Music Business, BA (Hons), with industry placement

This Music Business degree equips students with essential skills to excel in the dynamic music industry, fostering innovative, ethical, and sustainable practices. Through hands-on learning from industry experts, you'll explore key areas such as artist management, marketing, recording, publishing, and distribution. Opportunities for collaboration with peers in music, video, design, and performance allow you to develop entrepreneurial projects, manage live events, and build a standout professional portfolio, all supported by world-class facilities.The curriculum spans four years, starting with foundational topics like industry environments, management, and A&R processes in Year One. Year Two delves into contracts, digital marketing, and promotion, while Year Three offers a professional placement for real-world experience. In Year Four, you'll focus on leadership, research specialisms, and a dissertation, culminating in practical projects. Assessments include coursework, presentations, and portfolios, with ongoing feedback to enhance your growth.

As part of Falmouth’s Music Business course community, you will develop a professional and critical understanding of the music industry environment across both recorded studio productions and live events. Supported by lecturers who have worked across the entire breadth of the industry, you’ll immerse yourself in the histories and futures of the music business, exploring varied environments, cultures and practices. You will embark on a journey through music publishing, copyright legislation, social media, music recording and distribution, and will put your newly acquired knowledge into practice on collaborative live projects. You'll learn how to manage artists and organisations, as well as developing key self-management, digital marketing and leadership skills. You’ll also get to grips with contracts and intellectual property (IP), and ethical and sustainable practices for music business. Year One In your first year you will explore the foundations and contexts of contemporary music business practice. You’ll investigate approaches to managing yourself, other people and organisations and resources, and dive deep into the artists and repertoire (A&R) process to understand creative processes and development. You’ll study the structures, shapes and roles in the music business and understand the industry’s economics. You’ll put on your first live event, having learned about the live music business and how to market artists and products effectively and ethically.  Modules: The Music Industry Environment Management: Organisations, Artists & Self A&R and Creativity Music & Sound: Contexts and Cultures Branding Live Production Management Year Two In year two, you’ll develop and understanding of contracts and negotiations and how IP is at the heart of the music business. You’ll explore the digital world as well as physical products and formats, and how genre worlds and fan cultures play a part in the products that are produced. You'll collaborate on projects and debate the differences in the DIY and corporate spaces. Modules: The Business of Music and Sound The Business of Things Promotion (Optional) Project Management Collaborative Working Music & Sound: Resonant Futures Synchronisation Year Three: You’ll be responsible for finding your own placement, with support from the employability team. Choosing this option will enhance your industry experience and skills while studying. How you’ll study during your professional placement You’ll spend time working in a professional context, as part of a business or organisation. This can be in one role, or up to three, and must be for a minimum of 24 weeks. You’ll develop in-demand workplace skills, deepen your insight into industry and grow your network of contacts, all of which could help you get ahead in your career after graduation. Throughout this year, you’ll develop a portfolio of work that includes critical self-reflection on what has been learned from the experience. You’ll be required to evidence your experiences, the skills you’ve learned and your professional growth. Year Four In your final year, you will put your knowledge into practice and prepare yourself for a career in the industry. You will debate leadership and management at strategic levels with ethical approaches, have the opportunity to develop your specialisms in research and produce practical projects at professional levels. Modules: Music & Sound Dissertation Professional Development Leadership Showcase Portfolio As part of our process of continuous improvement, we routinely review course content to ensure that all our students benefit from a high-quality and rewarding academic experience. As such, there may be some changes made to your course which are not immediately reflected in the content displayed on our website. Any students affected will be informed of any changes made directly.