Music Business (MPAMB-GE)

A coordinated sequence of workshops, seminars & other activities that provides professional development for Music Business Graduate Program students from their first to last semesters. The sequence has two components: Workshops and Executive Connection. Both components are coordinated with a third: Music Business Graduate Internship, which is a separate for-credit course (E85.2510), & supported by an online component.

An overview of the professional structure, standards, & practices of the music entertainment industry & its application to record product & individual career development. Case studies are explored.

Review and analysis of the law and agreements basic to the music industry. Designed to provide the student with an appreciation of legal issues as they affect management and production in the music industry,

An in-depth study of the music entertainment environment and the rapid changes (i.e. technology, acquisitions etc.) affecting the creation, production, business administrations, and professional standards of the industry. Emphasis is placed on expanding markets, new products, future technologies, and planning for the future. A historical overview and case studies are explored.

The course examines principles and practices of managing a performing artist's career with emphasis on the promotion and planning process used in the live performance sector. Lectures and discussions focus on people and issues that shape an artist's career.

Course emphasizes concert promotion & facilities management. Content to include large venues & club outlets, box office & crowd management, labor relations, production techniques (i.e. sets, lights, sound, costumes, etc.), special events, tour planning & coordination, contracts & riders. Case histories to display investment capital pursuits, administration/staffing, market identification, objectives, sequencing & strategies, budgeting, & break-even from an entrepreneurial perspective.

Examination of the processes of A&R (Artists & Repertoire), production, & manufacturing. Criteria for music evaluation & genre categories are analyzed. The role of the studio for the producer & the artists.

A thorough investigation of product support through traditional & new media. Promotional, publicity, & marketing plans are prepared using promotional strategies such as cooperative advertising, merchandizing, public relations, contests, sweepstakes, in-stores, television, & radio appearances, & tour support. Sales application through retail & distribution of prerecorded product are also examined.

A survey of post-industrial business models and regional/global markets that will under gird the production and distribution of music and music-related cultural goods and services in the first decades of the 21st century. The course lays out the major theoretical, historical, technological, and socioeconomic threads linking popular music and networked communications systems and media. Mixed contemporary theory with analyses of real-world.

An in-depth analysis of how the music industry is developing & implementing market opportunities in the larger context of the entertainment & mass media industries. The industry is examined from a standpoint of what strategies will enable it to maximize current & future opportunities. Topics include corporate strategy, international aspects of the market for music, market research, managing entertainment organizations, synergy & partnerships, & new media strategies.

Examination of current global music management issues. Topics include international market research, selection of international target markets, planning & decision-making, how to utilize the global reach of the Internet, how to measure & predict global music trends, & cultural diversity issues in the music industry

An in-depth analysis of how music artists, songs, & concerts create contemporary media narratives about health, equality, & social change through public service announcements & advocacy campaigns in the public & non-profit sectors. We investigate the impact of the work of music celebrities’ promotion of social change to the general public, & use interdisciplinary approaches in music, informal education, & entertainment to evaluate innovation & social enterprise in the music industry.

An in-depth exploration of the vocabulary, structure, methods & uses of data by decision makers in the music industry. Topics include background study of data applications in related industries; sources & uses of data in music services & within the music enterprise; & design & management of data projects.

An in-depth exploration of the vocabulary, legal foundation, and business of music publishing as it relates to music creators,songs and songwriters, music users, record companies, digital music services, broadcasters, film & television studios and game developers in the modern marketplace. Topics include background study in copyright law, artist & repertoire, contracts, licensing, royalties and sub-publishing.

Assignment to music industry companies. Responsibilities include business administration, creative services, marketing, production, & promotion. Mid-term & final company analysis reports required.

This course provides a broad and practical look at the fundamentals of nonfiction writing about music in its many forms. Through the reading/writing of articles, blog entries, anthologies, biographies, liner notes, press materials, essays, and criticisms, the course explores the context and practice of writing about music—from journalist to publicist, as well as record labels, digital service providers, social media and other entities’ content creators. Students write essential materials that will benefit them within any facet of the music industry.

Supervised final project, by advisement.