On Tuesday, New York University (NYU) and Sony Corporation announced a new partnership to establish the Sony Audio Institute, which is “…a multifaceted partnership at NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development.” Sony has donated $7.5 million to create the institute, which is expected to launch this spring.
See more on the new Sony Audio Institute at NYU
According to the partners, “The Institute will foster innovation at the intersection of technology and music.” The Institute is being established for an “initial 10-year term,” and will “serve as a hub for interdisciplinary collaborations, merging the expertise of Sony’s professional and consumer audio businesses with NYU students, faculty, and facilities.”
The NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development is located at the heart of Greenwich Village in New York City, where it prepares students for careers in the arts, education, health, media, and psychology. NYU’s Steinhardt School is very active in the music and audio industries, with programs in music business and also in music technology.
Sony Audio Institute Director Named
Larry S. Miller, NYU Steinhardt Clinical Professor, former music industry executive, and recipient of the 2024 Educator of the Year Award from the Music Business Association, will serve as the inaugural director of the institute. According to a report in the NY Times, Miller will step down from his leadership role in the school’s music industry program this coming fall to focus on his role as the director of the Sony Audio Institute.
The Sony Audio Institute is not a physical place, rather, it will take shape as an interdisciplinary approach to studying and researching the latest advances in consumer and pro-level audio technology “…replete with Sony tools to facilitate.” An existing studio on the campus is being remodeled to be updated with professional equipment from Sony.
Institute to Offer Internships, Scholarships, and Programming
The institute will offer an array of internships, scholarships, and programming for NYU students. Better yet, students will have the opportunity to collaborate with Sony’s engineers and researchers.
Says the formal announcement, The Sony Audio Institute “is an initiative designed to prepare the next generation of creators and innovators within NYU’s Steinhardt School… fostering innovation at the intersection of technology, music, and business.”
Sony Unit is For Entertainment, Technology, and Services Business
NYU partnered with Sony Corporation, a division of Sony Group Corporation that is responsible for the Entertainment, Technology, and Services (ET&S) business. The division’s mission is to “create the future of entertainment through the power of technology together with creators…”
The formal name of the new institute will be the Sony Audio Institute for Music Business and Technology. The institute itself will not offer degrees, but it will offer support for Steinhardt’s Music Business and Music Technology degree programs.
Institute Will ‘Elevate,’ ‘Power,’ and ‘Deepen’ Relationship with NYC Community
“The Institute will elevate classroom experiences with cutting-edge technology, power pioneering research opportunities, and deepen NYUs and Sony’s relationship with New York City’s vibrant entertainment community through events and workshops.” [Emphasis added]
Sony Corp is said to be heavily focused on its “engagement and support of music and creators at all levels, including producers, engineers, songwriters, recording studios and more through its hardware and innovative audio solutions.”
Sony Gear to be Incorporated Into Broader Steinhardt Curriculum
NYU will work with Sony to incorporate “the latest Sony audio solutions” into the broader Steinhardt curriculum. Educators emphasized that Sony gear will reside alongside gear from other brands as well.
An association between a major industry corporation and a respected university that includes promises of involvement by Sony employees is, as the NY Times noted, “unusual.” Yet both sides of this agreement hail the partnership as a rare opportunity to tightly connect students to rapidly evolving technology.
Honored to Collaborate With a Premier Music School
This partnership is said to have been facilitated by Marcie Allen, a music industry consultant who has worked with Sony and is an adjunct faculty member at Steinhardt.
It is an honor to establish this collaboration with New York University, one of the world’s premier music schools, renowned for its long-standing legacy of producing some of the audio industry’s top talent. Through this collaboration, we look forward to inspiring creativity for the next generation of music creators and witness how their artistry will influence the music industry for years to come.
Kimio Maki, Sony Corp President and CEO
Sony & NYU to Conduct Joint Research in Audio & Music
NYU’s Music and Audio Research Lab (MARL), which studies the convergence of science, technology, music, and sound, will pursue, with input from Sony researchers and engineers, groundbreaking research in the areas of music and audio technologies. MARL’s current research includes music and auditory perception and cognition, machine listening and music information retrieval, spatial, and immersive audio, music in the health and rehabilitation sciences, and more.
We are excited and grateful that Sony has chosen NYU Steinhardt to collaborate on this important initiative, which will create new opportunities for our amazingly talented students through scholarships, internships, research fellowships, and other unrivaled experiences. This forward-looking initiative will not only create new opportunities for creative expression, it will give our students a competitive advantage in a rapidly changing industry. I’d like to thank the team at Sony and everyone at NYU who worked tirelessly to make this dream a reality.
Linda G. Mills, NYU President
Looks Like a Good Move to Me
This, to me, feels like a really good move by an industry-leading technology company. For Sony, this is clearly a branding opportunity; the Times noted, “…putting the company’s gear and expertise into the hands of the next generation of audio specialists.” It also helps to directly connect the company to one of this country’s greatest music industry braintrusts.
Even though this move is being made by a Sony U.S. subsidiary, by taking the long-view into account, the concept feels very Japanese. “We’re looking at: How are we supporting emerging music creators who are students? How are we looking at future music technology five to ten years from now?” Jordy Freed, Sony Corp’s head of brand, business development and strategy, told the Times.
NYU Educators are in Charge
For educators cringing at what might seem like a too-close-for-comfort relationship between a university and a for-profit corporation, the university wants you to know that it is NYU educators who are driving the bus. Larry Miller said, “NYU is in charge of curriculums, programs, and education…period. Any joint research conducted at MARL, including research that includes Sony engineers, “…would be subject to the terms of NYU’s existing intellectual property policy.”
Miller added that the institute aims to train students for a future in the music and audio world with “skills to literally do jobs that don’t exist yet.”
Scholarships To Go To Those Pursuing a Career in Audio
My favorite point: Through the Sony Audio Institute, NYU is establishing a scholarship program to assist undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students at NYU Steinhardt who demonstrate financial need and academic merit, with a preference for students who have an interest in pursuing research or careers in the audio industry.
What can I say…I’m an old audio guy and it warms my heart to see an incentive for students to pursue a career in audio.
See more on Sony and its products at www.sony.net.
Learn more about NYU Steinhardt School, visit steinhardt.nyu.edu.
Leave a Reply