Course Trailer

Interview with student Alice McCarthy

MA International Music Business

Full Time - 12 Months (30 hours/week)
Part Time - 24 Months (15 hours/week)
Part Time - 36 Months (8 hours/week)

Our master’s in music business is a springboard to a successful career in the music industry. Whether you are looking to build a management career, start your own business or simply want to find out how to get a job in the music business, this innovative online master’s degree will change your outlook and give you the knowledge and skills to succeed.

You will be taught by top music industry professionals actively working at the cutting edge of the business. From A&R to music publishing, sync licensing to artists management, what you learn will give you a competitive advantage in music industry management.

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Teaching Team

Our teaching staff are world-class professionals at the cutting edge of the global music industry. They’re successfully navigating the turbulent waters of a constantly changing world and passing on that knowledge and insight to you. They have made their way to the top, managing some of the world’s most innovative music companies. They are successful industry leaders, marketing executives, artist managers, publishers and start-up execs, music lawyers and producers.

Combine real-time professional insights into the music industry, with advanced business and management strategic theory, and this MA in International Music Business is a powerful combination.

How you learn:

Taught by top, current, industry insiders.
Thousands of video tutorials on demand.
Weekly one-to-one mentoring and tuition.
Live workshops and group sessions.
Challenging real-world project work.

See All Teaching Staff

Anne Miller

Music Publishing

Phil Larsen

GRAMMY Award winning producer

Steve Cusack

Head of Business Development, 3Tone Records

Phil Passera

Artist Management

Dr. Susan Kinnear

Business & Management

Alex Mueller

Entertainment & Media Law

Have a question?

Let’s chat…

Contact Us

That’s how most of our future students start: an informal conversation about where you are and where you want to be. No pressure, just getting to know you and how we might be able to help.

Get in touch with Tim Johnson the course manager (and film composer).

postgraduate@thinkspaceeducation.com

Course Structure

Overview

3 x Core Modules
3 x Elective Modules
Final Major Project or Dissertation

You can choose one of three course formats from the short Postgraduate Certificate up to the full Master’s Degree.

Master of Arts – 180 credits 12 months full time
Postgraduate Diploma – 120 credits 9 months full time
Postgraduate Certificate – 60 credits 4 months full time

Core Modules (MA, PGDip and PGCert)

Recent History: Students will start with a review of recent developments in the music and related creative industries following the introduction of streaming technology. There will be video contributions from experts in the field and key practitioners from both the USA and the UK. They will explore the new structure of the industry.  Research Skills: Students will be introduced to the subject specific research techniques and skills required for this area of study.  

Business Analysis: Students will learn key approaches and tools in business analysis. They will discover how appropriate use of analytical tools can reveal valuable insights. These insights can form the foundations of a business strategy.

  Strategic Theory: They will then learn the theoretical basis of business strategy, the key concepts and models. They will evaluate the strategic approach of organisations, their management and the external context through business case studies.

The fundamental currency of the entertainment industry is copyright, intellectual property and the contracts that assign them. To build any music business or play a part in its management, you need a detailed grasp of how the laws, regulations and business practice.

This module looks at copyright and contract law in the USA, UK and EU. At the heart of the module, students will learn how to apply theoretical knowledge to complex business situations.

Students will be introduced to practical negotiating skills through live workshops and projects. They will build both a solid theoretical framework and essential soft skills including strong communication, team working, negotiating and collaboration.

Where is there money to be made in the music industry in 2021? That’s what we’ll explore in this module looking at everything from streaming royalties to merchandise, session fees to licensing. Leading practitioners will tell you what’s working right now.

You’ll go onto learn how to find and evaluate a business proposition using advanced analytical tools to give crucial insights. You’ll learn to put together a business plan and finally you’ll pitch your idea in a real-world, real-time project.

Elective Modules (MA and PGDip)

Choose three from:

Just as the music industry has changed rapidly in recent years, so has the role of the music manager. This module brings together a range of complementary skills that any new music manager will require to operate effectively. Many of the topics, like copyright and contracts, have been covered in detail elsewhere in this course. This module adds the specific professional, commercial and ethical knowledge and skills, students will need either to embark on a career managing artists or writers.

This module combines a theoretical overview of marketing theory with hands-on practical skills including building facebook and instagram paid advertising, and growing a youtube channel. Students will critically reflect on the impact of social media and digital marketing on the development of new artists in the music industry.

Topics covered will include:

Marketing Theory in the Music Industry.
Developing a digital marketing and social media strategies.
Creating facebook or instagram paid advertising campaigns.
Using social media, Youtube and Spotify playlists to promote new music.
PR and promotion.

This elective is specifically for creative professionals whose business is their own creative output. Whether you are an artist, producer, writer or composer you are creative business entrepreneurs operating in challenging yet expanding area of the industry. This module focusses on the entrepreneurship required to grow your business. You will have the opportunity to dramatically improve your creative output with mentorship from working creative professionals. You will learn how to tailor your output to the market so that people want to buy what you have to offer. This is about creative development and looking at yourself and your work as a business.

Core Modules (MA Only)

MA students will conclude their course with a 3 month project, supported and mentored by both industry specific and academic staff. They can choose either the Final Major Project which plans, researches and prepares an industry-ready project, ready to be rolled out or a dissertation. The dissertation is a good choice for those preparing to go onto further doctoral studies.

The final major project is a major piece of work that will take 12 weeks to complete. It is a proposal for a new business, a new initiative or project within an existing business or career development project. The choice of topic is left to the student but the subject for the final major project is subject to approval by the course manager. The project will be fully researched, planned and presented to stakeholders. It will be accompanied by supporting evidence including relevant creative assets and promotional material. Students will deliver a business plan with supporting evidence, a 15 minute presentation followed by question and answer session and a reflective report, evaluating the project development process and setting the project in the context of current research practice in the music industries.

The dissertation will represent your research into an area of the music industry. The dissertation is an extended piece of scholarly written work. It will take 12 weeks to complete (full time), and represents the culmination of your academic, analytical and research skills, as well as taking advantage of your practical experience.  

You will be asked to write a long essay of 12,000 words (+/- 10%), including footnotes, but excluding bibliography. This is a substantially longer than any of your other work so far. This module will cultivate your intellectual and scholarly independence as a specialist in this area. You will undertake the work as an individual, under the guidance of a supervisor, with whom you will meet regularly in one-to-one sessions.

Careers & Skills

What careers does a master’s in music management lead to?

The powerful combination of state-of-the-industry inside knowledge and a strong theoretical basis in management and business can lead to a successful career, either by starting your own music business or by climbing the management ladder in the wider music industry.

Competitive Advantage

All students will come away with a detailed knowledge of copyright, contracts, and the royalty system, which is the foundation of much of the industry. This kind of up-to-date information is surprisingly hard to come by, and this will by itself give all our graduates a competitive advantage in any music industry job interview. Alongside the confidence you will have from knowing exactly how the industry really works, understanding and being familiar with the language and way of thinking, you will stand out from the crowd and be in a much stronger position than other applicants.

Knowledge

Subject specific knowledge of things like digital music marketing, social media and promotion will lead directly to any number of careers in the music industry, such as marketing and promotions executive. Other possibilities like artist management and sync licencing are both new and fertile areas of employment to start a new business.

Management and Business Theory

Combine all these practical and professional insights with strong theoretical knowledge and you are in a very strong position. A master’s degree is an advanced academic qualification. Management theory will give you a framework to build and test your ideas from strategic management and data analytics to leadership and business planning. You will have the strategic vision maximise your potential and rise to the top, whether that’s starting your own business or running a larger organisation.

This master’s degree in music management and business prepares students for a career in the music industry, whether you want to work in management, a performing rights organisation, or as an entrepreneur starting a music business including marketing and promotion, artist management or licencing. This course will give you the professional knowledge and advanced business and management perspective to achieve your career goals.

Schedules (MA)

We offer 3 different schedules for the postgraduate degree, and students are able to pick which suits them best. Part time schedules are also available for PgCert and PGDip.

Full Time - 12 Months (30 hours/week)

Part Time - 24 Months (15 hours/week)

Part Time - 36 Months (8 hours/week)

These are estimates of the time a student will spend on each schedule. It will vary from student to student, depending on your rate of work. This includes live workshops, one-to-one tutorials, reading and watching the course materials, and time spent on assignment projects.

Learn More About Your Time Commitment

Finance

MA course price:
£9750

PGDip course price:
£6750

PGCert course price:
£3500

UK and International students pay the same. Exact price is subject to exchange rate fluctuation for those paying in other currencies.

We offer interest-free payment plans where you can spread the cost of your course across the duration of your studies. The payment plan you are on depends on the schedule you are on.

Students will be required to pay a deposit upon enrolling. For more information on this, visit the Student Finance page.

UK students may be eligible for a government Postgraduate Student Loan of up to £11,222. PG Loans are only available on full the MA, not PG Dip or PG. Cert.

Learn More About Finance Options

Applications

Before applying for one of our courses, we highly recommend getting in contact first. It is useful for us to hear your current musical abilities, and this also allows you to ask any questions you may have about studying with us. Please get in contact at

postgraduate@thinkspaceeducation.com

To find out more about the application process, visit the Applications page.

Learn More About The Application Process

Interested?

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Apply Now - $100*

*Postgraduate degree application pack fee

ThinkSpace serves an incredibly valuable function by connecting the practice of media music from the industry with the newest research on the topic coming from university academics.

Dr. Tim Summers

Ludomusicology Research Group

I would recommend Professional Media Composition to any composer who simply wants to be better at their job, whatever their experience level.

Amory Leader

TSE Alumni and Composer for Film & Television

Student rating: (4.8)

Frequently Asked Questions

For more FAQs, and more information please visit the Applications & FAQs, Student Finance and Study With ThinkSpace pages.

Ideally, applicants will have an undergraduate degree either in business-related studies, or music or audio. However, there is an option for those who do not have a degree, taking into account real-world work experience of creating music, working in professional creative environments, or non-degree professional development courses. This Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), as it is known, is always assessed on a case-by-case basis. It also depends on how many other students are using this route during this stage of applications, as there is a maximum percentage of students we can take through this process.

On successful completion of your course, you will be awarded a Master of Arts degree from the University of Chichester. All UK degrees, including those gained through ThinkSpace Education, are recognised worldwide. The qualification is fully accredited in the UK and subject to regular quality control, review, and external invigilation to ensure the highest academic standards are maintained.

The graduation ceremony takes place in Chichester each year where you will receive your degree alongside your fellow students and the rest of the university’s graduates. If you cannot attend the ceremony in the UK, we can send your certification to you through the post.

Have a question?

Contact Us

postgraduate@thinkspaceeducation.com

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