BA (Hons) Music Business
BA (Hons) Music Business at Solent University Southampton

BA (Hons) Music Business


Why study BA (Hons) Music Business

About the Course

Do you want to manage the latest bands, plan tours, build an audience and oversee the business of music? Maybe you are an artist yourself, who would like to know more about making money from your music?

If so, Solent’s BA Hons Music Business degree is for you. The course will provide you with a thorough understanding of music management, finance and copyright law, of marketing and PR, and of live music/festivals. It will also enhance your career building and entrepreneurial skills, with the aim that you become the future of the music business. 

As part of the studies, you will promote your own live event(s), work with artists, create podcasts and short videos, and launch music business projects to a professional standard. Solent’s collaborative culture encourages you to work on projects with students from other courses, reflecting the working practices of the music industries.

100% Overall Satisfaction (National Student Survey, 2018 and 2021)

Through a combination of practical and written assignments, you’ll develop a strong understanding of music industry culture and business, and develop your critical thinking, research and entrepreneurial abilities. You’ll also gain essential knowledge and skills in artist management, music business strategy, music law, copyright, finance, live events and business start-ups, and have the opportunity to put your learning into practice through a range of real-world projects.

We have excellent links with the music industry, being an educational associate of the Music Managers Forum and a member of UK Music’s Academic Partnership.

We welcome guest speakers throughout the year,  with recent speakers including Lucy Wood (Latitude Festival), Joel De’Ath (Sony Music), Marcus Russell (manager, Oasis and Catfish & the Bottlemen), Gillian Fleet (Domino Records), Cerne Canning (manager, Franz Ferdinand and The Vaccines), Murray Curnow (Wildlife Management, Arctic Monkeys, Royal Blood), Silvia Gargiulo and Jenny Aston-Fleming (music industry HR / employability experts) and Dani Sawyerr (Universal Music Publishing).

Our Music Business students are active in the Southampton live music scene and are involved in planning and organising Solent’s annual music industries conference, SMILEfest (which has transformed into the city-wide SO: Music City Festival).  There are also many opportunities to gain work experience or to help manage events and other opportunities through our in-house music hub, Solent Music, which also promotes music students’ and graduates’ practice-based work.

Visit us on an open day and see what we are all about.

Find course details here.