by Marcus Washington
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - One of the country's newest and most unique record labels has decided to put down roots in Music City. It's slated to be the label a new generation, because it will be run completely by high school students.
"There is one industry that drives our city's international brand and that is music. We are Music City," said Nashville Mayor Karl Dean
For students at Pearl-Cohn Entertainment Magnet High School like senior Brandon Holt and junior Marquise Knowles, making music is their lifelong dream. Their music serves as what they are hesitate to admit it, a diary.
"We don't keep diaries, but if I'm mad, you are going to get a mad track. If I am excited, you will get an exciting track," said Holt.
Mayor Karl Dean announced Thursday that Pearl-Cohn will be the high school in the country to have a student-run record label.
"It makes you speechless to be real. It's like; the thing I want to most in life is here," said Holt.
Warner Music Nashville will strategically manage the record label, which will start next school year.
"The student music label, yet to be named, will operate exactly like a real music label by signing, recording, and promoting student artists of various genres," said Mayor Dean.
The Warner Music's CEO, John Esposito, said, "It's not only going to be exciting for the students, but I think our people will learn a lot, because frankly we learn more from kids than anyone else in our business."
Students will not only head the label, but they will be responsible for recruiting, signing, writing and marketing talent.
"The students running the record label, they're going to get a first had look at why music should not be free on the Internet," said "Music Makes Us" member Nancy Shapiro.
Student Brandon Holt said this opportunity will allow students at Pearl-Cohn to show the world that they are more than young black teens being arrested.
"This is what can I do and I'm not getting into trouble. I'm not behind bars, I'm behind a desk. I'm not selling drugs, I'm selling music."
Any money generated by the record label through the sale of songs will go to Music Makes Us, a city music council that invests in music education.
A name for the record label will be chosen through a student contest taking place during the next two months.
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