MA Music Business

The way audiences consume music is changing and expanding at a faster rate than ever before – leading to new challenges and opportunities in regards to rights management, revenue streams and legal implications.

In this module, you’ll explore how the industry deals with issues relating to intellectual property, reputation, image, contractual frameworks and more, as well as the nature of revenue streams like merchandising, sponsorships and brand deals. You’ll come away with a comprehensive understanding of the financialisation of music, able to lend significant insights into the latest trends, debates and discussions around rights and revenue.

A fascinating deep-dive of the music industry’s ever-evolving infrastructure, this module examines the dynamic relationship between two core subsectors – live and recorded music. You’ll begin with critical analysis of current business models and working practises in the UK, as well as the global scene, before moving on to explore the wider political and cultural discourse across the commercial spectrum.

Through discussions around ethical decision-making, artist empowerment, carbon-neutral touring and more, you’ll examine the latest advances in technology, changing cultural and political norms, and ways in which industry roles are shifting to become a forward-thinking, innovative leader in the fast-paced music landscape.

Through this module you’ll master the core competencies, personal attributes and entrepreneurial skills you need to become a highly intuitive and competitive key player in your chosen field. Supported by industry professionals and experts, you’ll gain specialised insights and techniques to apply to business modelling, planning, financial management and more, putting you at a significant advantage whether you’re developing a business idea or solving a complex industry challenge.

You’ll take learnings from specific decision-making approaches and ethical frameworks, analyse the attributes of prominent innovative thinkers in the sector, and learn how to leverage business intelligence in order to maximise the potential of your ideas.

Shifts in consumer habits, new music discovery and data-analysis capabilities have transformed music marketing – and in order to engage communities, develop successful campaigns and optimise customer experiences, today’s marketers must stay on the pulse of innovation.

This module will give you the critical knowledge of marketing philosophies, strategies and approaches you need to cut through the noise in heavily saturated markets, putting professional tools and cutting-edge techniques at your fingertips to help you become fluent in tactical marketing decision-making. You’ll learn how to plan and support a product release, analyse data to inform your strategies, utilise your insights into the design of global music brands and build awareness through storytelling – setting you apart as an imaginative, intuitive marketing force.

With a strong focus on your own personal and professional goals, your final project will consolidate the knowledge, skills and insights you’ve gained throughout the course, culminating in a professional, industry-standard project relevant to your career objectives.

Incorporating a range of relevant theories, frameworks and strategies gathered across the programme, you’ll work closely with your project mentor – as well as a range of industry guests and external coaches – to produce a highly innovative piece of work which offers a solution to a challenge or issue impacting the industry today.