Music Business

Buckinghamshire New University has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework.These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.

What does this TEF outcome mean?

Course summary

Whether you’re interested in managing artists, working for record labels or the business of songs, you’ll learn exactly what it takes to build a successful career in the music industry. The course covers a broad range of music industry areas allowing you to develop your knowledge to help you gain employment across a variety of music business roles. It will also equip you with many key entrepreneurial skills to give you the option of building your own business from scratch. Whatever your ideal career path, this degree course will give you a comprehensive overview of the music business. Why study at Buckinghamshire New University? All our music degrees at Buckinghamshire New University come with membership of UK Music’s Music Academic Partnership (MAP). UK Music is the collective voice of the UK’s world-leading music industry. We represent all sectors of our industry – bringing them together to collaborate, campaign, and champion music. The members of UK Music are: AIM, BPI, FAC, The Ivors Academy, MMF, MPA, MPG, MU, PPL, PRS for Music. UK Music also has an informal association with LIVE (Live music Industry Venues & Entertainment). MAP is a ground-breaking collaboration between educational institutions and UK Music, and is designed to maximise the relationship between the industry and educational institutions in order to inform the next generation of industry professionals. MAP does this by nurturing collaborative projects, such as research and careers events, panel events, various education and skills work, policy work, and career opportunities. Fundamentally MAP provides extra opportunities to individuals who want to build careers out of their passion for music. This helps to future-proof the music industry by ensuring new entrants have the right mix of experience and skills. What facilities can I use? Our state-of-the-art recording studios give you access to the space and technology you need, from individual edit rooms up to large Pro Tools HD studios with attached live rooms and vocal booths.

Studios 1 and 2 boast Avid D-Command control surfaces and 24 channels of Focusrite ISA828 microphone preamps.

Studios three and four (Edit 6) are based around Digidesign C|24 surfaces.

The edit booths are equipped with microphone preamps from Digidesign (HD Omni).

Our microphone stock includes Sennheiser, Neumann, AKG, Shure, Rode and Electrovoice.

Studio monitoring includes 5.1 systems by Genelec and stereo systems by KRK.

All studios feature a full range of plug-ins including RX3, Ozone6, Komplete and Speakerphone. What will I study? During your degree, you will develop solid business, marketing and management skills, allowing you to pursue many careers in this rapidly evolving industry. Key business modules will look at music publishing, the global music industry and the consumption of popular music. Key marketing modules will cover digital marketing, social media marketing and public relations. Management skills will be addressed by modules covering classic management theory, how to develop as a music entrepreneur and how to manage creative talent. You'll also spend time focusing on legal issues such as intellectual property and music industry contracts. You will also be encouraged to develop other key skills such as communication and negotiation to allow you to demonstrate a portfolio of relevant skills to equip you to successfully enter the music business. Opportunity modules are a key part of the BNU curriculum. You’ll choose modules in both your first and second year from a broad selection in areas such as sustainability, entrepreneurship, creativity, digital skills, personal growth, civic engagement, health & wellbeing and employment. Opportunity modules are designed to enable you to develop outside the traditional boundaries of your discipline and help you to further stand out from the crowd to future employers.

Modules

Year one Core Modules Introduction to Artist Development Entertainment Industry Framework Event Planning and Practice Managing Your Brand Principles of Marketing Opportunity modules 2 x 10 credit year one Opportunity modules Year two Core Modules Music Business Project Research Methods The Music Entrepreneur Optional Modules Artist Management Fan Cultures Music Publishing Music Publishing (Placement) Venue Management and Concert Promotion Opportunity Modules 2 x 10 credit year two Opportunity modules Year three Core Modules A&R Entertainment Law Independent Work Optional Modules Mosh Pit Politics Creative Strategies Digital Marketing Industry Issues

Assessment method

Our teaching staff have a wealth of professional and academic experience, with many still actively working in the music business. You’ll learn through a mixture of lectures, seminars and workshops with one-to-one and small group teaching, as well as written assignments and practical exercises. Regular guest speakers are invited in to BNU to share their knowledge and experience with you on subjects such as the art of songwriting, social media marketing and music publishing. A variety of assessment methods will be used as appropriate to the modules you take, including creative projects (both recorded and performed), presentations and written coursework. Assessments will be appropriate to the task, achievable, motivating and vocationally focussed, forming a constructive part of your learning process.

How to apply

31Jan

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:: N290

Institution code:: B94

Campus name:: Buckinghamshire New University

Campus code:: -

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

Year 1

International applicants

For information about applying to Buckinghamshire New University as an International applicant, please visit https://www.bucks.ac.uk/study/international

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

UCAS Tariff - 88 - 112 points

A level - CCD - BCC

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016) - MMP - DMM

Applicants who do not meet the minimum requirements for the three-year undergraduate programme, or those who do not feel fully prepared for a degree course, can apply for a four-year programme including a Foundation Year.

Please click the following link to find out more about qualification requirements for this course

https://bucks.ac.uk/applying-to-bucks/general-entry-requirements

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students

There is no data available for this course. For further information visit the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

England	£9250	Year 1
Northern Ireland	£9250	Year 1
Scotland	£9250	Year 1
Wales	£9250	Year 1
Channel Islands	£9250	Year 1
Republic of Ireland	£9250	Year 1
EU	£15000*	Year 1
International	£15000*	Year 1

*This is a provisional fee and subject to change.

Additional fee information

Most courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. You could benefit from financial support through a bursary or scholarship during your time as a student. For more details visit our financial support, bursaries and scholarships section.

Sponsorship information

Buckinghamshire New University offers a range of bursaries and scholarships. For more information, please visit https://www.bucks.ac.uk/study/fees-and-funding/financial-support-bursaries-and-scholarships