Massimo Bonelli
masterclass
iCompany

How to make a living from music today – Masterclass

How to make a living from music today. Artists, industry, new technologies. Masterclass with Massimo Bonelli, artistic director of the May Day Concert in Rome, Wednesday, June 18, 2025 at Saint Louis in Rome.

Making music is a passion, but can it also be a job? In an age when streaming dominates the market, social networks are the main channel for promotion, and a hundred thousand new songs are released every day, figuring out how to build a sustainable career in music is more important than ever.

Massimo Bonelli, producer, manager and artistic director of Rome’s Concerto del Primo Maggio, will hold a masterclass that aims to offer practical tools and concrete strategies for turning one’s music into a real profession.

During the meeting, the following will be discussed:

• How to stand out in a saturated market
• How to monetize your music through streaming, concerts and events
• The role of algorithms and playlists in artist discovery
• The importance of community and personal branding
• The new opportunities offered by digital and social media

Massimo Bonelli, drawing from his book “Play. Everything You Need to Know About Current Music” published in March 2025 (ROI editions), offers an educational opportunity to understand how an artist today can turn his or her passion into a professional career, for those who not only dream of making a living from music, but also want to know the concrete tools to do so.

Masterclass is free for Saint Louis students; €10 for outsiders

Academic course credits: 1/2 CFA

Massimo Bonelli

• Producer, publisher, manager and music consultant, Massimo Bonelli founded and manages iCompany.
• He has been the organizer and artistic director of the May Day Concert in Rome since 2015.
• Creator and the artistic curator of the Ciao – Lucio Dalla Review sponsored by the Lucio Dalla Foundation and the Municipality of Bologna.
• Organizer of the Fabrizio De André Award sponsored by the De André Foundation.
• Since 2019, he has been the artistic-musical director of the Florence Civil Economy Festival.
• Since 2018 he has been the creator, producer and coordinator of Casa SIAE, the structure-hospitality that is installed a few meters from the Ariston Theater during the Sanremo Festival.
• President of the Italia Music Lab Foundation based in Milan, Italy, and involved in the support and dissemination of new forms of Italian music, both domestically and abroad.
• He published with ROI EDITIONS in 2020 the book “Current Music – How to Build Your Music Career in the Digital Age” and in March 2025 his second book “Play. Everything you need to know about current music.”