By Adam Wozniak

Short attention spans define this generation.

“We live in an iPod generation and it’s always on shuffle,” said Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman Wednesday night.

Lyman spoke to a group of more than 70 students in Memorial hall about his experience in the music industry.

Entering his 30^th year in the music industry, Lyman engulfed students in his journey through the music industry. Lyman also answered questions of students aspiring to work in the music industry.

“Music inspires what I do, not money,” Lyman said.

Lyman did not expect the Warped Tour to be as successful as it is today.

“I thought I could pull it off one year, then the next it would all be gone.” Lyman said.

Lyman started the Warped Tour out of his love for music. Now the Warped Tour is in its 16^th year, and Lyman has been able to take something he loves and build it into a successful business.

Lyman told students that the Warped Tour wasn’t the first name he originally came up with.  The first name was “The Bomb.” However, the day Lyman was going to announce the name of his music festival, was the same day of the Oklahoma City Bombing.

Lyman had to change the name and turned to a friend who worked for Warped Magazine. This was a short lived magazine that covered surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, and music.

Lyman made a deal with the magazine that he wouldn’t create any magazines as long as they didn’t create any music festivals.

Scott Abel, a mathematics senior, said that he came to hear Lyman speak because he has been a fan of the Warped Tour for five years.

“This was a great speech to attend if you are thinking of joining the music industry,” Abel said. “I like how he told us to be patient, and that this business isn’t something you can just pick up and do.”

Lyman also told students that having the internships in New York at a major music label is not the way to go.

“They don’t teach you anything; they just throw you in a mail room and forget about you,” Lyman said.

Lyman spoke for two hours to students, telling them do something they love, and to be patient for it to happen.

Lyman left students with one message: “There are two certainties in life.  Everybody loves some kind of food, and everyone loves some kind of music.”