How the Contemporary Music Business Works

Catalog description

A broad overview and practical analysis of the music industry, covering a broad spectrum of business areas, including streaming, distribution, licensing/synch publishing, live performance, rad io, marketing, copyright and related fields. This course will also explore emerging technologies accelerating rapid changes and the challenges and opportunities students will face when entering the marketplace. Students will examine different music industry roles and career paths, and the knowledge, skills, and experiences they will need to gain a competitive edge. Students will be introduced to the course topics via readings, lectures, interviews and other media-rich content delivered asynchronously in advance which will allow every class to focus on productive discussions and activities related to business concepts. Face-to-face class meetings will be complemented with smaller group breakouts guided by industry professionals serving as professional mentors. There, students will have the opportunity to grapple with, workshop, and apply business concepts and ideas to advance their own music projects.