Music Business

Studying at Solent offers a unique experience for music business students, combining the excitement of real-world practice alongside in-depth, thought-provoking academic research on a wide range of music business issues. In addition to our own vibrant industry events and conferences, you can also get involved in Southampton’s music scene, with a wide range of venues across the city catering for all musical tastes. Our graduates have given excellent feedback on their experience at Solent.

Our innovative music business degree will provide you with a thorough understanding of the industry, covering artist development, live events, festivals, project management, finance, marketing, legal contracts and copyright. We will support you to develop the personal entrepreneurial skills to succeed in this exciting industry, also providing essential marketing and PR training, social media and video production skills.

As part of your course, you will promote your own live event(s), work with artists, and launch music business projects that put your learning into practice. Our collaborative culture encourages you to work with students from other courses, which reflects the real-world working practices of the creative industries. The course also has a strong emphasis on hands-on work experience, which we encourage at local businesses, venues and festivals.

The course is led by an experienced, well-connected team of lecturers who regularly publish academic research and maintain excellent links with industry professionals. Previous guests have included staff from Domino Records, Universal Music Publishing Group, TikTok, Live Nation, The Roundhouse, BBC Radio 1, XL Recordings, Dirty Hit and PRS for Music.

Who is this course for?
Our degree course is ideal for students who want to build a career within the music business. Our current students include aspiring musicians, managers and content creators from a wide range of backgrounds, having previously studied varied subjects such as music, art, science, photography, English, ICT, business, media and economics.

The unifying theme amongst all of our students is a passion for music, regardless of previous experience or study. We welcome international students who wish to study music business at a UK university. We also support mature students who may have previously worked in music and now wish to formalise their experience with a degree qualification.

What does this course lead to?
Our course provides you with the essential skills needed for a wide range of music business career destinations, including record companies, music publishers, artist management, live music management, marketing, public relations (PR), digital roles and the creation of independent music companies.

Our graduates have gone on to work with leading music companies such as Sony, Universal, Warner, BMG, Live Nation, Spotify, The O2, PRS for Music, Dirty Hit, Miloco Studios, Toolroom Records, PIAS, ITB and YMU Group. Others manage artists or run their own record labels, live agencies and promotion businesses. Our focus on transferable skills means that many of our graduates have also built successful careers in other sectors such as health, technology, education, marketing, property, financial services and events management. Many graduates also progress to further study at postgraduate level.

Course Modules

YEAR ONE
CORE MODULES

Understanding the Music Business
Consuming Music: Fans and Audience
Creative Marketing and PR
Live Music and Festivals

YEAR TWO
CORE MODULES

Pop, Politics and Protest
Music Law: Contracts and Controversies
Managing Events
Making Money from Music: Artist Development Strategies

FINAL YEAR
CORE MODULES

Music Business Futures
Specialist Project
Copyright, Publishing and Sync
Individual Research Project

There are no exams on BA (Hons) Music Business. You may be assessed at the end of each block by:
Written assessments
Portfolios
Project work
Essays
Individual presentations
As part of this course, you will study one module at a time, giving you the chance to build a deeper understanding and see the results of your hard work more quickly. With regular assessments and feedback, rather than exams all at once, you’ll also benefit from improved focus, and a more manageable workload.