MODULE SPECIFICATION UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMMES KEY FACTS Module name Module code School Department or equivalent Music Business MU2109 School of Arts and Social Sciences Music UK credits 15 ECTS 7.5 Level 5 Delivery location (partnership programmes only) MODULE SUMMARY Module outline and aims This elective module will explore the music business in the UK focusing on a range of subject areas. These will include some or all of the following: How the UK music industry is made up; copyright issues; changing business models of record companies; marketing and public relations; drawing up a business plan and preparing a financial spreadsheet; discussing current trends in the business and exploring solutions. Its primary focus is on equipping you with the necessary business knowledge and skills to complement and help realise their creative vision as musicians and to enable effective navigation of the music business. In this module you will: Develop awareness of the UK music industry including the political, legal, economic and social framework in which musicians and music managers operate. Discuss and identify the current issues facing the music industry. Map and understand the roles and functions of agents, managers, promoters, music publishers and record companies. Identify the relevant skills and attitudes required for a career in the music industry and evaluate their own potential for such a career. Develop an awareness of different business models and undertake a business plan for a recording project.
Content outline The UK music industry Copyright Music and the law - key points within music contracts The role of music publishers, record companies and publishers The role of managers, agents and promoters Music marketing Music business models Financial planning Developing a business plan or proposal Current trends and issues facing the music industry WHAT WILL I BE EXPECTED TO ACHIEVE? On successful completion of this module, you will be expected to be able to: Knowledge and understanding: Understand the key roles, relationships and responsibilities pertaining to managers and other key players including agents, promoters, record companies and music publishers. Understand the key clauses in the main contracts involved in music management. Understand and give a considered opinion on the impact of the current challenges that face the music industry. Skills: Evaluate the strategies of music managers in a range of contexts. Communicate effectively by written and verbal means. Work independently and to deadlines. Identify the key components involved in developing a strategy for an artist's career. Identify the structure, size and main markets of the music industry. Identify the role and relationships of music industry professionals and associations in the UK Select the product chain (pre production to market place) and the cost benefits of each music carrying format for different musical examples. Describe the income streams within the music industry and the flow of royalties to the musical and recorded works copyright owners through the collection agencies. Prepare a promotional campaign for a band or artiste or independent release. Gather organise and deploy ideas and information in order to formulate arguments coherently and express them effectively in written, verbal or in other forms. Synthesise information from a variety of sources. Values and attitudes: Respect and acknowledge the ideas and work of others.
Discuss other people's work and ideas in a constructive and respectful manner. HOW WILL I LEARN? A programme of presentations, workshops and tutorials provide the necessary knowledge base. Teaching pattern: Teaching component Teaching type Contact hours (scheduled) Self-directed study hours (independent) Placement hours Total student learning hours Tutorials Tutorial 1 0 0 1 Lectures Lecture 20 129 0 149 Totals 21 129 0 150 WHAT TYPES OF ASSESSMENT AND FEEDBACK CAN I EXPECT? Assessments By oral presentation and project Assessment pattern: Assessment component Assessment type Weighting Minimum qualifying mark Pass/ Fail? Presentation (8 minutes) Project (2700-3000 words) Oral assessment and presentation Written assignment, including essay 30 30 N/A 70 30 N/A Assessment criteria
Assessment Criteria are descriptions of the skills, knowledge or attributes students need to demonstrate in order to complete an assessment successfully and Grade-Related Criteria are descriptions of the skills, knowledge or attributes students need to demonstrate to achieve a certain grade or mark in an assessment. Assessment Criteria and Grade-Related Criteria for module assessments will be made available to students prior to an assessment taking place. More information will be available from the module leader. Feedback on assessment Following an assessment, students will be given their marks and feedback in line with the Assessment Regulations and Policy. More information on the timing and type of feedback that will be provided for each assessment will be available from the module leader. Assessment Regulations The Pass mark for the module is 40%. Any minimum qualifying marks for specific assessments are listed in the table above. The weighting of the different components can also be found above. The Programme Specification contains information on what happens if you fail an assessment component or the module. INDICATIVE READING LIST Adorno, Theodor. The Culture Industry, London: Routledge, 1991 Anderson, C. The Longer Long Tail, London: Random House Business Books, 2009 Ashurst, Will. Stuff the Music Business: the DIY guide to making it London: Sanctuary Publishing, 2000 Cloonan, M. Popular music and the state in the UK: culture, trade or industry? Aldershot: Ashgate, 2007 Johnson, J. Who Needs Classical Music? Cultural Choice and Musical Value. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. Rutter, P. ed. The Music Industry Handbook, London: Routledge, 2011 Wikström, P. The Music Industry: Music in the Cloud, Cambridge: Polity Press, 2011 IFPI the recording industry in numbers 2010 (the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) IFPI Digital Music Report 2011 BPI Statistical handbook 2010 (British Phonographic Industry) ERA yearbook 2011 (Entertainment Retailers Association) Version: 1.1 Version date: February 2015 For use from: 2016-17
Appendix: see http://www.hesa.ac.uk/content/view/1805/296/ for the full list of JACS codes and descriptions CODES HESA Code Description Price Group 33 Design and Creative Arts C JACS Code Description Percentage (%) N990 W300 Miscellaneous grouping for related subjects which do not fit into the Others in Business and Administrative categories. To be used sparingly. The study of melody, harmony and rhythm produced in accordance with specified patterns and sequences. May include performance, theory and history of music. 50 50