BA (Hons) Music Business

This degree is based at USW’s purpose-built campus, in the creative centre of Cardiff.

If you have a passion for music and making things happen, this Music Business degree is a chance to explore the many avenues available in the music business, be entrepreneurial and develop your specialist business skills. Students come from a range of backgrounds, sharing the common goal of wanting to develop a career in the music industry. These career options include label management , A&R, event management, publishing, artist development, enterprise, marketing and radio. The Music Business degree has a clear emphasis on entrepreneurial skills and strategic career development, culminating in a final year project that could be the start of your bright career in the music business.

Real-world music projects in the vibrant music scene of Cardiff and South Wales will be part of your student experience on the Music Business course. You’ll be encouraged to work with students from other disciplines, benefiting from the creative community you’ll have access to at the University. Staff have a wealth of experience working within the music industry. You’ll also benefit from regular visits and masterclasses from high-level music industry professionals such as former Coldplay manager, Estelle Wilkinson, Managing Director of leading digital agency Edition, Adam Biddle, and Alun Llwyd and Kevin Tame from notorious Welsh independent label Turnstile.

A purpose-built city-centre campus in Cardiff, the home of creative industries

2023
2024

UCAS Code	Study Mode 2023	Duration	Start Date	Campus	Campus Code
W370	Full-time	3 Years	September	Cardiff (ATRiuM)	B

UCAS Code	Study Mode 2024	Duration	Start Date	Campus	Campus Code
W370	Full-time	3 Years	September	Cardiff (ATRiuM)	B

Through a comprehensive collection of modules on the Music Business degree, you’ll learn how to analyse, collaborate and create. You’ll also learn key principles of management and a range of business skills, all the while surrounded by artists and crafting real-world music projects. There is also a roster of carefully selected guest lecturers.

We’ll help you grasp key principles of management and a wide range of business skills, alongside examining the effects of technology on the music industry and learning how to navigate legal, contractual and moral issues. You’ll explore the A&R process from creation to realisation, as well as becoming a nancial planner, market analyst and promotions strategist. Our carefully selected, high-calibre guest lectures will frequently energise and inspire you.

Year One - Music Business degree

Words and Music: Culture, Context and Criticism
Introduction to the Music Industry
Principles of Artist Development
The Music Entrepreneur
Principles of Music Business and Finance
Principles of Music Marketing and Promotion

Year Two - Music Business degree

Digital Media in the Creative Industries
The Modern Live Industry
Music Contracts and the Law
Creative Event Management
Music Futures

Year Three - Music Business degree

Major Project
Music in the Global Marketplace
Strategic Business Management in the Entertainment Industry
Management in the Creative Sector
Music Publishing and Rights Management

Assessment

Course assessment is through regular coursework submissions, presentations and practical tasks, in addition to examinations in some areas.

Lecturers

Lloyd George, Course Leader
Lucy Squire, Academic Subject Manager
Gill Edwards-Randle, Senior Lecturer
Philip Harfield, Senior Lecturer
Simon Kingman, Lecturer
Skip Curtis, Lecturer

We regularly revalidate courses for quality assurance and enhancement

At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.

If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.

The entry criteria below reflect our standard entry requirements for the course for September 2023. However, all applications received by the University are reviewed holistically and individually. Entry criteria for September 2024 is changing and will be published on ucas.com from 8th May 2023. Entry criteria for September 2024 will be updated on our website from the end of October 2023.

Contextual offers

We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions. USW prides itself on it’s a student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university. Here is a link to our Contextual Admissions Policy.

Other qualifications and experience

We can also consider combinations of qualifications and other qualifications not listed here may also be acceptable. We can sometimes consider credits achieved at other universities and your work/life experience through an assessment of prior learning. This may be for year one entry, or advanced entry to year two or three of a course where this is possible.

To find out which qualifications have tariff points, please refer to the UCAS tariff calculator.

If you need more help or information or would like to speak to our friendly admissions team, please contact us here

Applicants in the UK

Selection for this course is based on a suitable application. If you do not meet the entry criteria you may also be required to attend an interview to help us assess your suitability for the course.

Applicants outside the UK

Selection for this course is based on a suitable application and submission of a portfolio of your work which the Course Leader confirms is suitable for an offer to be made.

Typical A-Level Offer

BCC - CDD to include a relevant subject (this is equivalent to 104-80 UCAS tariff points).

Typical Welsh BACC Offer

Pass the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Diploma with Grade C/D in the Skills Challenge Certificate and BC - CD at A Level with a relevant art and design subject (this is equivalent to 104-80 UCAS tariff points).

Typical BTEC Offer

BTEC Extended Diploma Distinction Merit Merit - Merit Merit Pass in a relevant subject (this is equivalent to 112-80 UCAS tariff points).

Typical Access to HE Offer

Pass the Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 80 UCAS tariff points

Additional Requirements

GCSEs: The University normally requires a minimum 5 GCSEs including Mathematics/Numeracy and English at Grade C or Grade 4 or above, or their equivalent, but consideration is given to individual circumstances

International Entry Requirements

We also welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications. Please visit the country specific pages on our international website for exact details.

English Requirements

In general, international applicants will need to have achieved an overall IELTS grade of 6.0 with a minimum score of 5.5 in each component.

However, if you have previously studied through the medium of English IELTS might not be required, but please visit the country specific page on our international website for exact details. If your country is not featured please contact us.

Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee will remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course

August 2023 - July 2024 Fees

Full-time UK: £9000
Full-time International: £14100

August 2024 - July 2025 Fees

Full-time UK: TBC
Full-time International: TBC

Student Perks

At the University of South Wales, you’re investing in so much more than a degree. We strive to provide our students with the best possible experience, no matter what you chose to study. Whether it’s access to top of the range mac books and PCs, state-of-the-art facilities packed with industry-leading equipment and software, masterclasses and events led by industry experts, or a wide range of clubs and societies to meet likeminded people, better tomorrows start with extra perks.

Each course also has their own unique student benefits to prepare you for the real word, and details of these can be found on our course pages. From global field trips, integrated work experience and free course-related resources, to funded initiatives, projects working with real employers, and opportunities for extra qualifications and accreditations - at USW your future, is future-proofed.

Click here to learn more about student perks at USW.

Additional Costs

As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.

* Obligatory

Item	Cost
Kit (Uniform and Equipment)	£500	It is suggested that students have their own laptop computer and smart phone (All academic years)
Other: Travel	£100	Students may be expected to travel to master classes/ conferences / events/ performances at their own cost (All academic years)
Other: Course Text	£50	Students may need to buy some course texts (All academic years)

Funding

Funding to help pay for (or cover) course tuition fees and living costs

Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).

To learn about course fees, funding options, and to see if you are eligible for financial support, visit our Fees and Funding pages.

UK students

Apply via UCAS if you are a UK residing applicant, applying for year one of a full-time undergraduate degree, Foundation Year, Foundation Degree or HND and you have not applied through UCAS before. If you are applying to study part-time, to top up your Foundation Degree or HND, or to transfer to USW from another institution, please apply directly.

International and EU students

Apply directly to the University if you live outside the UK.

Admissions statement

USW’s Music Business degree provides you with the skills and expertise you need to be at the forefront of the music business, enabling you to create and model your music business career. By the time you graduate, you will have the skills for a wide range of careers in the music, media and entertainment industries, including publishing, marketing, A & R, radio, event and tour management.

You will learn management principles and a broad range of business skills helping you to maximise the creative and commercial potential of the artist/business relationship. Your studies will promote entrepreneurship and creative thinking, helping you to create and launch your own business initiative before leaving the course.

Graduates will also have transferable and practical experience that can be applied in many other areas of the business environment.

Our Careers and Employability Service

As a USW student, you will have access to advice from the Careers and Employability Service throughout your studies and after you graduate.

This includes: one-to-one appointments from faculty based Career Advisers, in person, over the phone or even on Skype and through email via the "Ask a Question" service. We also have extensive online resources for help with considering your career options and presenting yourself well to employers. Resources include psychometric tests, career assessments, a CV builder, interview simulator and application help. Our employer database has over 2,000 registered employers targeting USW students, you can receive weekly email alerts for jobs.

Our Careers service has dedicated teams: A central work experience team to help you find relevant placements; an employability development team which includes an employability programme called Grad Edge; and an Enterprise team focused on new business ideas and entrepreneurship.

Related Courses

Graduate Stories

Student Stories

USW hosts SWN Conference

Music & Sound students collaborate with BBC Horizons

Highlight Stories