Music Industry/Music Business course?

JerRocks2day · 09-19-2009, 02:37 PM

I've been further looking into my dream college, Berklee College of music. I've heard they have great Music Business/Industry courses. Some of my favorite bands are currently studying Business at berklee. What are the courses like?

rock_show_host · 09-19-2009, 08:51 PM

I live in Cambridge, MA, just outside of Boston, and have some friends who are currently studying at Berklee. If you have any more specific questions, I could check in with them and give you some info.

**Gustin** · 09-19-2009, 09:48 PM

The worship leader at my church attended for their recording program. He loved it.

Nate · 09-29-2009, 07:47 AM

I was a music business undergraduate, though not at Berkley.

By and large, the people who take music business courses / degrees fall into two categories: Those who imagine themselves having a career in the music business and those who already have the underpinnings of such a career.

Unlike most undergraduate majors, simply having the degree will not grant you access into the field. If you're a biology undergraduate, you can go right out after school and get a biology internship or biology research / analyst position. The degree itself has [some] value in the field. A music business degree has no external value. You cannot walk into a recording studio and say "I have a degree in music business" and expect the gig, or into a performing arts administration organization and expect them to be wowed by your education.

Most of the people [myself included] who did not already have careers underway in the music business gained nothing extrinsically valuable from the degree program I was in. They either went to work at craptastic jobs [waiter, bartender, administrative assistant] or went on to other academic pursuits [I took this route, getting an MBA and then going into academic administration].

The people who were already well into their career in the music business [meaning they had actual paying, performing gigs or were already involved in internships or apprenticeships at studios, etc] took the knowledge they obtained in their music business courses and were able to leverage it to move forward in their already existing careers. It was useful knowledge, but it didn't open doors.

Suffice to say that a music business degree will impress almost nobody.

**Epaphras** · 09-29-2009, 12:08 PM

I would recommend you go to a school with a strong general business undergrad program and major in management and marketing, hook up with some local bands, and get your feet wet managing for them or handling the business-side of things like merch. Gigging with bands or being a session/studio musician is a good side-job for income and will build your network. Basically, go to school for business and spend your spare time networking in the local music scene. Most major cities have a) at least one college or university with a good business degree program and b) a music scene of some kind.

A BBA is useful outside the music industry, and at the same time a BBA is directly applicable to the music business (because it is a business). Seems like a no-brainer to me. You will learn much more about the music business intuitively through actually being in it while in school, than simply learning about it in the classroom.

Nate · 09-29-2009, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Epaphras

I would recommend you go to a school with a strong general business undergrad program and major in management and marketing, hook up with some local bands, and get your feet wet managing for them or handling the business-side of things like merch. Gigging with bands or being a session/studio musician is a good side-job for income and will build your network. Basically, go to school for business and spend your spare time networking in the local music scene. Most major cities have a) at least one college or university with a good business degree program and b) a music scene of some kind.

A BBA is useful outside the music industry, and at the same time a BBA is directly applicable to the music business (because it is a business). Seems like a no-brainer to me. You will learn much more about the music business intuitively through actually being in it while in school, than simply learning about it in the classroom.

Or you could come to Loyola and get your BBA in music business.

**Epaphras** · 09-29-2009, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nate

Or you could come to Loyola and get your BBA in music business.

Yep, that's good too. The key is that it should have a generally-applicable business core of classes -- those basic accounting, finance, management, and marketing classes that aren't so focused just on one industry. The program you cited here seems to include both, which is great.