Skip to content

Music Business BA (Hons)

Start date

  • Level(s) of Study: Undergraduate
  • Typical Offer: 104 - 112 UCAS tariff points
  • UCAS Code(s): W375
  • Start Date(s): September
  • Duration: Three years, full-time
  • Study Mode(s): Full-time
  • Campus: Confetti Nottingham
Information for 2024

Introduction:

If you’re serious about building a career in the music industry, you need to train in the industry. It’s at Confetti where you’ll get the best industry connections, real-life work experience and unrivalled facilities.

We operate our own live music and event spaces – like Metronome – that are home to an eclectic mix of commercial-facing events and gigs. It’s here where you’ll learn your trade; the perfect space to learn, develop and connect.

This course is taught at Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies in Nottingham.

What you’ll study

You’ll be immersed in the world of music, gaining valuable knowledge and techniques in discovering new talent, setting up your business, marketing and PR, music publishing, intellectual property, the live industry, music recording and distribution.

You’ll be able to put your learning into practice through live projects, including the chance to work with Confetti’s very own record label, Denizen.

Getting regular insights from leading industry figures is a given; none more so that during our annual Confetti Industry Week where we invite some of the biggest names from industry to deliver talks, masterclasses and performances.

The Music Business (20 Credit Points)

In this module you'll explore the fundamentals of the key areas such as recording, publishing, distribution, consumption, live and artist management examined through a historical musical lens, but focussing on their current and emerging state. Who were the movers and shakers who made things happen and why did they happen that way? How can this apply to you at the start of your journey?

Marketing & PR (20 Credit Points)

Arguably, music's value is worthless unless people know it's out there. In this module, you'll explore the fundamental theory of marketing via a series of case studies through the ages of popular music and see how it's not necessarily the money spent, but the ideas that are the key to success.

The lessons learned will be considered in your Content Creation Practice and Event Management and Production modules as well as your own external endeavours.

Content Creation Practice (20 Credit Points)

A modern entrepreneur is multi-skilled, and this module will give you the important practical skills in graphic design, photography, filming and editing on accessible technology to enable you to create and share marketing content for your creative projects in and out of your degree.

As well as technical skills, you'll develop a more creative approach by supplying content for a media campaign for an artist as a client as part of the module Event Management and Production module.

Economics and Enterprise (20 Credit Points)

Behind every successful artist, tour or release is an actual economic structure.

This module will examine the key elements of business theory using existing and historical music business case studies and will open your eyes to key business theories and structures for your future in the industry.

Event Management & Production (20 Credit Points)

Live music is the lifeblood of the music industry, and you'll be in good hands at Confetti as our team of experts put on events week in, week out!

Regardless of genre, most artists need to perform live. In this module you'll work as part of a team to plan, market and host a live music-related event with one or multiple artists. There'll be a financial element, with all money raised benefiting Confetti's annual chosen charity.

Your Music Business Career (20 Credit Points)

You're at the beginning of your journey. You need to know your strengths and what you need to develop so you can focus your energies on filling those gaps.

This module will empower you to supercharge the fundamental academic and wellbeing skills you need in your studies and personal adventure. You will explore potential job roles of interest and assess current suitability, and what you need to do to improve your chances of success in those fields. You'll also develop an online presence, which you'll work upon over the three years during your time at Confetti to support your professional profile.

Applied Marketing & PR (20 Credit Points)

Building on the Year 1 Music Marketing and PR module, you'll delve deeper into the psychology of marketing and examine further techniques and case studies used to influence consumer behaviour.

As part of a team, you'll be assigned an artist as client around the release of a single and be directed to analyse their current branding, carrying out market research and other techniques, resulting in a proposed branding and marketing strategy plan.

Is your plan strong enough? Can you adapt to working with a client and your peers? You'll also start to consider yourself as a brand, whether that's as an artist or as a business practitioner.

Discovering & Developing Talent (40 Credit Points)

One of the most exciting things you can do is find an artist to shape what's to come: those who'll write and perform future classics. Studying at Confetti you'll be surrounded by musicians and producers, so make the most of your time by making life-long connections.

In this module, you'll find and develop an artist or band which will culminate in the release of a single under the guidance of Denizen Records, our own record label. You'll reflect on the appropriate A+R process, and develop the skills and people-network to move a track from discovery to release-standard.

You'll be learning alongside students on a host of creative degrees, enabling collaboration in the recording, production and release of a song for a defined market. You'll have assigned personnel to develop your marketing strategy and assets, but you'll be responsible for quality control.

You'll need to work within the parameters of the label structure and propose and justify a budget, take direction and instruction from label staff and consider options to self-release outside of the structure if the single is ultimately rejected by the label. Can you go from discovery to impact?

Popular Music History (20 Credit Points)

The history of popular music has informed where we are and where we might go next.

In this module, you'll be exposed to decades of key recordings, events, artists and the movers and shakers involved in shaping modern popular music as we know it. You'll examine the importance of music and see how it's been influenced by and influences society, politics and the world we live in.

You'll choose your own specific area to explore in more detail, then consider how you could apply what you have learned in your Discovering and Developing Talent project.

Revenue Streams (20 Credit Points)

There are many income streams in the world of music and it's vital you know and understand them.

During this module you'll learn all about the main sources, covering Performing Rights Organisations, (PROs), neighbouring rights, sync, and other key avenues to make money through a global lens. You'll take your findings and evaluate how you might apply them in your Discovering and Developing Talent module.

Music Industry Law (20 Credit Points)

The music industry can be a minefield and you need to be able to find your way around the fundamentals of the legal and ethical aspects of protecting yours and others' intellectual property.

In this module you'll explore what the law means to you and your potential avenues of income and will prepare you to spot the icebergs! You'll reflect upon what you learn and apply it to the Discovering and Developing Talent module.

Emerging Trends (40 Credit Points)

As a future leader of change, you'll create a dissertation based on your interests and personal study related to emerging opportunities, trends and thinking within the music business, negotiated through consultations with your supervisor.

The module gives you greater autonomy to define your potential career direction, and demonstrate your potential for professional practice as a initiator of change in the world of music.

You'll demonstrate your ability to research, critically analyse, and contextually formulate opinion on emerging industry related topics. You'll test and scrutinise your findings and present them in appropriate ways.

Your Music Business (40 Credit Points)

Planning your next steps in your career is vital.

In this module you'll spend time reflecting on how you've developed in terms of skills, knowledge and broader ethics, and plan how you will achieve a sustainable career in the music industry; whether this is as a freelancer, business start-up, or working for a music-related company.

You'll examine funding options, business plans, contact lists and your strategy for the future resulting in a plan that you can use to help you on your way. Your output plan will be pitched to a panel, and the most considered, focused and realistic will win a Confetti Employability Grant to support you in your goals. You will also hone your own branding and develop a web presence to support your professional direction.

Your Major Project (40 Credit Points)

This 'Capston Project' is a chance to put your skills and aspirations into practice into a final major project that can define you as a music business graduate and professional.

This output could take the form of a single or album project, a gig or tour, the management and development of an artist, or the creation of a label or music business app: the world is your music oyster!

You'll need to evidence, where appropriate, your team management skills by recruiting relevant team members from your network and recognising the importance of driving a project using people's specialist skill sets.

An industry mentor will be assigned to you. They'll support you throughout the project, culminating in a final presentation and analysis of its success.

Do It For Real at Splendour

2023 marked the tenth year of Confetti at Splendour Festival! Here's a recap of everything our students got up to over the weekend.
Video Icon
 

How you’re taught

This course incorporates a wide range of teaching methods including:

  • Lectures
  • Practical seminars
  • Guest speakers
  • Portfolio work
  • Team-based learning
  • Reflection
  • Independent study

The project-based learning and group activities form important elements of your learning, developing your ability to work in a team and enhancing your employability.

Industry Week

We also hold an annual Industry Week, the biggest of its kind in the UK, where guest speakers and mentors from the music industry are invited in to talk to students. Our students have the opportunity to learn from people working in the industry right now, and can make invaluable contacts during this week.

Past Industry Week guests have included:

  • Michael Eavis - Glastonbury founder
  • Kim Hawes – tour manager for Motorhead and Black Sabbath
  • Susan Rogers - with Prince and the Jacksons
  • Tom Visconti - worked with David Bowie
  • Piers Aggett - Rudimental
  • Nick Raphael – President of Capitol Records who signed Sam Smith
  • Trevor Plunkett - tour manager for George Ezra
  • Sylvia Massy - worked with Aerosmith, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Prince and Rick Rubin

Check out our talks OnDemand here.

Degree Show

In your final year you will exhibit your work as part of Confetti's Degree Show. This event includes all final year students across Confetti's courses and is a great platform for you to showcase your work to key influencers across the creative industries.

Careers and employability

Your time at Confetti doesn’t have to stop once you finish your undergraduate course. Choose to continue your studies on our postgraduate degrees that can help you further develop your skills and obtain the experience you need to get a head start in your career.

You’ll leave Confetti with a long list of contacts and the skills, knowledge and experience to enter the global music industry. You could see yourself working in artist management, publishing, labels, marketing and PR, or developing your own freelance empire as a DIY start up.

You could be working with/for:

  • record labels
  • publishers
  • venues
  • distributors
  • digital aggregators
  • artist managers
  • tour managers
  • marketing & comms departments
  • catalogue manager

Campus and facilities

Study a Music Business degree with us and you'll learn in our very own live music and events venue, Metronome.

With its unrivalled reputation for the quality of its sound and visuals, Metronome hosts a successful commercial programme of live events throughout the year – and it’s here where you’ll learn from the best and gain real work experience.

This world-class venue is home to some amazing facilities, jampacked with recording studios, rehearsal rooms, performances spaces, and a 400-capacity venue.

Check out the facilities at Metronome.

Entry requirements

  • Standard offer: 112 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications
  • Contextual offer: 104 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications

To find out what qualifications have tariff points, please use our tariff calculator.

Contextual offers

A lower offer may be made based on a range of factors, including your background (such as where you live and the school or college you attended), your experiences and individual circumstances (you may have been in care, for example). This is called a contextual offer and we get data from UCAS to make these decisions. NTU offers a student experience like no other and this approach helps us to find students who have the potential to succeed here but who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university. Find out how we assess your application.

Other qualifications and experience

We may also consider credits achieved at other universities and your work/life experience through an assessment of prior learning. This may be for year one entry, or beyond the beginning of a course where applicable, for example, into year 2. Our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy outlines the process and options available for this route.

Getting in touch

If you need more help or information, get in touch through our enquiry form

Meeting our entry requirements

Hundreds of qualifications in the UK have UCAS tariff points attached to specific grades, including A levels, BTECs, T Levels and many more. You can use your grades and points from up to four different qualifications to meet our criteria. Enter your predicted or achieved grades into our tariff calculator to find out how many points your qualifications are worth.

Getting in touch

If you need more help or information, get in touch through our enquiry form

  • 112 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications.

International qualifications

We accept qualifications from all over the world – check yours here:

English language entry requirements

You can meet our language requirements by successfully completing our pre-sessional English course for an agreed length of time, or by submitting the required grade in one of our accepted English language tests, such as IELTS:

Undergraduate preparation courses (Foundation)

If you don’t yet meet our entry requirements, we offer Foundation courses through our partner Nottingham Trent International College (NTIC), based on our City Campus:

Advanced standing (starting your undergraduate degree in year 2 or 3)

You may be able to start your undergraduate course in year 2 or 3 based on what you have studied before. This decision would be made in accordance with our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy.

Would you like some advice on your study plans?

Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.

Fees and funding

Preparing for the financial side of student life is important, but there's no need to feel anxious and confused about it. We hope that our fees and funding pages will answer all your questions.

Getting in touch

For more advice and guidance, you can contact our Student Financial Support Service.

Tel: +44 (0)115 848 2494

Preparing for the financial side of student life is important, but there's no need to feel anxious and confused about it. We hope that our fees and funding pages will answer all your questions.

Getting in touch

For more advice and guidance, you can contact our Student Financial Support Service.

Tel: +44 (0)115 848 2494

Scholarships

We offer scholarships of up to 50% of your tuition fee. You can apply for your scholarship when you have an offer to study at NTU.

Living costs

Get advice on the cost of living as an international student in Nottingham and how to budget:

Paying fees

Find out about advanced payments, instalment plan options and how to make payments securely to the University:

Would you like some advice on your study plans?

Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.

How to apply

Application for this course is through the UCAS application form.

Ready to join us? Then apply as soon as you can. Just click the Apply button at the top of the page and follow the instructions for applying. Make sure you check the entry requirements above carefully before you do.

Selection for this course takes place through UCAS application form.

Application deadline

This course starts in September and applications should be submitted by the UCAS deadline.

Applications received after this date will only be considered if places are still available, after all applications received by the deadline have been assessed.

Mature students

We welcome applications from mature students (over the age of 21) for this course. We will assess applicants of this nature on an individual basis.

If you are a mature student, you will still need to apply to us by UCAS form, but you don't necessarily need to meet our minimum entry requirements.

Writing your application and personal statement

Be honest, thorough and persuasive in your application. Remember, we can only make a decision based on what you tell us. So include all of your qualifications and grades, including resits or predicted grades,

Your personal statement is a really important part of your application. It's your chance to convince us why we should offer you a place! You've got 4,000 characters to impress us. Make sure you use them to show how your skills and qualities are relevant to the course(s) you're applying for. For more hints and tips, take a look at our page on how to write a good personal statement.

Keeping up to date

After you've applied, we'll be sending you important emails throughout the application process - so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder.

You can get more information and advice about applying to NTU on our Your Application page.

Getting in touch

If you need any more help or information, please email our Admissions Team or call on +44 (0)115 848 4200.

You can apply for this course through UCAS. If you are not applying to any other UK universities, you can apply directly to us on our NTU applicant portal.

Application advice

Apply early so that you have enough time to prepare – processing times for Student visas can vary, for example.  After you've applied, we'll be sending you important emails throughout the application process – so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder.

Writing your personal statement

Be honest, thorough, and persuasive – we can only make a decision about your application based on what you tell us:

Would you like some advice on your study plans?

Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.

The University's commitment to delivering the educational services advertised.