MSI 117: Introductions to Music Industry
Description:
This class is an introductory class for understanding the layers that compose the music industry. These layers include starting out, branching out, major record labels, and independence/independent music labels. The course is designed to act as a guide for upcoming artists to flourish in today’s music scene. Subject matter will be taught chronologically according to the stages of an artist’s career and student debates will be held to best decide the artist’s next step. Readings will be assigned and act as both homework and sources to use for the debates. At the end of the semester, following the winning arguments of the debates, students will see an overview of the effects of their choices on the artist’s career based on real-world examples and statistics. Students will be assessed on their participation, homework completion, as well as their overall contribution to the class.
Readings:
- David Arditi, “iTunes: Breaking Barriers and Building Walls.”
- Danielle Fosler Lussier, “Copyright, Surveillance, and the Ownership of Music.”
- David Bruenger, “Making Money, Making Music: History and Core Concepts.”
- Peter Mills, “Media and Popular Music.”
- Rory Taylor, “The Evolving Relationship of Record Label and Artist.”
This class plays a different spin on the typical class structure. Students will make choices controlling the outcome of the artist’s musical success through what they have learned in and outside of class. An environment welcoming open class discussion and debate will propel more students to be engaged in the subject. Additionally, many students pursuing a music career will be attracted to this class as the course material pertains very much to them. Overall, the course’s structure and inclusion of student discussion make learning a blend of both exciting and captivating.
Your class is very engaging and would be very helpful to students pursuing a music career. You will essentially tell them the steps they should be taking if they want to grow big in the music industry. I’d recommend your class to a student because many people don’t know how to move up in their line of work and your class would teach exactly that.
The course provides an overview of the music industry and displays the basics to a career in music. Additionally, I believe that the foundations of the music industry will be effectively introduced in this course. I think this would have to be an elective course since most people would not be pursuing an occupation in music. Moreover, I think it would be an interesting course.