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.

Interested in studying with us?

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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

Chris Rockall

Music Marketing and Promotions

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@thinkspace.ac.uk

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)

The music industry has been through a period of seismic change over the last 15 years and everything from the structure of the industry, to fundamental business models has changed from all recognition. This module brings students up-to-date on how the landscape looks today.

Whether the student’s aim is to start a music business, develop a career as a creative professional or work within a larger organisation, the ability to effectively analyse a changing commercial environment and reveal new insights and opportunities is often the factor that determines the success or failure of a venture, large or small.

The fundamental currency of the entertainment industry is copyright, intellectual property and the contracts that assign them. To build or manage any music business, you need a detailed grasp of the laws, regulations and business practices.

How much does a business owner or manager need to know? Students do not need the same level of knowledge as a lawyer. They need to know enough about copyright and contracts to evaluate risk and opportunities. That means, for example, reading and understanding agreements and contracts but not drawing them up.

The music business is truly international and students will need a good knowledge of the difference between copyright and contract law in the UK, USA and EU.

This module looks at the life blood of any successful business - income. Students will learn about how to research your market, the main sources of revenue available to a business within the music industry and the techniques and strategies for maximising that income. This is a more practical module which focusses on the commercial realities of creating or managing a sustainable business. It also looks in detail at the challenges and opportunities presented by the new streaming platforms.

Students will approach this module from an entrepreneurial perspective, as people starting or growing a new business, or a new initiative within an existing organisation.

They will learn appropriate market research techniques, how to present a business plan and gain practical experience of pitching ideas to potential investors. There is instruction on how to develop and present a business plan.

They will work on a new project that will lead to a written proposal at the end of the unit supported by a presentation.

Elective Modules (MA and PGDip)

Choose three from:

Core Modules (MA Only)

The final major project is a proposal for a new business, a new initiative or project within an existing business or career development project. This is an opportunity to bring everything the student has learnt together, synthesising a wide range of specialist knowledge and skill sets to propose a new venture within the music industry.

Alternatively, you can opt to do a dissertation. This will represent your research into an area of the music industry.

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:
£10,750

PGDip course price:
£8,500

PGCert course price:
£4,300

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@thinkspace.ac.uk

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

Learn More About The Application Process

Interested?

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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 Arts University Bournemouth. 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@thinkspace.ac.uk

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