School of Music’s Music Industry Studies program, the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management and Greater Than Distribution (part of Virgin/Universal Music Group).
Greene Street Records’ mission is to offer students practical, hands-on experience across the music industry’s core sectors: business (marketing, management), recorded music (mixing, producing, engineering, mastering), and live production (live events, touring).The students running the label are advised by a distinguished group of industry experts — David Baker, Paul Graham, Jeremy Polley and Jenny Reader.
"Most people when they think about a record label think about the artists, and they don't think about the inner workings of the label itself. If we're having a student-run label, those students are going to become music executives in the future," Graham says. "Bringing sport and entertainment management students to work with music students really was the emphasis."
"The record business incorporates a lot of the entertainment business, and our goal when we started the label was to incorporate as much of the university as a whole as we could," adds Baker.
The label had a soft launch in fall 2024 and officially stepped into the spotlight Jan. 31 with the release of "him, i guess," a single by Katie DeMartini, the first signed Greene Street Records artist and a sophomore Music Industry Studies student.
"Everyone on the team is just so excited to work with me to bring this music to life, and so passionate about the specific things they're doing," DeMartini says.
Through the partnership with Greater Than Distribution (Virgin/Universal Music Group), the label will actively distribute music to digital streaming platforms including Spotify and Apple Music.
"This past six months of building up the label has definitely been the most rewarding six months I've had in college," says Drew Michalak, a student who is serving as head of artist services and events for Greene Street Records.
The label team arranged for DeMartini to perform as a special guest at a Florence, South Carolina concert with Edwin McCain, and for her biggest spotlight yet March 15. She was part of an all-USC lineup of artists on the Greene Street Records stage at Columbia's St. Pat’s in Five Points festival. It was a big moment not only for DeMartini, but also all those worked behind the scenes to make it happen.
"Getting to see it play out on the stage at St. Pat's, I'm very much looking forward to that," Fink said before the big day.
Graham emphasizes that nothing about the label is just an exercise. "Every student playing St. Pat's is getting a contract. They're getting paid. It's a real thing," he says.
Chloe Grochowski, the student serving as the label's first head of public relations and communications, says the real-world aspect makes the experience even more valuable.
"It pushes you to really learn how to do things, because this is going into the real world," she says. "You can't just give it to a supervisor. It's going to go out and it's going to be in your name. It's given me a lot of confidence in myself and my peers."
The journey is just beginning for Greene Street Records, and the label's Instagram page is a source for updates on new developments. In the meantime, the students are learning more every day, and the excitement level is high.
Sport and entertainment management major Cooper Estok sums it up. "We're just a bunch of kids trying to find our way, but we're doing it."