 Mix
Master
Jason Spence has traveled the country and worked with famous artists
doing what he loves to do—mixing sound. He got his start
in the sound business through the Recording Arts program at CSU,
Chico.
“A good song or a talented artist is one very small part
of a success,” says
Spence (BA, Music, Recording Arts option, ’98). “The
music industry classes exposed me to the reality of the music ‘business.’ ”
Spence spent several months last year touring the United States
and Europe with heavy metal rockers Megadeth. It was his job to
make sure the band could hear themselves over the audience and
their instruments. He has also toured with country artists Diamond
Rio, Kenny Rogers, and Rebecca Lynn Howard. He has mixed sound
for several televised events, including the Billboard Music Awards,
the MTV Video Music Awards, and the Super Bowl, which included
artists such as Kelly Clarkson, the Beastie Boys, Marc Anthony,
P. Diddy, and the Black Eyed Peas. He even did a stint at the Republican
National Convention.
CSU, Chico’s Music Industry and Technology degree offers
options in recording arts and/or the music industry. “We’re
the largest program west of Nashville,” says Paul Friedlander,
director. “We help reframe the notion of being involved in
the music business as not merely getting a job with a big record
label, but having the entrepreneurial and business skills to find
a niche.”
“The conceptual knowledge I gained at Chico State gave me
the confidence to walk up to almost any piece of gear and know
that I could handle
it,” says Spence.
Spence and his wife, Arlene, live in Nashville, Tennessee. They
have an 18-month-old son, Christopher.
To learn more about CSU, Chico’s Music Industry and Technology
degree, go to www.csuchico.edu/mus/industryinfo.html.
Lisa Kirk, Public Affairs and Publications
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