MO2S53 - Music Industry Practice 01 Sep 2021 - 31 Aug 2028 | Version 1

Associated Module Information

Module Code: MO2S53
Module Title: Music Industry Practice
Faculty: Faculty of Business and Creative Industries
Faculty Group: Music and Drama
Faculty Sub Group: Music
Module Leader: Gill Edwards-Randle
Module Team: Lucy Squire, Damon Minchella, Tim Land, Alun Tomos, David Coker
First Intended Intake: SEP 2021 Final Year of Intake: 2026
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 20 Credit Level: 5
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 101450 - applied music and musicianship
HECOS Code Weighting: 100

Document Version Information

Version 1
Valid From 01 Sep 2021
Valid To 31 Aug 2028

Module Aims

• To challenge student's preconceptions of the roles within the music industry. To give an overview of how the industry functions.
• To develop and understanding of realistic concepts of financial rewards.
• To provide a guide to the minefield of contract and intellectual property right laws.
• To gain knowledge about the many professional organisations that provide help and support.

Content Summary

To challenge student’s ideas of what constitutes “commercial” music, opening their eyes to the opportunities provided for music production – the live music industry, the sale through physical copies and digital files of commercial music, music for film, television & advertising, theme and programme music, production music, music for the gaming industry, the internet, broadcasting, theatre and sonic arts. They will also be given a broad understanding of the subsidiary industries – ticketing, merchandise, instruments (including accessories and maintenance), music software/hardware.

The module will broadly cover subject matter in the following areas:

• Intellectual Property
• Licensing
• Royalty Collection Societies
• Traditional structures in the industry –Record Companies (Major and Independent) & Publishing Companies
• The impact of Digital Technology on the Music Industry
• Contracts
• Marketing
• Manufacture and Distribution
• Touring
• Merchandising

Throughout the module, students are introduced to the major agencies that help and support the industry – BPI (British Phonographic Industry), AIM (Association of Independent Music), MU (Musicians’ Union), MPG (Music Producers Guild), APRS, Association of Professional Recording Services, BASCA (British Association of Composers, Songwriters and Authors), FAC (Featured Artists Coalition), MMF (Music Managers Forum), MPA (Music Publishers Association). PRS for Music and PPL (Phonographic Performance Limited)

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Lecture 18
Seminar 18
Independent Study 114
Directed Study 50
Total Hours Selected 200

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Identify the structures of the music industry, and the range of music products within commercial music, investigate the role of the many music industry bodies.
LO2 Investigate the processes and management of a typical music industry facility or company.

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Synchronous Online Oral Assessment Presentation (Synchronous Online) 1 A presentation of findings from a choice of given contemporary industry topics. 15 N/A 50 No 40
Asynchronous Assessment Essay 1 Examination of a chosen artefact in relation to its creation, production, legal protection and exploitation in, and by the music industry. 0 2500 50 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2
Presentation (Synchronous Online) 1
Essay 1

Reading List

Essential Reading
• Harrison, A. (2017) Music the business: the essential guide to the law and deals. (7th ed). London: Virgin Publishing
• Hesmondhalgh, D. (2019) The cultural industries. 4th edn. Los Angeles: SAGE.
• Passman, D. S. (2020) All you need to know about the music business. 10th edn. New York: Simon & Schuster.


Recommended Reading
• Eriksson, M., Fleischer, R., Johansson, A., Pelle Snickars and Vonderau, P. (2018). Spotify teardown : inside the black box of streaming music. Cambridge, Ma: Mit Press.
• Eamonn Forde (2019). Emi, terra firma & the battle for the soul of britain’s most iconic record company.
• Witt, S. (2016). How Music Got Free the Inventor, the Mogul and the Thief. London Vintage
• Cooke C, (2020) Dissecting The Digital Dollar: The streaming music business explained and discussed (Independently published)
• Smith M, (2017) Streaming, Sharing, Stealing: Big Data and the Future of Entertainment (The MIT Press)
• Gammons, H. (2021) Art of music publishing. 2nd edn. New York: Routledge.

Online
• https://musicindustryblog.wordpress.com/
• https://completemusicupdate.com/
• https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/