Artistic Development in the Music Industry
Units: 3
The music industry has changed drastically over the last 15 years. How music is produced, distributed and consumed has gone through seismic changes. Therefore, the way that artists develop and reach their fans has also evolved. This course will examine the various dimensions of artist development including talent discovery, social media, putting together an artists team, making independent and major label albums, streaming, expanding artist fan bases, touring, and merchandising. The class will also touch upon the changing expectations and career trajectory of the musical artist This class will be of great interest to those interested in being an artist, managing an artist, working for or starting a label, or simply understanding the music business better.
Objective #1: Examine specific ways that managers and labels discover new music artists. Analyze what may make a label or manager interested in working with an artist. Objective #2: Understand the roles of everyone on the artist's team and the different paths toward building a career in the music industry. Decipher the difference between the roles of a manager, a business manager, the label, etc. Objective #3: Articulate an overview of the structure of the music industry and the various ways that money is made today. Objective #4: Design an artist's campaign from inception and construct the best ways for that artist to reach new fans. Objective #5: Determine best marketing practices for artists at different stages of their careers.