Match Records is a multi-genre, student-led record label service company out of Middle Tennessee State University. It gives students hands-on experience within the music industry and assists student-artists with distributing and promoting their music. The label will be doing their first showcase at The Basement on Sunday, March 23.

Denise Shackelford is an assistant professor at MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment in the recording industry department.

“I just think that there’s nothing better than getting your hands dirty and being able to do some of the things that replicate what happens at a record company in any music city, not just Nashville, and we hope to provide those opportunities,” Shackelford said.

Jackson Williams is one of the students seizing the opportunity. The senior music business student is president of the label.

“We have 13 artists at the moment, and they cover essentially every popular genre of music,” Williams said. “It started off it was mostly singer-songwriters, but as I’ve been in it for the last two years, we’ve added two country artists. We’ve added two rappers, an R&B singer. We’re in Murfreesboro/Nashville; country is the biggest genre. But definitely at MTSU, people do way more than that. We just like to showcase everybody and all the different genres of music.”

This week in live music:

WNXP and Easy Does It Records Presents Josh Gilligan at the The Basement on Thursday, March 20. Also tomorrow night, WNXP Trivia is back at the Blue Room, and Jason Isbell begins his four nights at The Pinnacle. Then, on Friday night (March 20), WNXP Presents indie supergroup the Hard Quartet at Brooklyn Bowl. On Sunday (March 23), Fana Hues performs at Cannery Hall’s Row One Stage.