Interested in the music business? Then do what you love! Want to work as an artist manager, song plugger, A&R talent scout, music publicist, music publisher, record label executive, concert promoter, or anywhere else in music business?
Make your dreams a reality at the Department of Recording Industry at Middle Tennessee State University. Earn a bachelor’s degree in music business from the best faculty and the best equipped facility in the U.S. Our faculty members are all specialists in various fields in the music business with over 100 years of combined experience. We combine classroom learning with real-world experience to provide you with the best education, experience and introduction into the music business. Our students are members of the Grammy University Network and other national and local student organizations.
Our program is fast paced and student centered. You’ll receive a first-rate education in the recording industry. You’ll get hands-on experience with the best equipment available. You’ll meet and work with top industry professionals, who seek out and hire our graduates for the top jobs in the business. Do what you love – at MTSU's Department of Recording Industry.
Course offerings:
Artist Management.
Understanding the role of a personal manager in the music business including artist development, branding, strategic planning, tour management and organizing the artist's team.
Music Publishing.
Learn about the music publishing industry including the song writer/publisher relationship and how royalties are generated, collected, and distributed.
Marketing of Recordings.
Strategies of selling recorded music and generating income from alternative licensing sources. Covers advertising, publicity, new media marketing, radio promotion, street team marketing, record label operations, marketing plans, video, tour support, distribution, special products, and SoundScan™.
Concert Promotion.
Become familiar with the concert industry from designing, building, and launching a major tour. Understand what agents, concert promoters, tour managers, production managers, and production techs do to bring the act and their audience together. Learn to appreciate contracts, riders, tour budgets, and concert planning and budgeting.
The A & R Function.
The role and responsibilities of the artist and repertoire department of a record label. Includes applied projects and real-world applications.
Survey of the Recording Industry.
Overview of music business careers, including artist devel¬opment, songwriting, record promo¬tion, publishing, record companies, and performing rights. Study the three basic income streams in the music business: music publishing, recorded music sales, and live performance
income.
Copyright Law.
Learn about copyright law and how it applies to the music industry, including issues of piracy, sampling, infringement and protection.
Contracts and Legal Issues.
An overview of legal problems encountered in the recording industry with specific attention to contractual considerations in recording and producing.
Publicity in the Recording Industry.
Provides real-world skills in music publicity. Students learn how to write bios and press releases, assemble press kits and develop media plans to promote albums and tours.
International Recording Industry.
Learn about key global recording industry features and practices, and how the international music business is also greatly shaped by cultural, economic and political factors.
History of Recording Industry.
Details the evolution of recording and playback technologies, the industry that profits from them, and the content that makes recordings a vital part of American life. Highlights patterns in these stories that help explain how things got to be the way they are now, and where they might be going.
Entertainment Writing and Reporting.
Teaches the basic skills necessary to become an entertainment journalist, including writing entertainment news and feature stories and album/concert reviews.
Recording Industry Internship.
Business. Practical experience for advanced students in a professional music business setting. Placement is with one of over 300 top companies who participate in our internship program, including record labels, publishing companies, artist management companies, booking agencies, entertainment law firms, and others.
Recording Industry Research.
Conduct research for major recording industry
companies, including focus groups and surveys and presenting the findings to our
industry research partners.
Music As Popular Culture.
Looks beyond the surface of popular music fads and trends to discuss why it is such an exciting social, cultural, and professional environment. Encourages learners to think critically and analytically about the music they love (and hate) to better understand the role of popular music as a part of everyday life.
Record Label Operations.
How record labels make the deals and find the profits. An applied, project-based course, students in this course conduct projects with record labels in the field to gain experience and build contacts.
History of Country Music.
A detail introduction to the history and culture of
American country music.
Understanding the Nashville Music Business.
Study the structures and relationships of Nashville's music industry. Learn how the business and business etiquette works on Music Row and learn the roles and significance of Nashville’s
key industry leaders.
Advanced Concert Promotion.
Students promote an actual concert after selecting the act, negotiating with the venue, securing sponsorships, advertising the event, and selling tickets.
The Recording Industry major (RIM) is a 120-semester-hour program leading to a Bachelor of Science degree. Students may elect the Music Business concentration or the Production & Technology concentration. Requirements include 41 hrs of General Ed. courses, 45 hrs of RIM courses, and one minor. Please refer to the current Undergraduate Catalog for official degree requirements.
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