About Saqqara M. Grant...

Saqqara M. Grant is a musician, music branding specialist, and writer who holds both a Bachelor of Arts (2007) and Master of Arts (2010) from the University of Southern California (USC). While studying music in undergrad, she explored her talents in voice, Afro-Latin percussion, songwriting, composition, and piano. Grant also studied the music industry and went on to intern in the Urban A&R/Marketing departments of major and indie record labels. After a brief stint as an educator, Grant went back to USC to gain her Master of Arts in Marketing Communications which she finished in a year’s time. Her capstone project “The Crossover: An Exploration of the Success and Influence of African-American Music in the Face of Systematic Discrimination” is a well researched, analyzed, and written piece of work which spans 4 historical time periods in American music and culture.

Considering the changes within the music industry over the past decade, Grant realized that the future would reside in branding and brand marketing. This realization led her to create the site www.askmeaboutmusic.wordpress.com, a website aimed at providing a combination of basic music industry principles with proven market communication techniques and practical application to equip music industry hopefuls. “I started the site because it was something I wish I could have had coming out of High School. I knew I wanted to get into the music business but I didn’t know where to start. This site helps ease the bumpiness of beginning a music industry career.” Grant is also a contributing writer for www.musicthread.net. Her column entitled “Brand Your Music” is similar to her own site in that it offers branding advice to artists but also includes interviews with artists, music executives, and creatives.