“There’s often a perception that opening for a major headliner is a guaranteed career boost for emerging artists—but the reality is far more complex,” said Jeff Apruzzese, an assistant professor in Drexel’s Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, who conducted the study. “There hasn’t been much research into how accurate that conventional wisdom really is. This research aims to unpack some of the less visible dynamics in the music industry—especially those that shape the career paths of rising artists.”