Music Management Course

Lesson 1 • Structure of the Music Business

Maps the major sectors—recorded music, live, publishing, sync—and their interdependencies. Establishes the vocabulary used throughout the course.

Lesson 2 • Revenue Streams in Music

Catalogues all income sources available to artists and rights holders. Connects each stream to the stakeholder responsible for collection.

Lesson 3 • Key Industry Stakeholders

Identifies every professional role an artist interacts with and each party's financial interest. Clarifies who holds power at each career stage.

Lesson 1 • Core Functions of Artist Management

Outlines strategic planning, team coordination, and day-to-day operations a manager oversees. Anchors all subsequent management skills in a unified framework.

Lesson 2 • Ethical and Legal Obligations of Managers

Addresses fiduciary duty, conflicts of interest, and industry codes of conduct. Prepares students to act with integrity and avoid common ethical pitfalls.

Lesson 3 • Building and Leading the Artist's Team

Covers hiring, briefing, and coordinating lawyers, accountants, agents, and publicists. Shows how the manager acts as the central hub of the artist's business.

Lesson 4 • Management at Different Career Stages

Adapts the manager's role from emerging artist through superstar level. Demonstrates how priorities and team size shift as an artist's career grows.

Lesson 1 • Recording and Distribution Contracts

Breaks down label deals, licensing agreements, and independent distribution terms. Identifies clauses that affect artist income and creative control.

Lesson 2 • Management and Artist Agreements

Dissects commission structures, term length, sunset clauses, and termination rights. Enables students to negotiate fair management contracts.

Lesson 3 • Live Performance and Endorsement Contracts

Reviews booking agreements, rider requirements, and brand endorsement terms. Prepares managers to protect artists in live and commercial contexts.

Lesson 4 • Fundamentals of Music Copyright

Explains the two-copyright system, ownership rules, and duration. Grounds all contract and royalty discussions in intellectual property principles.

Lesson 1 • Performing Rights Organisations

Compares the major PRO models and explains affiliation strategy for global income. Connects PRO membership to the royalty collection pathways covered above.

Lesson 2 • Catalogue Acquisition and Valuation

Introduces multiples-based valuation and the growing market for catalogue sales. Prepares managers to advise artists on selling or retaining their publishing rights.

Lesson 3 • Royalty Types and Collection Pathways

Maps mechanical, performance, sync, and print royalties to their collection routes. Ensures students can trace every income stream to its source.

Lesson 4 • How Music Publishing Works

Explains the publisher's role in exploiting and administering compositions. Builds on copyright fundamentals to show how songs generate income.

Lesson 1 • Release Strategy and Campaign Planning

Structures a full release campaign from pre-save to post-release. Integrates marketing, PR, and distribution timelines into a single plan.

Lesson 2 • Defining the Artist Brand

Guides students through identity, aesthetic, and narrative development for an artist. A strong brand foundation underpins every marketing and PR decision.

Lesson 3 • Merchandise and Brand Partnerships

Covers merchandise product development, e-commerce, and brand deal negotiation. Extends the artist brand into physical and commercial revenue channels.

Lesson 4 • Digital Marketing for Artists

Covers content strategy, platform algorithms, and paid advertising for music. Translates brand identity into measurable digital audience growth.

Lesson 1 • Production and Stage Management

Addresses technical riders, production design, and day-of-show operations. Ensures managers can oversee production without replacing specialist crew.

Lesson 2 • Booking, Routing, and Logistics

Covers agent relationships, offer evaluation, and tour routing strategy. Connects booking decisions to the financial framework established above.

Lesson 3 • Health, Safety, and Risk Management

Covers venue safety standards, artist welfare, and insurance requirements for live events. Prepares managers to prevent and respond to on-tour emergencies.

Lesson 4 • Touring Business Fundamentals

Explains how touring generates income and how costs are structured across deal types. Grounds all subsequent live-music decisions in financial logic.

Lesson 1 • Tax Planning for Artists and Managers

Covers deductible expenses, estimated tax payments, and international withholding. Reduces tax liability through proactive planning rather than reactive filing.

Lesson 2 • Budgeting and Cash Flow Management

Teaches income forecasting, expense tracking, and cash flow gap management. Irregular music income makes disciplined cash flow planning essential.

Lesson 3 • Financial Reporting and Accountability

Explains profit-and-loss statements, balance sheets, and management commission accounting. Builds transparency and trust between manager and artist.

Lesson 4 • Investment and Wealth Management

Introduces diversification, real estate, and catalogue investment strategies for artists. Converts peak-earning years into long-term financial security.

Lesson 1 • Crisis Management and Career Pivots

Prepares managers to handle public controversies, creative blocks, and market disruptions. Turns setbacks into strategic repositioning opportunities.

Lesson 2 • Long-Term Career Planning

Builds multi-year career roadmaps aligned with the artist's creative and commercial goals. Integrates branding, financial, and live-music strategies into a unified vision.

Lesson 3 • Building Strategic Industry Relationships

Develops a systematic approach to networking, mentorship, and alliance building. Strong relationships accelerate deal flow and open doors unavailable through cold outreach.

Lesson 4 • Advanced Negotiation Techniques

Applies principled negotiation frameworks to label, publishing, and live deal scenarios. Builds on contract knowledge to achieve favourable terms under pressure.