My high school junior insists on leaving home someday ...

March 26, 2007 8:49 AM

Best undergraduate options for the business of music/music managment majors?

My musically talented daughter -- guitar, songwriting, performing, with an encyclopedic knowledge of popular music from Elvis on -- is a junior in high school. She has excellent grades in every subject (although she gets an occasional B in the maths) and is starting the college search. She has expressed an interest in a music business major (meaning, I've insisted she have a back-up plan to "I wanna be a rock star").

I don't think she's hardcore enough for a conservatory environment, from what I've gleaned. I need to narrow the options as we plan visits. She'd like a medium sized campus within striking distance of a city.
We've got Austin, Oberlin, Berklee, Goucher and Ithaca on the short list. We're from NYC, so that can't be on the list (sob).

Any other ideas greatly appreciated!

posted by thinkpiece to education (15 comments total)

Can I recommend two in Nashville? Belmont University and Middle Tennessee State University are, arguably, the best programs for music business in the nation, and have been around the longest. I, myself, am a MTSU alumni, having graduated 3 years ago with a BS in Recording Industry Management, emphasis in Music Business. They offer a Production and Technology emphasis, as well, and I have may friends who have that as well.

I am biased towards MTSU for one reason and one reason only - cost. The tuition at Belmont is private school level, and in all honesty, is no better than what you'd get at MTSU - and it costs much less and is secular, to boot.

As for what she can do with the degree afterwards, I have many alumni friends (including myself) who are in law school - getting a job in the industry is hella difficult, but the abilty to live in NYC with the parents while interning is a great plus for her that is not available to many people.

But, seriously - look at these two programs. The programs in Austin are up and coming, but haven't been around long enough to have a good alumni depth or faculty list. Either one of these will do what she's looking for and then some - and even if she hates country music, she need not worry about not being able to find people doing what she's into.

If you want more info about what its like to go there or if she has any questions, email is in the profile.
posted by plaidrabbit at 9:18 AM on March 26, 2007

Fantastic -- she loves country music. I will definitely get her to check into it MTSU.
posted by thinkpiece at 9:28 AM on March 26, 2007

Although it doesn't meet all your critertia (middle of a large city), I've been very happy with the Music Industry program at USC. They also have both technical and business paths, and because it's Los Angeles, there's many current and ex-industry people who both teach and come give guest lectures. I recommend checking out the website to see what you think, and if have any more questions, feel free to email me (in my profile). Here's the main website and here's a look at some of the courses offered. Good luck with your search!
posted by fishmasta at 9:31 AM on March 26, 2007

I would look seriously into whether most people in the music industry actually have degrees in "music business." I suspect that people in the industry have ordinary college degrees in ordinary subjects and then get experience via internships or extracurriculars. A music business degree is only a sound backup plan if it's more likely than some other degree to allow one to work in the industry. If not, then she could go to a college of her choice and get a degree in something that interests her.
posted by craichead at 9:35 AM on March 26, 2007

Personally? If being a professional popular (i.e., not classical) musician is really what she wants, I think that college is not as important as living in a city in which it's possible to be a professional musician, practicing every day, and making lots of contacts in the scene.

No one tells you that you're ready to start a band, or go on tour. You just have to give yourself permission. And, like everything else, the first couple of times will suck.

Which is not to say that college is not a good idea. A well-rounded liberal arts education--with lots of exposure to all of the arts--will help her both as a musician and as a human. Not to mention making her more employable.

As for Arts Administration programs, in my experience any college with competent business and arts programs should be fine. She'll be taking heavy loads of classes in both programs, so she should be sure to meet with faculty in both when visiting schools. What matters more than college choice is internships and other opportunities after college.

But above all, I'd encourage her not to get too set on one path. What she really needs is a day job that's not too painful as she works on her music.
posted by roll truck roll at 9:51 AM on March 26, 2007

Might as well chime in. I think that this is a glamour profession she's after, with schools eager to take your cash promising a dream job. Why don't you keep her out of school for a year and have her intern in her chosen field?

Remember Hunter S Thompson's sage advice: “The music business is a cruel and shallow money
trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and
pimps run free, and good men die like dogs.
There's also a negative side.”
posted by toastchee at 10:02 AM on March 26, 2007

i second the above recommendations for belmont and middle tennessee state. neither is super expensive (mtsu is especially affordable) and are both respected "feeder schools" into recording studio internships.

although taking a year off to intern is not a bad idea, i think she would get a better internship that gives her more responsibilities if she had (a) a year or two of classroom learning--both schools are hands-on-- and (b) a little more maturity.

and in my opinion, school is never a bad idea. broadens the mind, etc etc.
posted by thinkingwoman at 10:25 AM on March 26, 2007

My sister-in-law went to Syracuse and was very happy with their music industry program.

http://vpa.syr.edu/index.cfm/page/music-industry
posted by mingshan at 10:32 AM on March 26, 2007

I'd second Belmont and MTSU in Nashville, though I'd prefer Belmont (I'm an alum). The most important thing to consider is that breaking into the music biz (at least in Nashville) is that it's much more about who you know than what you studied or how talented you are; I know that's not a surprise to anybody.

Nashville is a great town, though it may be a little small & claustrophobic for NYC types.
posted by PFL at 11:06 AM on March 26, 2007

UMass Lowell has a Music Business program (as well as Music Ed, Performance, and Sound Recording Technology). It's definitely a medium sized school (with even fewer people actually living on campus), and it's a half hour train ride from Boston. (I have a few friends in the music program, so if you have more specific questions, I could probably find answers.)
posted by lisawin at 12:37 PM on March 26, 2007

Do note that the music business itself is changing rapidly, and so she'd ideally want a program that adjusts with the times in terms of technology and rights-management. She might also consider becoming a contract or intellectual property lawyer.

Most of my college friends work in the music business (record labels, A&R and promotions/marketing). They went to liberal arts colleges and majored in English or Communications and are not musicians themselves. It wasn't difficult for them to intern their way in, so if that's what she's interested in, great -- it frees her up to major in whatever she wants.

Also, there are a lot of good solid other fields out there for people interested in backup plans for rockstardom... film scoring, music production/engineering, music supervision and editing (for films), to name just a few.
posted by xo at 4:37 PM on March 26, 2007

I have a degree from MTSU's Recording Industry program (the technical side). The "business" side of the program would suit her well. She'll learn the basics of copyright law, and some useless classes like "the history of popular music." A regular "business" degree from a better school would probably suit her better though in the long run.

The benefit of going to MTSU would be the connections she could cultivate. But going to a better "business" program while pursuing a local music scene might be just as good. (hey, Dave Matthews broke through the little UVA-town of Charlottesville, VA).

The most successful "music business" professionals that I've come across are good ol' accountants and lawyers that made their way into the music side of it all. (like they say... it's a "business")

my 2 cents: I think if she wants to play music, she needs to pursue that 110% - and not necessarily have a backup plan. You make the choices that let you go for it and do it... or you don't.

hope this helps a little...
posted by mrmarley at 5:13 PM on March 26, 2007

Carnegie Mellon is a prestigious school with (at least) a recognized program in Arts Management. I know someone who went through that program about 10 years ago and loved it; worth looking into whether it fits her needs.
posted by LobsterMitten at 8:51 PM on March 26, 2007

I would (as a random friend of the family with some experience in the biz, not as 'parent') encourage her to pursue Music Education. It's the only secure job with the word 'music' anywhere near it. I'm not saying she should give up on dreams--far from it, but in my experience and in the experiences of many professional musicians of all ilks, there ain't much in music you can't learn by practicing, and there ain't much in the music business that ain't business related.

as many of the people above have mentioned, if she's into the technical side of things, that's a whole different ball of wax.

that said, there are tons of good music business programs out there, and most have been mentioned already. North Texas State is a great state school with amazing musical programs, and the Eastman School of Music is closer to home than the other ones you mentioned.

the moral of my ramble is: she should do music for music, and business for business. every musical concentration will afford opportunities to develop as an artist and a person, but Music Ed is a nice safety net, and anyone who is an infectious musical personality will love the practice of wowing the toughest crowd ever--kids. breaking into the industry will happen through perserverance, not the 'appropriate' degree.

i wish you all the best of luck!
posted by markovitch at 10:35 AM on March 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

I went through an internship at Belmont and can say that it's incredible at preparing someone for a career in the business of music, but can be dashing for those who grew up with punk rock aspirations. If she goes there, make sure to say hi to Chris Horsnell for me. He's awesome.
posted by klangklangston at 9:40 PM on April 2, 2007