Music Business and Technology
$12,600
Complete certificate tuition
(Plus Registration Fee $175)
New independent music enterprises are springing up and becoming successful everyday. Independent artists and labels are carving our profitable niches in the new music market place with vertically integrated businesses—finding talent, producing artists, recording, mixing, and mastering as well as marketing, promotion, publishing, and distribution. This entrepreneurial spirit in the industry is providing great opportunities for individuals with a wide range of skills. This nine-course program is designed to cover the music business and music production in great detail with a focus on developing students for a future in the new evolving music industry.
You’ll begin by exploring the key elements of the music and recording industry, including the role of labels, publishers, and distributors in Music Business 101. You’ll examine areas such as the administration of copyrights, performance rights organizations, and the role of the different players involved in both the creative and business aspects of your career. Then you’ll also explore The Future of Music and the Music Business, and evaluate how current and developing changes, technologies, innovations, and trends might directly affect your own plans. You'll look at issues such as digital rights management and alternate forms of marketing, and discover successful strategies for creating, promoting, and distributing music in the emerging digital market.
From there, you will gain an understanding of the important recent legal changes that are of special concern to musicians, engineers, and producers in Legal Aspects of the Music Industry. Particular emphasis is placed on issues you’ll encounter when building your careers, including copyright law, recording and music publishing agreements, common contracts and agreements including producer, label and distribution agreements and club contracts, and digital rights management issues.
Next, you’ll take an in-depth look at the tools and emerging technologies artists can use to generate interest in their music, acquire new fans, and sell their music in Online Music Marketing: Campaign Strategies, Social Media, and Digital Distribution. In this course you’ll get an introduction to online marketing and learn important foundational online music marketing techniques such as developing and selling music from your own Web site; what offers you should be making to your fans and how you should position these offers; the importance of Web optimization, best practices for effective messaging, branding, and communication, and much more.
Then you’ll develop the skills to listen to music like a seasoned music producer in Music Production Analysis. You'll learn to identify the elements of effective records, and gain the skills to bring these elements to your own productions.
You'll then expand your music production knowledge, skills, and experience when you become fully immersed in the techniques and curriculum developed by the Music Production & Engineering department at Berklee College of Music. Beginning in Music Production Analysis and continuing through out your electives, this part of the program gives you a complete understanding of the concepts and production techniques, from fundamental-to-advanced, that you'll need to create, produce, and record professional-sounding arrangements using the software and sequencers in Pro Tools, Abelton Live, MIDI, and Reason.
During this program, you will cultivate a vast understanding of the music business, music production, artist development, and arranging concepts with specific training on the music software currently revolutionizing the world of music composition and performance. This 2-year program is a must for anyone passionate about music and serious about furthering his or her career in the music industry.
Substitutions may be requested for electives. Please contact our Continuing Education Registrar at registrar@berkleemusic.com or call (617) 747-2146 to see if your request suits the overall academic requirements for your chosen program.
Required Courses
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Music Business 101
Lauren Davis (12 weeks, 3 credits)
Gain a broad overview of the music business and learn how the various segments of the industry operate on a day-to-day basis. Discover the career opportunities that are available to you, and the knowledge you'll need to achieve your goals.
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The Future of Music and the Music Business
David Kusek (12 weeks, 3 credits)
Now in its 5th revision, this best selling music business course will examine alternatives to traditional means of creating, financing, promoting, distributing and marketing music - and explore scenarios and uncover opportunities that the new digital music reality offers. Discover new structures and strategies for driving revenue and new approaches to the business of music. This course is essential for all artists, songwriters, managers, publishers and music business people seeking successful careers in the new digital music ecosystem.
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Legal Aspects of the Music Industry
Don Gorder, Steve Masur, Valerie Lovely (12 weeks, 3 credits)
Build your music career with an understanding of the legal issues that are of special concern to musicians and songwriters, and take a focused look at the important legal changes that have evolved as a result of the shift in the music business landscape.
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Online Music Marketing: Campaign Strategies, Social Media, and Digital Distribution
Mike King (12 weeks, 3 credits)
Online Music Marketing: Campaign Strategies, Social Media, and Digital Distribution takes an in-depth look at the tools and emerging technologies artists can use to generate interest in their music, acquire new fans, and sell their music online.
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Music Production Analysis
Stephen Webber (12 weeks, 3 credits)
Develop the skills to listen to music like a seasoned music producer. Learn to identify the elements of effective records, and gain the skills to bring these elements to your own productions.
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Desktop Music Production
Michael Bierylo, David Mash (12 weeks, 3 credits)
Master the tools and techniques for producing great-sounding music at home…and create high quality recordings ready for CD or MP3!
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+ 3 Elective Courses ↓
Recommended Electives
Please contact our Continuing Education Registrar to request elective substitutions.
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Recording and Producing in the Home Studio
David Franz (12 weeks, 3 credits)
Take your demos through the entire music production process, and learn to apply a number of concepts and techniques that will dramatically improve the sound of your recordings, mixes, and masters no matter what recording device you are using.
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Pro Tools 101
Digidesign , Andy Edelstein (12 weeks, 3 credits)
Pro Tools 101 constitutes the first stage of Digidesign’s Pro Tools certification program. Learn the foundational skills needed to understand Pro Tools technology and software. This course instructs you on recording, editing, and mixing on a basic level, and will get on the road to becoming a Pro Tools operator from home.
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Critical Listening 1
Dan Thompson (12 weeks, 3 credits)
Create compelling, professional-sounding songs by learning to identify the production elements that contribute to a well balanced, artful and professional-sounding mix.
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Producing Music with Logic
David Doms, Jeff Baust (12 weeks, 3 credits)
Strengthen your technical understanding of Logic Pro and heighten your overall creative abilities in music production in this 12-week course. Harness the power of Logic's extensive software instruments, and learn to record, edit, and mix your project like a pro.
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Producing Music with Reason
Erik Hawkins (12 weeks, 3 credits)
Gain a firm understanding of the functionalities and capabilities of Reason software. Explore Reason's rack of virtual instruments, effects, mixers, built-in sequencer and patching system, and learn real-world production setups and techniques used by today's top producers.
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Producing Music with Ableton Live
Kai Turnbull (12 weeks, 3 credits)
Remix and produce in any number of contemporary styles, including drum and bass, R&B, breakbeat/trance and house music using Ableton's Live audio and MIDI sequencing software, a sequencer you can play like an instrument.
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Audio Mastering Techniques
Jonathan Wyner, Marc-Dieter Einstmann (12 weeks, 3 credits)
Mastering is the final, critical, step in the post-production process. Gain a thorough understanding of what is involved in creating a final master recording ready for duplication, replication, or online distribution.
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Sampling and Audio Production
David Doms (12 weeks, 3 credits)
Explore the art of sampling and audio production, and learn Berklee's approach to recording, editing, and programming using the software samplers provided in Reason.
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Sound Design for the Electronic Musician
Michael Bierylo, David Mash (12 weeks, 3 credits)
Learn to create your own electronic sounds and musical productions using Propellerhead's Reason and Native Instruments' Absynth.
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Online Music Marketing with Topspin
Shamal Ranasinghe, Mike King (12 weeks, 3 credits)
Topspin is a unique marketing, management, and content distribution platform that helps artists market and retail direct to their fans. In Online Music Marketing with Topspin, students will develop the in-depth marketing expertise necessary to properly execute a successful sales and marketing campaign using Topspin.
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Copyright Law
Allen Bargfrede (12 weeks, 3 credits)
Understand the basics of how your creative works are protected by copyright law, what rights you have as a content owner, and how to leverage your copyrights to generate income.
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Art of Mixing
Alejandro Rodriguez, Richard Mendelson (12 weeks, 3 credits)
Explore the many creative and technical considerations necessary to mix in today's music production environment. Acquire the core skill set needed to mix multi-track master recordings to a stereo final mix-down suitable for release.
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