I am a student at Full Sail University pursuing a B.S. degree in Music Business. My graduation date is October 2022. This is a project on behalf of my Portfolio 1 course at Full Sail University in March 2021.

1. PERSONAL BRAND EXPLORATION
Carol Soto
Project & Portfolio I: Week 1
March 3, 2021

2. My entry into the music business was in 2001
when I co-opened Benton Records a vinyl record
store which catered to the dj’s. I co-created The
Tampa Music Conference that ran from
2003-2009 and 2015-2017. In 2015, I co-created
Benton Entertainment Inc., Benton Records
(label), Benton Records Publishing (BMI) and
Benton Publishing (ASCAP).
IDENTITY

3. PROFESSION
• Potential Job Titles:
• Rights Manager
• Publishing Administrator
• Content Manager
Lover Archetype - When I speak with
artist they feel how passionate and
knowledgeable I am about rights
management. They have con
fi
dence
I will do everything in my power to
collect all royalties. In just one
conversation they know I will handle
their works with a white glove
service.
Rights Management for Singer/Songwriters

4. • DEMOGRAPHICS: Median age
45, 31% are married, 25% non-
white or hispanic, 54.3% higher
education and 34.8% hold a
second job.
• PSYCHOGRAPHICS: Libral, likes
to travel, pet owners, value
personal time, and night owls.
• IDEAL AUDIENCE MEMBERS:
Mark Mothersbaughs, Danny
Elfman and John Legend.
Singer, Songwriter
TARGET AUDIENCE

5. GOALS
Short Term: (2022)
• Obtain an Audio Arts certi
fi
cate from Full Sail.
‣ Register for certi
fi
cation classes by January 2023.
Mid Term: (2027)
• Open a recording studio
‣ Save $50,000 to purchase equipment, rental space, build-out,
and marketing to open the studio by January 2024.
Long Term: (2044)
• Expand the services the I offer. I will create a tour company, have a
presence in LATAM, targeting clients with larger catalogs, a sync
licensing department, and marketing department.
‣ I will have to hiring staff to run the tour company, travel to
Latin America to scout for talent and staff, market to clients
with larger catalogs, ramp up contacts with music
supervisors, hire team for sync licensing and continue
growing my marketing team by December 2044.

6. SKILLS ANALYSIS
Notable Skills & Current Pro
fi
ciencies:
Notable Skills REQUIRED in TRADE & Current Pro
fi
ciencies:
Microsoft Suite 80%
Music Catalog Management 100%
Time Management 100%
Problem Solving 100%
SOFT
HARD
Microsoft Suite 80%
Time Management 100%
Problem Solving 100%
SOFT
HARD
Music Catalog Management 100%

7. I assist singer/songwriters by inputing
metadata and collecting royalties.
Completing all necessary paperwork and
submitting it to the metadata and royalty
collection platforms.
PROMISE

8. CREDENTIALS
Work Experience:
• 5 years rights manager
• 5 years catalog manger
Education:
• Music Business, B.S., Full Sail University (Exp. 2022)
Awards:
• None

9. COMPETITION
Javier Simons
Industry Experience:
• 3 years and 3 months entertainment experience
Education:
• Currently enrolled Music Business, B.S. at Full Sail
University
Leadership Experience:
• Owner King of Queens Entertainment
Skills and Pro
fi
ciencies:
• Talent Booking - 2 endorsements
• Artist Development - 2 endorsements
• Script Writing - 2 endorsements
Carol Soto
Overall Online Presence:
• 11 connections, banner image customized, professional
of headshot, not very detailed, no published articles,
active on social media, LinkedIn URL is not customized
• Grade: Poor, 30 out of 100
Industry Experience:
• 19 years in the music industry
Education:
• Currently enrolled Music Business, B.S. at Full Sail
University
Leadership Experience:
• Co-owner Benton Entertainment
• Co-owner The Tampa Music Conference
Skills and Pro
fi
ciencies:
• Music Industry - 34 endorsements
• Entertainment - 24 endorsements
• Music - 23 endorsements
Overall Online Presence:
• 500+ connections, banner image customized, amateur
headshot, average pro
fi
le, no published articles, active
on social media, LinkedIn URL is customized
• Grade: Average, 50 out of 100

10. COMPETITION
Liz Lewis
Noteworthy Experience:
• 20 years at Warner Music
Carol Soto
Industry Experience:
• 20 years in the music industry
Education:
• BS, Business Administration, University of Florida
• NYU Digital Video Production certi
fi
cation
Skills and Pro
fi
ciencies:
• Social Media - 20 endorsements
• Digital Strategy - 19 endorsements
• Social Media Marketing - 17 endorsements
Overall Online Presence:
• 500+ connections, banner image is not customized,
professional headshot, detailed pro
fi
le, published
articles, 6 recommendations, LinkedIn URL is
customized
• Grade: Superior, 80 out of 100
Industry Experience:
• 19 years in the music industry
Education:
• Currently enrolled Music Business, B.S. at Full Sail
University
Leadership Experience:
• Co-owner Benton Entertainment
• Co-owner The Tampa Music Conference
Skills and Pro
fi
ciencies:
• Music Industry - 34 endorsements
• Entertainment - 24 endorsements
• Music - 23 endorsements
Overall Online Presence:
• 500+ connections, banner image customized, amateur
headshot, average pro
fi
le, no published articles, active
on social media, LinkedIn URL is customized
• Grade: Average, 50 out of 100

11. BRAND POSITION
For singer/songwriters who need rights
management, I provide publishing administration
and distribution as a package. I believe singer/
songwriters should not just release their music
but also protect their works and collect all their
royalties.

12. NETWORKING &
MARKETING
Industry Events & Organizations
• Recording Academy
‣ Grammy U Member | Florida Chapter
• She Is The Music
‣ Member
• Midem Conference
‣ June 1, 2021 | Cannes, France
Digital Marketing
• Primary Content: Establish a vlog to help artist understand
why their metadata is so important. The segments will be call
2 minute Tuesdays.
• Primary Tools: I will use Instagram, Facebook, Tic Tok and
YouTube. The segments will be 2 minutes long. I will set up a
blog on my personal and business website for more
information.
• Website: I will be posting the segments on my social media
sites, personal and business website
www.bentonentertainment.com and Full Sail digital portfolio
site.

13. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Mentor
• I am seeking a rights manager who also has sync
licensing experience. I wish them to have at least 10
years in this industry. December 2021
Formal Education
• Complete Music Business Degree B.S. expected
graduation 2022
Technical Skills
• Digital Distribution SaaS Eveara platform personal
demonstration, March 2021
• Microsoft Excel Intermediate/Advance lynda.com,
December 2021
• Vistex’s Music Maestro platform personal
demonstration, December 2022
Soft Skills
• Communication Advance lynda.com, December 2021
• Negotiation and con
fl
ict resolution Advance, lynda.com,
December 2021
• Leadership, lynda.com, December 2021

14. Carol Soto
You know royalties? Well, what I do is rights
management. In fact, I am an active member and user of the MLC
(Mechanical Licensing Committee), BMI, ASCAP, HFA, MR plus many more
royalty collection platforms.
“

15. REFERENCES
9,000+ Publishing Administrator jobs in United States (159 new).
(2020, October 16). Linkdin. https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/
search/?
currentJobId=2433050437&keywords=publishing%20administr
ator
Artist and other Cultural Workers. (n.d.). Artist and Other
Cultural Workers https://www.arts.gov/sites/default/
fi
les/
Artists_and_Other_Cultural_Workers.pdf
EVEARA The Future Of Music Distribution. (n.d.). Eveara. https://
www.eveara.com/
Gibbs, H. (2017, August 23). Sleeping with Sirens [Photograph].
Grünstäudl, C. (2016, October 10). Elegant steel microphone
[Photograph].
Landr (n.d.). [Image]. https://blog.landr.com/music-metadata/
Javier Simons. (n.d.). Linkdin. https://www.linkedin.com/in/
javier-simons-3300553/
Liz Lewis. (n.d.). Linkdin. https://www.linkedin.com/in/
lewisliz/
Metadata. (n.d.). [Image]. https://www.imurj.com
Viadana, F. (2018, June 29). Unnamed [Photograph].
Vistex Inc. (2021, March 5). Music Maestro. https://
www.vistex.com/product-suites/counterpoint-suite/music-
maestro/