Music Marketing

The power dynamics of the music business have been shifting rapidly over the past several years. The tasks that record labels have traditionally undertaken for artists can now be accomplished by the artists themselves, and more artists than ever are finding innovative and creative ways to market themselves successfully on their own. You’ve seen it, you’ve read about it, you’ve heard about it – now learn how to do it yourself.

With the Specialist Certificate in Music Marketing, you’ll get a foundation for how the whole process works. You’ll learn different marketing outlets that are available to you, how to access them, where the money comes from currently and, perhaps more importantly, where it will be coming from in the future. And further, you’ll find out how to take advantage of that changing power dynamic, and how to use it to make yourself known in the increasingly competitive world of music.

The first course in the series, Music Business 101, will give you a broad overview of the music business. You’ll learn that to be successful, an understanding of the entire industry – from distribution and publishing to promotion, producing and legal issues – is essential to your success. By learning about who the key players are, how deals are made, how to protect your interests and what advancements in technology will affect your career, this course will provide you with a picture of the essential framework within which you’ll be marketing your talents.

In Music Marketing 101, your instructor will provide you with an introduction to marketing, as well as the key principles that drive independent music marketing. You’ll be taught affordable promotional tactics that can be implemented for $5,000 or less, demonstrating that music marketing does not need to break the bank. Additionally, you’ll gain an understanding of how to effectively use tools such as press kits, artist photos, bios, and social networking to further your cause. At the end of the course, you’ll have a firm knowledge base of how to attract new fans and garner the attention of various forms of media.

Music Marketing 201 takes your marketing efforts to the next level, and examines more advanced marketing opportunities for musicians with a slightly larger budget. You’ll learn how to navigate through the increasingly complicated world of music marketing by understanding the details of the major music marketing segments: branding, physical and digital retail and distribution, touring, radio, and press. The integrated approach that you’ll learn in this course will allow you to identify the PR outlets that matter, understand the options available to promote yourself at radio, the intricacies of online distribution, and how to leverage the opportunities that the digital music community now offers to music marketers. Upon completion of this final course in the certificate program, you’ll be have created an active marketing plan tailored to your unique strengths and budget.

For independent artists, aspiring managers, or anyone who wants a thorough background in music marketing, the Specialist Certificate in Music Marketing provides all the necessary ingredients for success.