The Music Business Program is a course of study leading to the degree of Bachelor of Music—Music Business Emphasis. Music business is an important aspect of the music industry that involves sales, managing, marketing, publishing, manufacturing, reporting, recording and producing, software, arts administration, the entertainment industry, and music in telecommunications. The music industry needs well-qualified creative people knowledgeable in both music and business.
Program of Study: Students who choose this program of study will take courses in three major areas. The general studies component consists of classes in written and oral communication, math, democracy, aesthetics, humanities, and social and natural sciences. Music classes include music theory and harmony, performance, conducting, music history, arranging, music business, music technology, sound recording and reinforcement, and advanced sound production. In the area of business, the courses include marketing, professional selling, accounting, management, and software productivity. The Bachelor of Music—Music Business Emphasis degree program is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music and affiliated with the National Association of Music Merchants, the International Music Products Association.
Internship: A highlight of the music business degree program is the internship experience. The internship affords the student an opportunity to observe and work in the music industry under actual business conditions. The participating business firm assists the intern in gaining knowledge and understanding of business practice and procedure. The intern, on the other hand, assists in the overall operation of the business.
Music business majors at UNK have interned and entered employment in numerous areas of the music industry such as retail sales, talent agencies, music production, recording studios and record companies, music publishing, performing arts management, concert promotion, radio and television, trade associations, and instrument manufacturing and marketing. They have interned and worked in Kearney, McCook, Ogallala, Norfolk, Grand Island, Lincoln, and Omaha in Nebraska; Denver and Colorado Springs in Colorado; Dallas and San Antonio in Texas; Los Angeles, Burbank, and San Diego in California; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Chicago, Illinois; Nashville, Tennessee; Indianapolis, Indiana; Orlando, Florida; Kansas City, Missouri; Keyport, New Jersey; Williamsport, Pennsylvania; Missoula, Montana; and Tokyo, Japan.
Interns and graduates have worked in companies such as Yamaha Musical Instruments; BMG, EMI, Warner Music Group, and Sparrow Records in the recording industry; Sony Computer Entertainment; Word, Barnhouse, Alfred, Brentwood, and Hal Leonard publishing companies; Walt Disney World; National Association of Music Merchants; Percussive Arts Society; the Omaha and Denver Symphonies; Chicago Lyric Opera; Gospel Music Association; Clear Channel Radio; the Lied Center in Lincoln; as well as many other regional businesses in the music industry.
NAMM Show: Because the music business program at UNK is affiliated with the National Association of Music Merchants, the International Music Products Association, the music business majors have the opportunity to attend the NAMM Show & Market held each January at the Convention Center in Anaheim, California. This show is the largest of its kind with over 1,500 music product manufacturers and distribution companies exhibiting tens of thousands of music products in over a million square feet of convention space. At the show, manufacturers introduce their new products with demos that anyone can attend. Retailers and manufacturers from around the world attend the show to see what’s new and to place orders for merchandise for the year. The show is closed to the public, but because UNK is a NAMM Affiliated Music Business Institution, UNK music business majors are privileged to attend as NAMM’s guests. In addition, there are major pop, rock, jazz, and blues artists performing on the instruments they endorse. There are numerous education sessions about many different aspects of the industry, plus sessions specifically for college students planning on entering the music industry.
The area of music business is wide open and yearning for educated, talented musicians with business sense and music training. UNK can give the music business major a broad range of musical and business experiences in preparation to enter into the many different areas of the music industry.
For more information, contact Dr. James F. Payne, Music Business Program Director, University of Nebraska Kearney, Kearney NE 68849. 308.865.8606. (e-mail: paynej@unk.edu)
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