Music Business & Management BA/BSc (Hons)
Epsom
Course overview
If you have the drive to work in the music industry, then our BA/BSc (Hons) Music Business and Management course is for you.
As well as providing you with an overview of the industry, it will give you the chance to explore your own areas of interest and develop the skills you need to thrive in this fast-moving, increasingly global sector.
Whether you picture yourself working in record company management, music marketing, A&R (talent scouting and development), artist management or live music, this course will give you everything you need to achieve your goals, including expertise in merchandising, e-commerce, social media marketing, branding, management and promotion.
Taught at our Business School for the Creative Industries at UCA Epsom, the course will give you the opportunity to build a professional network in one of the UK’s most successful and competitive creative businesses. London is the centre of the music industry in the UK, Europe and, arguably, the world. And with our impressive array of contacts, you will leave the course with the knowledge, skills and professional network to operate in the music industry in the UK, or beyond.
Our standard three year undergraduate degree for those who meet the entry requirements for higher education.
UCAS Code for 3 year/standard: W376
A four year degree programme, including a foundation year to help develop your creativity before you embark on year one of a degree.
UCAS Code for course with Integrated Foundation Year: W37A
A four year course, specifically designed to provide international students with the English language and creative skills before they embark on year one of a degree.
UCAS Code for course with Integrated International Foundation Year: W37C
A four year programme, which sees you spend an entire year gaining valuable industry experience prior to your final year of study.
UCAS Code for course with Professional Practice: W377
A five year course, including a foundation year to help develop your creativity before you embark on year one of a degree, and a year on a professional placement gaining valuable industry experience prior to your final year of study.
UCAS Code for course with Integrated Foundation Year and Professional Practice Year: W37B
A five year course, including an international foundation year concentrating on English language and core creative skills before you embark on year one of a degree, and a year on a professional placement gaining valuable industry experience prior to your final year of study.
UCAS Code for course with International Integrated Foundation Year and Professional Practice Year: W37D
Course Details
The content of the course may be subject to change. Curriculum content is provided as a guide.
UCA’s Integrated Foundation Year is designed to give you the skills you’ll need to start your degree in the best possible way – with confidence, solid knowledge of creative practice, study skills and more.
You’ll explore a range of creative techniques and develop your portfolio, with your chosen subject in mind. We’ll work with you throughout the year to ensure you’re on the right track and give you the tools to achieve your highest potential on your degree.
For our students coming from a non-UK educational background, UCA has an Integrated International Foundation Year to bring students from around the world to one hub of creativity. This is based at UCA Epsom and delivered by UCAIC.
This year of preparatory study is designed to give you the skills you’ll need to start your degree in the best possible way – with confidence, solid knowledge of creative practice, study skills and the English speaking and writing skills you’ll need to succeed.
You’ll explore a range of creative techniques and develop your portfolio, with your chosen subject in mind. We’ll work with you throughout the year to ensure you’re on the right track and give you the tools to achieve your highest potential on your degree.
Year 1 focuses on the foundations of the music business examining the history of music and how it has shaped culture and society, and in turn, been shaped by technology and trends. You will study how the principles of marketing and promotion have been developed to take advantage of online media and technology.
Business Bootcamp 1: Design Thinking & Orientation
This unit is designed to introduce you to the Business School for the Creative Industries highly effective learning community and professional global network orientation as you explore design thinking.
Music: Theories & Histories
This unit will situate music in broader economic and political practices. These impact how audiences & consumers value and engage with creative outputs in the public sphere.
Foundations of Marketing and Communications
You will be introduced to the concepts, theories and models utilised in marketing and communications, providing the basis for further study within the course.
Principles of Live Events
This unit will introduce you to the fundamental guiding principles of designing and managing successful events from the generation stage to the post-event review and evaluation.
Business Seminar 1 – Understanding Consumers
This unit explores what happens before, during, and after the point when someone buys something. It investigates how having (or not having) certain products affects our lives; specifically, how these items influence how we feel about ourselves and each other, especially with the influence of social media and the digital consumption.
Business Bootcamp 2: Research and Development
The Bootcamp is an orientation unit for all students commencing Business School programmes and is designed to build a highly effective learning community.
Live Music Industry
The purpose of this unit will be to review and discuss the structure of the live industry, identifying key companies and players, the current issues and the changing interdisciplinary relationships between live and recorded music sectors, as well as the management, organisation and promotion of a live music event.
Music & Brands
This unit explores the concepts of brand development, identity and management strategies. You will gain a broad understanding of the power of music and brands, and what makes a brand successful. You will look at the current music ‘brandscape’ and understand strategic alliances that exploit commercial opportunities as well as exploring issues around authenticity and integrity.
Music: Business & Practices (elective unit)
This unit introduces you to the fundamental principles of music business & practices through a global lens. You will identify with how the macro environment affects the music industry sectors and consumer groups and how it operates, introducing you the various market levels and sectors.
Business Seminar 2 – Business Analytics
This unit provides general knowledge about business analytics, illustrated with case studies and examples from various creative industries. In order to use the above-mentioned methods and models effectively, an understanding of underlying probability theory and statistics is needed.
Year 2 deepens your understanding of the live music industry and how it fits in with the recorded music sector and you will be organising your own gigs or music events. Music Publishing and the revenues available to creatives and copyright owners are studied to give you a grounding on international music copyrights, the business of song-writing, revenue streams and contractual relationships that bind music creators and commercial concerns.
Business Bootcamp 3: Storytelling and Narrative
This bootcamp provides you with an opportunity to explore narrative structures and experiment how they have been used, particularly in the changing landscape of digital marketing, demonstrating how important it is to develop your storytelling skills in the creative industries.
Financial Management
In this unit you will explore business, financial and management models relating to the creative economy with focus sessions on the nuances of Fashion, Music and Digital revenue streams.
Influence & Influencers (elective unit)
This unit aims to holistically approach the subject of influence and influencer-led marketing, looking to the practical, critical and theoretical contexts surrounding this subject. We’ll begin by outlining the contexts surrounding influence – including the history of the influencer, and its contemporary applications within fashion, music and advertising.
Digital Marketing Analytics (elective unit)
Digital marketing analytics seeks to understand markets in order to improve marketing actions. The ability to acquire, analyse and to understand large marketing data sets, made possible by digitisation, can improve marketing campaigns and result in better performance. Data sets can be mined using a variety of quantitative techniques. Understanding markets better will enable more effective allocation of marketing budgets and an improved understanding of customer experiences.
Public Relations (elective unit)
Great PR resonates in a way that advertising never can. In this unit you will discover the theories, the personalities, and the good, the bad and the ugly of this craft. You will learn how to produce press releases, boiler plates and building compelling stories and how to pitch them.
Gamification & Marketing (elective unit)
This unit approaches the subject of gamification and marketing holistically, investigating the practical, critical and theoretical contexts surrounding this subject. The unit begins by assessing some of the more well-known intersections in this field in the forms of production, distribution, commerce and consumer experience.
Wearable Technology (elective unit)
The unit explores wearable cultures, alongside the macro and micro landscapes and how this is influencing and impacting the creative industries. It investigates how sectors are adopting, or resisting, the technology and where and how it is being used; end product or experience, production, supply chain.
Business Seminar 3: Professional Practice
You will be guided through a series of lectures, workshops and seminars to prepare you for your industry experience; self-diagnosis will be in respect of your interests, strengths, areas for development and your future career ambitions; building and creating your network, how you can make a positive contribution to industry and how you see yourself and others.
Business Bootcamp 4: Exploring Innovation
Through a series of exciting and engaging fast paced workshops, tasks and peer sessions you will be introduced and welcomed to professional practice and conduct in the creative industries through the BSCI Honeycomb Lens where we facilitate self-motivation, exploration, empowerment, and support development and recognition of skills for learning as you experience your business school journey.
Artist Development & Management
This unit explores, through management theories and practices, how to develop, manage and sustain artist careers in today's dynamic music market. At the intersection between art and commerce, students will gain insights and experience into the management of artists, creative teams, products, services and processes, while considering the commercial imperatives of key stakeholders and intermediaries within the business.
Music, Media & Communications: Print & Audio
This unit explores the connection between music and media. It will uncover the history of music media from the early works of music criticism up to the present-day landscape of multiple digital channels, social media and individual narratives.
Visual Communications of Music
This unit will allow you to explore the interrelationship between music and visuals, and the interplay between the artist, the industry, and the audience.
Behavioural Studies and Consumption (elective unit)
This unit aims to introduce students to the theory and practice of consumer behaviour and consumption. You will explore how perceptions, learning, memory, personality, and culture influence consumer behaviour and how consumption changes by cultural and subcultural influences.
Professional Placement (for students not on Professional Practice Year pathway)
This unit is self-initiated and will involve you taking a legitimate Industry placement opportunity, regarded by you and your unit leader as an appropriate and unique professional experience.
Creative Innovation (for students on the Professional Practice Year pathway)
This unit is designed for you investigate the real-world, relevant issues that are impacting on your Industry, whilst challenging well-established theory and/or principles which these contemporary issues conflict with.
Industry Lecture Series (for students on the Professional Practice Year pathway)
The series will include industry expert lectures, group workshops and group working, in order to test and explore industry sectors.
If you opt to complete a professional practice year, this will take place in year three. You will undertake a placement within the creative industries to further develop your skills and CV.
While you study the Professional Practice Year, you will be required to pay a reduced tuition fee for that year. This fee will be determined using government funding regulations. Based on current regulations, we expect this to be a maximum of 20% of the tuition fee rate that you are charged for your second year of study. You will also incur additional travel and accommodation costs during this year. The University will provide you with further advice and guidance about this as you approach your Professional Practice Year.
You’ll spend two years learning with us, before putting what you’ve learned into practice through a year-long industry placement.
Our Professional Practice placements give you the opportunity to develop your professional, academic and personal potential, equipping you to be confident and engaged in creative workplaces. These qualities are widely recognised by employers and a significant proportion of placement students nationally are offered graduate-level jobs or go onto postgraduate study.
Throughout your placement, your course team will support you, making use of our extensive industry connections to help facilitate you to find about the right placement for you. On conclusion of the placement, you’ll return to complete your final year of study – applying what you’ve learned on the job.
Year 3 provides an opportunity to explore the cutting edge of the music industry as a global business. You will develop your own major degree project, undertake trips to major international centres of the music industry and prepare for your career in professional practice.
Business Bootcamp 5: Research & Methodologies
This bootcamp provides you with an opportunity to understand how effective research can support your studies and methodology is about how you find the answers to your questions and the methods that you use. We shall discuss the different methods by which you can elicit findings whether quantitative (informing by data) or qualitative (informing from opinions). In most of today’s industries ‘data’ is king.
Publishing & Rights Management
This unit discusses music publishing, copyright and the management and exploitation of rights internationally in the digital age. Anchoring music copyright in historical foundations, the unit will trace the development and adaptation through analogue and digital disruption.
Music: Global Industry & Futures (elective unit)
This unit explores the concept of future thinking and its influence on the global music industry. You will be analysing influence from culture and society, and predicting through recognition of global shifts and emerging trend manifestations.
Creative Business Start-up (elective unit BA course)
In this unit you will learn the process of creating and building a new business venture. You will explore a range of case studies and identify and evaluate the role of creativity in business start-ups.
Data Mining for Marketers (elective unit BA/BSc course)
Data Mining focuses on the use of automation to uncover relationships within datasets that can be used to support improved decision processes. When employed in marketing, data mining will use customer, potential customer, supplier and population data to reveal patterns in the data that have potential to improve the marketing process and outcomes.
Predictive Analytics for Business (elective unit BA/BSc course)
This unit introduces predictive modelling and explains its application in business decisions. It focusses on a set of statistical techniques including regression modelling, cluster analysis and survival analysis, using predominantly using Excel and R.
Audience Evaluation (elective unit BA/BSc course)
This unit provides an introduction to audience research in the creative industries, aiming to evaluate how audiences play a key role in shaping creative and cultural experiences and marketing activities in contemporary business environments.
Business Seminar 4: Strategy & Decision Making
This unit provides knowledge about strategic Decision Making for Management and will enable you to transform decision making into a smart and insightful process, providing a robust framework of effective and replicable solutions for better decisions and awareness of decision traps, as well as learning how to assess and choose high-value strategic options under the current climate of enormous uncertainty.
Business Bootcamp 6: Developing Enterprise
This unit will provide you with the opportunity to develop your creative thinking skills in a collaborative environment, bringing greater understanding to how those ideas may develop and transform through product or enterprise development.
Degree Project
In this final unit, you will apply all the learning throughout years 1,2 and 3 to create a distinctive piece of work for your degree project. Your final portfolio will implement a series of outcomes that evaluates and analyses the ideation of your concept.
Tuition fees
2022 course fees for Year 1 entry and Integrated Foundation Year:
- UK students - £9,250
- EU students - £9,250 (see fee discount information)
- International students - £16,950
If you opt to study the Professional Practice Year, for 2022 you will be required to pay a reduced tuition fee of £1,850 (UK students) and £3,390 (International students). You will also incur additional travel and accommodation costs during your Professional Practice year. The University will provide you with further advice and guidance about this.
Additional course costs
In addition to the tuition fees there may be other costs for your course. The things that you are likely to need to budget for to get the most out of a creative arts education will include books, printing costs, occasional or optional study trips and/or project materials. These costs will vary according to the nature of your project work and the individual choices that you make. Please see the additional course costs for 2021 entry. The details for 2022 entry will be available here in due course.
Further information
For more detailed infomation about our course fees and any financial support you may be entitled to please see our fees and finance pages.
The fees listed here are correct for the stated academic year only. Costs may increase each year during a student’s period of continued registration on course in line with inflation (subject to any maximum regulated tuition fee limit). Any adjustment for continuing students will be at or below the RPI-X forecast rate.
Industry placement
offer
Preparing graduates for successful careers underpins everything we do, and all students on this course will be offered an industry placement anywhere between two weeks and a year in length, depending on their individual needs. We’ll draw on our wide range of contacts within the creative industries to ensure you’re offered opportunities that align with your interests and future career aspirations.
Course specifications
Please note, syllabus content indicated is provided as a guide. The content of the course may be subject to change in line with our Student Terms and Conditions for example, as required by external professional bodies or to improve the quality of the course.
Facilities
Dedicated studio space for tutorials, workshops, group and independent working with course recording area with booth for radio and podcast podcast production. Campus digital media suites with Macs and PCs programmed with the latest design software and fully-equipped photographic studios with lighting rigs, green screen lighting and set up.
Music Business studio, UCA Epsom
Recording area, UCA Epsom
Digital media suite, UCA Epsom
Photography studios, UCA Epsom
Entry requirements
BA/BSc (Hons) course
BA/BSc (Hons) course with Professional Practice Year
The standard entry requirements* for these courses are one of the following:
- 112 new UCAS tariff points, see accepted qualifications
- Pass at Foundation Diploma in Art & Design (Level 3 or 4)
- Distinction, Merit, Merit at BTEC Extended Diploma / BTEC National Extended Diploma
- Merit at UAL Extended Diploma
- 112 new UCAS tariff points from an accredited Access to Higher Education Diploma in appropriate subject
- 27-30 total points in the International Baccalaureate Diploma with at least 15 IB points at Higher level, see more information about IB entry requirements.
And four GCSE passes at grade A*-C and/or grade 4-9 including English (or Functional Skills English/Key Skills Communication Level 2).
Other relevant and equivalent Level 3 UK and international qualifications are considered on an individual basis, and we encourage students from diverse educational backgrounds to apply.
BA/BSc (Hons) course with Integrated Foundation Year
BA/BSc (Hons) course with Integrated Foundation Year and Professional Practice Year
The standard entry requirements for these courses are one of the following:
- 64 new UCAS tariff points, see accepted qualifications
- Pass at Foundation Diploma in Art & Design (Level 3 or 4)
- Merit, Pass, Pass at BTEC Extended Diploma / BTEC National Extended Diploma
- Pass at UAL Extended Diploma
- 64 new UCAS tariff points from an accredited Access to Higher Education Diploma in appropriate subject
- 24 points from the International Baccalaureate, see more information about IB entry requirements.
And four GCSE passes at grade A*-C and/or grade 4-9 including English (or Functional Skills English/Key Skills Communication Level 2).
Other relevant and equivalent Level 3 UK and international qualifications are considered on an individual basis, and we encourage students from diverse educational backgrounds to apply.
BA/BSc (Hons) course with Integrated International Foundation Year
BA/BSc (Hons) course with Integrated International Foundation Year and Professional Practice Year
For these courses you need to have completed 12 years* of schooling (with good grades) and show strong evidence of your ability to successfully complete the programme and progress onto your chosen degree.
*We occasionally make offers which are lower than the standard entry criteria, to students who have faced difficulties that have affected their performance and who were expected to achieve higher results. We consider the strength of our applicants’ portfolios, as well as their grades - in these cases, a strong portfolio is especially important.
To view the equivalent entry requirements for your country please select it in the list below.
Don't meet the international entry requirements or English language requirements?
You may be able to enter the course through the following entry courses:
Pre-sessional English courses in the UK or China
These courses don't require a portfolio.
We welcome students with a broad range of A-level subjects, as well as students with appropriate Art & Design Foundations or BTEC/UALAB diplomas which allow you to demonstrate your ability to research, evaluate and produce creative solutions.
Apply Now
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UCAS Institution
C93
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UCAS Code for 3 year/standard
W376
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UCAS Code for course with Professional Practice
W377
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UCAS Code for course with Integrated Foundation Year
W37A
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UCAS Code for course with Integrated International Foundation Year
W37C
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UCAS Code for course with Integrated Foundation Year and Professional Practice Year
W37B
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UCAS Code for course with Integrated International Foundation Year and Professional Practice Year
W37D
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