Undergraduate BA(hons) or BSc (Hons) Creative Industries Futures (Music) Music Business

CORE MODULES (Validated modules that give you credits)

Mind Your Business

This module introduces students to the knowledge and skills required to get started in business. Students will develop an awareness of different business structures, financial vocabulary, banking, company roles & governance, intellectual property and where to go for support, as well as the practical skills of business registration, setting up and managing bank accounts and completing and submitting tax returns

Entrepeneurship & Innovation

This Unit introduces students to the concept of entrepreneurship and innovation. It emphasises to students the importance of identifying a gap in the market, developing an idea and building a USP. Students will be encouraged to think outside the box to develop their own unique business ideas.

Management & Leadership

This Unit introduces students to methods and techniques for management and leadership and encourages them to consider the type of manager and/or leader that they want to be.

Brand & Audience Studies

This Unit aims to introduce the concepts of brand, audience, consumer and media within the creative industries. Students will also investigate the creative and cultural relationships that exist between brands and their audiences”

Music, Media and Technology

This module enables students to examine the role of music across a range of media.

Students will consider and compare the purpose, structure, and method of how music is used across different platforms and for different audiences.

The module requires students to review creative industries theory and practice of creating, sourcing and using music in media in a variety of formats and technologies and to connect the theory with the practice.

Music & the Creative Industries

This module enables students to understand how music-related skills, practices and theories are being applied in other industry sectors to problem-solve, connect and innovate.

It examines the principles and terminology used in these professional contexts and requires students to research and investigate the potential futures of music, musicianship, and music applications.

You will consider your place as a musician or music practitioner within the creative industries landscape, mapping out your path and how to maximise opportunities to make money and grow your profile and career.

Preparing for Collaborative Work

This module enables students to prepare and organise themselves and their work to engage in an interdisciplinary collaborative creative project with other students, with some guidance and support. Students will also prepare to engage with relevant professional networks and any professional contributors by researching working contexts, philosophies, and work. Students will identify their strengths and development needs and examine team profiles and characteristics for participating in an effective collaborative project through a series of practical workshops.

The impact and influence of music: from creator to consumer

This module enables students to understand the impact of music, musical applications and activities on physical and mental health.

Students will consider and contrast the potential and actual impact of music on well-being in different contexts. The module requires students to consider and analyse the components of musical applications and activities to support or challenge current research on this topic and to connect the theory with the practice.

Music, Society, and Culture: Perspectives and Debates

Music is global and ever-present, yet deeply personal, carrying different meanings across cultures and communities.

Creating music involves blending elements like rhythm, melody and influence from diverse genres. As a practitioner, it’s important to understand where sounds come from, how to use them, and how they connect with your audience. Without this awareness, you risk criticism—especially if cultural contexts and sensitivities are overlooked.

This module encourages you to explore these ideas through discussion and debate, developing your ability to critically explain and justify your work. These skills are essential for defining your identity as a creative practitioner and communicating your values within the industry.

SKILLS UNITS (practical lessons to reinforce your knowledge)

Engaging in Collaborative Work

This module enables students to work collaboratively on a shared project brief. Students will carry out a collaborative creative project in which they will apply their Level 4 personal, interpersonal and soft skills; their technical and sector-specific professional skills; their creative, critical thinking and problem-solving skills; and their project management, research, networking and presentation skills. Students will regularly and routinely meet to develop, manage, problem-solve, reflect on and evaluate the project progress and success at meeting the project brief with support from staff with professional industry project experience.

CORE MODULES (Validated modules that give you credits)

Mind Your Business 2.0

Building on the Mind Your Business Skill Unit at Level 4, this Unit provides a more comprehensive overview of advanced business knowledge, skills and information. Students will have a more in-depth exploration of the financial and legal side of running a business.

Communications and Documentation

Executive summaries are critical when addressing a busy, successful person whose attention or investment you are seeking. It is a scientific fact that our brains process text well over 100 times a second and also attempt – subconsciously – to read ahead by pre-empting what’s coming. Successful authors understand this very well and always introduce a plot twist or element of surprise simply to hold the reader’s interest. Throughout your career, you will have to sell ‘you’, and this requires a compelling story as a backdrop to what you are seeking. If it isn’t interesting, it will not hold the attention necessary to progress the business end. This all starts with a clear purpose, which then has to be mapped to your audience. Preparation is key, and assumptions are death-nails/knells to any plan or communication. You will learn how to strategise like a seasoned chess player, with scenarios planned and a map of moves ahead of the game so that you are prepared and ready to adapt without sacrificing or compromising your core purpose and impact. You will learn how to be decisive with your communication, including the medium and mix of formats. The business letter may well no longer evoke an image of an ink well, quill pen and letter-headed paper, but it does have to carry the same impact as if it were. It must make an impact on the recipient, and words, which can start wars and families, are all important and should not be wasted or used to demonstrate a super skill with vocabulary.

Contracts and Negotiation

This Unit explores a range of different contracts that exist in the music industry, and through case studies and real-world examples, students will learn about the importance of reading and understanding contracts. By taking this Unit students will also have an opportunity to practice their negotiation skills to prepare them for future contract negotiations.

Creative Talent Development

In this Skills Unit, students will investigate the relationship between the artist, the artist manager and the wider creative industries. Students will also understand the changing role of the Manager and the ability of the Artist to create alternative strategies to develop and release their product. Students will explore the changing face of A&R within the global music industry, what this consists of and how it is carried out, and understand what labels look for when signing an artist. It will look at how the role of artist manager has evolved, including different business models currently evidenced by existing managers.

Marketing Strategies

This module aims to demonstrate that marketing in the future is unlikely to follow the same formats and conventions as it has done “pre-web 2.0”. Learners will explore and analyse a variety of digital marketing techniques (including the use of social media, viral and experiential marketing) with a view to creating their own campaigns.

Copyright, Royalties, Publishing and Income Streams

This Unit builds on the introductory look at these topics that students received at L4. Through an in-depth exploration of copyright, royalties, publishing and income streams, students will learn how to protect their work and make money from it.

Live Event Management

The aim of this Unit is to help learners develop an in-depth understanding of the economics and logistics of the Live Event Industry, from the local gig to an international arena tour. By the end of the module, learners will have acquired a detailed understanding of the political, economic, social and technological developments that impact the Live Industry, together with knowledge of the opportunities and challenges presented by legislation

Funding and Finance

The Finance, Funding and Innovation module aims to recognise the body of research that exists that demonstrates that 95% of SME’s looking to secure finance for a business idea fail. This module helps to provide an understanding of what it takes to succeed. Students will be introduced to basic financial terms and develop the skills to identify financial information and issues. This work will enable students to develop a broad understanding of financial performance to enable investment success. It will help to develop strong communication skills in a supportive environment.

SKILLS UNITS (practical lessons to reinforce your knowledge)

Specialist Collaborative Work

This module enables students to contribute through their chosen specialism to an interdisciplinary collaborative creative industries project. Students should engage with the appropriate professional networks for their specialist or interdisciplinary field.

Specialist Route Skills

This module enables students to use tools, techniques, and procedures to work toward producing work of a professional standard in their chosen specialist route. These sources will be used to critically reflect and analyse their work and the work of other practitioners in the appropriate frameworks. ARTS-RELATED SPECIALIST ROUTE (A) Students will be able to use relevant academic research and sources to critically review and place their practice in a humanities, phenomenology or cultural framework. SCIENCE-RELATED SPECIALIST ROUTE (S) Students will be able to use relevant academic research and sources to critically review and place their practice in a scientific methodological and technical framework.

Professional Collaborative Work

This module aims to enable students to explore, examine, and review the function of a professional project. Students will work in a professional context to deliver a project in their specialism. Students will be responsible for identifying the requirements of a professional project brief. They will plan, deliver and review a professional project to current industry standards with their peers. Students will register themselves or/and their work as appropriate with a professional association and actively manage their professional networks, professional ethics and professional communications.

Professional Route Skills

This module enables students to create a portfolio of professional, specialist work demonstrating transferable skills to meet sector expectations. Students will apply sector-specific creative and technical skills in different industry contexts. ARTS-RELATED SPECIALIST ROUTE (A) Students will be able to use relevant academic research and sources to critically review and place their practice in a humanities, phenomenology or cultural framework. SCIENCE-RELATED SPECIALIST ROUTE (S) Students will be able to use relevant academic research and sources to critically review and place their practice in a scientific methodological and technical framework.

CORE MODULES (Validated modules that give you credits)

Media Engagement & Promotion / Campaign Management

This Unit explores the process of campaign management, and students will learn how to plan a campaign from start to finish, which incorporates a range of innovative promotion and media engagement techniques.

Digital Skills

This Unit covers a range of digital skills needed to thrive in the current creative climate. Students will learn about the importance of these skills and have a chance to practice their skills in these areas.

Disruption

This Unit will look at disruption within the creative industries. Students will look at current developments and innovations that are changing the creative landscape. Students will learn how to plan for industry disruption to ensure that their own business will continue to evolve and thrive.

Advanced Marketing Strategies

Building on the Marketing Strategies Level 5 Skill Unit, the Skill Unit provides a comprehensive overview of advanced marketing strategies.

Consumer and Audience Psychology

Building on Brand and Audience Studies and level 5 skills units. This will look at some of the psychological principles used in consumerism and marketing. From how people make decisions, what happens when too much choice is offered, all the way through to psychology-based tricks that companies and brands use to connect, engage and resonate with their audience.

Ideas Into Action

This unit will introduce students to methodologies for creating an idea and turning this into action. In this skills unit, you will explore methods for idea development and strategies for shortlisting and testing the viability of your idea. Once we have considered idea development, students will explore their idea from the perspectives of different collaborators and consider ways to engage stakeholders with their ideas.

Leadership and CPD

This module enables students to engage with continuing professional development and to review and develop their leadership skills in different contexts. Students will examine different models of leadership and review and develop their range of leadership tools, techniques and expertise in this area.

Critical Review

This module includes a research or practical project that critically reviews one or more current issues, constraints or practices that impact the music and wider creative Industries, the application of music to other industry sectors or broader cultural or workforce issues relating to music and the creative cultural industries. ARTS-RELATED SPECIALIST ROUTE (A) Students will be able to use relevant academic research and sources to critically review and place their practice in a humanities, phenomenology or cultural framework. SCIENCE-RELATED SPECIALIST ROUTE (S) Students will be able to use relevant academic research and sources to critically review and place their practice in a scientific methodological and technical framework.

SKILLS UNITS (practical lessons to reinforce your knowledge)

Leading Professional Collaborative Project

This module aims to enable students to build their leadership and professional skills through an interdisciplinary collaborative professional project. Students will design the requirements of the professional project brief, manage the project, communications and evidence project outputs.

Independent Portfolio

This module enables students to create a portfolio and digital presence that includes course output, work experience, freelance work or volunteering targeted to professional opportunities or further study. ARTS-RELATED SPECIALIST ROUTE (A) Students will be able to use relevant academic research and sources to critically review and place their practice in a humanities, phenomenology or cultural framework. SCIENCE-RELATED SPECIALIST ROUTE (S) Students will be able to use relevant academic research and sources to critically review and place their practice in a scientific methodological and technical framework.

CORE MODULES (Validated modules that give you credits)

Making Connections and Building a Community

This module enables students to identify, inform, and establish a network of peers and relevant industry and community contacts to develop opportunities and advocacy in key organisations in the local community, research organisations, charities and the creative industries, as well as connect with communities of investors. Students will engage core stakeholders in activities and communications to enable effective development of opportunities and increased advocacy using professional development tools such as action learning, critical reflective practice, clinical supervision, or other appropriate methods. Students will design, coordinate, and evaluate internal and external communications in a portfolio of evidence that tracks responses, activities, ethical considerations, influence, and impact.

Professional Practice Frameworks

This module enables students to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the professional sector-specific expertise required for a creative industries profession. Students apply these creative and technical skills in a wide range of interdisciplinary contexts. Students will create or synthesise tools, techniques, and procedures to produce work that solves complex problems and disrupts in order to meet interdisciplinary objectives.

Ideas into Action

Within this module, students will investigate the project management processes needed to develop a project from concept to release. Students will explore projects from the perspectives of different collaborators in the research. They will identify potential collaborators for the different stages of developing and implementing their ideas and will develop skills and techniques to effectively pitch at a high level to a variety of audiences.

SKILLS UNITS (practical lessons to reinforce your knowledge)

Applied Research (Focus and Impact on Creative Industries Futures)

This module enables students to evidence academic expertise in an applied research context. Students will engage and reflect on the developmental process and develop learning strategies for applied research. They will work on a project collaborating with local communities, industry or academic networks as appropriate. This module runs across two terms, the first term focuses on the specific focus of the applied research and the second with the delivery and impact measurement for the research. ARTS-RELATED SPECIALIST ROUTE Students will be able to use relevant academic research and sources to critically review and place their practice in a humanities, phenomenology or cultural framework. SCIENCE-RELATED SPECIALIST ROUTE Students will be able to use relevant academic research and sources to critically review and place their practice in a scientific methodological and technical framework.