The Music Industry Management Degree and the Industry of Today
Posted on 30th August 2015 at 16:00
Music, with all of the business, technical, managerial, legal, marketing and organisational elements that go on behind the scenes, has always offered a huge range of career opportunities. It has nonetheless been frequently overlooked as a career path as students are steered more towards traditional white-collar jobs.
Many of today’s leading music industry top brass talk of moving up through the ranks, starting in the mailroom of a record label and gradually developing the expertise, knowledge and contacts to make it to the top.
Specialist qualifications have become increasingly relevant to the job market, and to the music industry of the future. Degree courses have developed to prepare students for roles in the music industry.
Maria Thomas, Artistic Director and Founder of the Music Workshop Company, is a Lecturer teaching business modules on the BA(Hons) Music Industry Management degree at the University of Hertfordshire.
I’m very proud of the work we do on the Music Industry Management degree (formerly Music and Entertainment Industry) at the University of Hertfordshire. Our alumni are working in a wide range of areas of the music industry; performing, producing, music publishing, live music and record labels. We give our students a solid understanding of the industry as a whole. We take a maximum of 40 students a year, so we get to know them well and can help them make informed decisions about which area they want to work in, and then help them to prepare for that role.
The University of Hertfordshire Music Industry Management (MIM) degree course investigates all aspects of the contemporary music industry by bringing together the study of music, law and business studies. The course is delivered by an industry renowned team of lecturers, all of whom combine successful backgrounds as music business professionals alongside wide-ranging academic expertise and experience.
The principle aim of the programme is to develop the successful music industry managers, entrepreneurs and executives of the future and to equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge base. As well as championing the importance of academic achievement, the University places great emphasis on developing the students’ personal confidence. Students are encouraged to apply their skills in practical environments through work experience placements and internships.
The course programme is led by Senior Lecturer, Dennis Collopy. Dennis’s career in the music industry so far spans four decades. He’s worked at Chrysalis Music, RCA Records, Riva Music – signing the Clash, Rod Stewart and John Mellencamp and spending 5 years running the USA companies – BMG Music Publishing, EG Group and Big Life Music. In 1992 he established his own firm, Menace Music, which has not only worked with many artists and producers, representing eminent USA and UK songwriters, it has held a worldwide co-venture agreement with Universal Music Publishing since 2003.
Dennis has served on the board of a number of music industry bodies including the Performing Rights Society and the Music Publishers Association and brings a strong research focus to his work. In 2009 he co-founded the Music and Entertainment Industries Research Group at the University of Hertfordshire, and in 2011 co-founded the European Music Business Research Association. He is co-editor of the International Journal of Music Business Research and completed a comprehensive research study for the Intellectual Property Office in 2013.
Teachers on the MIM course include Andy Saunders, Sharon Farquhar and Fred Bolza. Andy started at a small independent record company soon after graduating. This job kick-started a career that would see him working for almost 25 years at a senior level in the British music industry. After a 10-year stint as Director of Communications at Creation Records, where he worked with Oasis, Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine and many others, Andy launched Velocity Communications, one of the UK’s leading corporate PR and marketing companies specialising in music industry work.
Sharon is the MIM programme’s law specialist. She qualified as a solicitor in 1988, initially working in litigation, but soon moved to entertainment and media law firm, Sheridans, where she became a partner. Her specialisms in practice revolve around litigation in the music and computer and video games industry, with particular emphasis on copyright and contractual issues, defamation, Press Complaints Commission and anti-competition disputes. High profile clients have included Pink Floyd and Sir Paul McCartney.
Fred is Vice President, Strategic Development, Sony Music UK. He is responsible for the development of Sony Music’s strategy in the UK and runs an in-house marketing services agency that helps labels connect artists with the widest possible audiences. He is considered one of the leading ‘thought leaders’ in the UK music industry and teaches music industry marketing to the students on the MIM course.
The University regularly welcomes guest industry speakers, including:
John Webster – CEO, Music Managers Forum
Lynne McDowell – Communications Director, BPI
Vick Bain – CEO, BASCA
Steve Levine – Chairman, Music Producers Guild
Craig David – Artist
Alan McGee – Founder, Creation Records
Geoff Taylor – CEO, The BPI
Rob Challice – Founding Partner , CODA Music Agency
And the University of Hertfordshire’s alumni work throughout the industry:
UK Music House: MPA, PRS, MMF, UKMusic, BASCA
Record Companies – UMG, Domino, Wichita, Sony
Music Publishers – UMPG, Kobalt, Peer,
The Live Music Industry – Coda, Live Nation
Digital Music Companies – Shazam
Artist Management – Rocket Music
And former students are vocal about its role in their success:
"The MEIM course at UH was the perfect head start into a career in the music business. The course not only combines the theory and structure behind the marketing, legal, and financial aspects to the industry, but also nurtures your interests and encourages the practical side through internships and external opportunities. Without partnership initiatives like the Richard Toeman Music Publishing scholarship (which led to my internship at UMPG), I wouldn’t have had the early success I’ve had in my career, and also be in current my position in International Marketing at Universal Music Group" – Alumnus Luke Armitage, now working for Universal Music Group
"From pan-European licensing to 360 recording agreements to international markets, the MEIM programme covered everything that I could possibly want to know prior to embarking on a career in the music industry. Thanks to the influence of the programme leaders and the teaching of each lecturer, I was able to begin my career with a strong, unique awareness and analytical approach that younger people trying to enter the business do not always possess. This has enabled me to stand out in many settings and to ultimately thrive professionally. Almost three years later, the knowledge and skills that I acquired have not become even remotely irrelevant" – Alumna Ayeasha Johnson
"The MEIM course has equipped me with the fundamental knowledge and skills required to pursue a career within today’s music industry, thus, allowing me to begin my career in music publishing with a sound understanding of the landscape of the industry on a global scale. This has enabled me to begin my career in music publishing at Kobalt Music Group; a company that is changing the face of music publishing, directly after having completed the course. MEIM provided me with skillsets that were directly transferable into a role within the current, evolving, music industry" – Alumna Holly Dibden, now working for Kobalt Music Group
"For me, the most beneficial aspect about the MIM course is that it is constantly updated to include current music industry debate and economic argument. This means it goes further than just supplying students the theoretical knowledge needed succeed in the music industry, instilling a way of thinking that is vital in a business environment constantly being revolutionised by digital technology – being dynamic. This, combined with the wealth of expertise, experience and contacts lecturers offer, creates a powerful educational experience that grants students the crucial edge needed to enter an industry that is notoriously hard to enter" – Alumnus Robert Delmonte, now working for Audiencenet
Share this post:
