module specification

Module Brief:

This module explores the sectors within the Music Industry with the focus on areas of economic growth and sustainable employment. The students will learn about current UK and International markets and their contribution to the economy, research the same to identify key factors guiding the industry and find ways to place their work as well as Music Production related skills within the industry. Students will be asked to consider the processes of globalisation in the Music sectors and discuss how this affects ways in which music, including their own, can be marketed, locally, nationally and internationally. Through guided case study research the module will focus on the practical issues in the Music sectors including production, distribution, marketing, sales and performance, affording students with an understanding of the wide spectrum of the Music sectors and markets.

With a clear employability focus, the module will provide students with transferable skills emphasising research, self-efficacy and promotion in the contemporary globalised Music industry. The student’s research will inform and update their employability skills, encouraging online digital literacy in the self-promotion of work and portfolios.

This module is generally taught over 30 weeks with a midterm assignment on Week 15 and submission of the Case Study Project on Week 27. This is a core module for the Production pathway of the BSc Music Technology and Production.

Aims of the module:
● Afford students the opportunity to realise the career potential of their accumulated skills, subject knowledge and understanding. The skills will include identifying and researching career opportunities and working environments within the Music sectors, exploring the requirements and benefits of the careers against their own skills and motivations and then learning about and producing the evidence that will enable them to exploit that opportunity after graduation.
● Develop key skills in managing facts and figures relating to the Music business.
● Analytical review of case studies to recognise economic movements in critical areas, drawing on reference from, BPI, UK-Music: Measuring Music Report and the IFPI Global Music Report.
● To develop a range of professional, practical skill sets required to work in the fundamental sectors of Music.
● Learn the vital skills required to work in the Music Sectors including: volunteering, freelance, production, distribution, marketing/promotion, sales and live performance.
● Identify the value of the key Awards and Festivals in the Music sectors including the Mercury Music Prize, Grammys, SXSW and Glastonbury.
● Gain vital knowledge through industry visits and guest speakers.

The syllabus is organised to meet the needs of the Music Production pathway cohorts. By consolidating the practice in the creation and production of music, the syllabus aims to equip students with the knowledge of the Music sectors and a specialised set of skills that will allow for a faster response to the diverse demands music industry will ask of them following graduation in the professional environment.

● Employment Sectors - Researching a career destination. Identifying the key areas of employment in the Music sectors and aligning them with existing skills. LO1, 2

● Globalisation and Music - Analysing the UK and Global Music sectors in case-studies, highlighting areas of economic growth and importance  LO1, 2, 4

● Digital Markets and distribution – Analysis of the effect of digital technology on the Music Sectors and its distribution and dissemination including the streaming services and the “Value Gap”.   LO2, 3, 4

● The Live Music and Performance Sectors – Music festivals, concerts and performances, career paths in the Live Music sectors. LO1, 3

● Promotion, Awards and celebration of talent – Identifying the importance of awards such as the Mercury Prize to the Music sectors. LO1, 2

● Music in Numbers – The economic value of the Music sectors, areas of growth, future trends and managing figures relating to Music.  LO1, 2

The balance between independent study and scheduled teaching activities within this
module is 70% and 30% respectively.
Scheduled teaching follows the average contact time, per standard 30-credit module across the University, at 90 hours (3 hours per week). The scheduled teaching is divided in Lectures, Workshops, and Seminars and they take place in the Class Room and Computer Labs.
Independent study provides students with the opportunity to develop LO3 - The Ability to evaluate their Music Technology and Production skills and critically evaluate this in relation to their graduate career goals. For example, by reflecting on their own Music Technology practices and reviewing them against real world practices and preparing career plans.
Students have access to the entire Music Studios facilities via online booking system, and Library facilities at London Met. Blended Learning is maintained via Weblearn Course and Module pages with full documentation of the activities developed in class.
Opportunities for reflective learning/PDP are promoted through feedback and written
reports, embedded in all assessments with emphasis on reflection of their work. Formative assessment and feedback is planned to address their learning development needs and to capture their learning achievements with a regular request of reflective commentaries in all written submissions.

On completion of this module, students should be able to demonstrate:

LO1. Knowledge and analytic understanding of the requirements and benefits of a range of careers in context of the character and conditions of the Music sectors.
LO2. Knowledge and understanding of the economic importance of the key sectors in the Music industries.
LO3. Ability to evaluate their Music Technology and Production skills and critically evaluate this in relation to their graduate career goals.
LO4. Apply the ideas and arguments they have learned to review, consolidate, and extend their knowledge in a research project of their own.

Essay

Submission in week 16
Students will be given a choice of essay questions or appropriate written exercises, from which they must choose one. The options will relate to all the key themes and issues dealt with during the module, including Career Planning and/or Industry market analysis.
The word count for the assessment is c. 2000 words.

Case Study Project

Music Sector market analysis: reflective report with rationale.
Students will be asked to undertake a case study of 3000 words maximum on a chosen Music sector.
In this case study, they will need to identify the socio-economic factors relating to the sector, applying examples and extended knowledge.

Textbooks:

Core Text:

Cottrell, S (2010) Skills for success: the personal development planning handbook, 2nd Ed, Palgrave Macmillian, Basingstoke. [3rd edition 2015: e-book]
Harrison, A. (2017) Music: The Business. 7th ed. London: Virgin Books.
Scherer A (2012) Brilliant intern Prentice Hall, Harlow
Thall, P. (2016) What They'll Never Tell You about the Music Business. 3rd ed. New York, USA: Watson-Guptill.
Tschmuck, P. (2017) The Economics of Music (The Economics of Big Business). 1st ed. Newcastle upon Tyne: Agenda Publishing.
Wikström, P. (2009) The Music Industry: Music in the Cloud, Malden, MA: Polity. [2nd edition 2013: e-book]

Recommended Reading:

Durrant A, Rhodes G, Young D, (2011), Getting started with university-level work based learning, 2nd edition, Libri Publishing, London
Moon J (2004) A Handbook of reflective and experiential learning: theory and practice Routledge Falmer, London
Trought F (2012) Brilliant employability skills Prentice Hall, Harlow. [2nd edition 2017: e-book]

Websites: 

The British Phonographic Industry, Online access:
https://www.bpi.co.uk
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, Online access:
http://www.ifpi.org
The Mercury Prize, Online access:
https://www.mercuryprize.com
UK Music, Online access:
https://www.ukmusic.org

Electronic Databases:

Social Media Sources