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Music Production & Music Business

Entry requirements


GCSE/National 4/National 5

3 GCSEs at grade C/4 (or equivalent) including English Language.

UCAS Tariff

104

We would like applicants to have studied Music or Music Technology at Level 3. Applicants who have not studied in these areas will still be considered.

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subjects

Music production

Creative management

Explore the changing nature of the music industry. Learn to produce music and gain business experience to build a successful music enterprise.

If you want to build a creative music business, this is the course for you. We will teach you to create, arrange and manipulate music and sound. We will introduce you to the music industry and give you opportunities to work with clients and artists so you can build a professional network. You will gain the skills, experience and confidence you need to develop your own music production company.

On this course you will learn music production techniques alongside business and marketing principles. You will develop your creative business ideas through planning and practice, helping you become a confident producer and business owner. You will also cover the mechanics of the music industry and the business strategies needed to make a career from your passion for music.

During your time with us, you will:

Write and arrange tracks to develop your musical understanding
Capture and process sound using advanced production techniques
Learn advanced studio recording techniques with a developed understanding of acoustics
Sequence and synthesize sounds and beats using different digital technologies
Produce and apply business strategies and marketing plans for the music you produce
Gain an understanding of relevant legal frameworks such as contracts and copyright.

Alongside the practical element of this degree, you will advance your theoretical understanding of music production and business creation. Through lectures you will contribute to current debates around production. This could involve examining modern distribution platforms, the evolution of digital technology and more.

We give you opportunities to visit studios across the country and work on production projects with artists performing live in the studios. We also hold regular Industry Days throughout the year. These are a chance to meet and talk to successful entrepreneurs, music managers and business people from across the music industry.

Modules

Modules may include:
Year 1 –
Music Production Enterprise Portfolio,
Sound Engineering and Music Technology,
Introduction to Production Musicology,
Making Music,
Critical Listening Skills,
21st Century Music Business,
Project Management and Productivity,
Sound Acoustics
Year 2 –
Creative Business Portfolio
Studio Recording and Computer-Based Production,
Critical Studies in Musical Production,
Creative Business and Entrepreneurship,
Developing a Producer's Ear,
Music Production for the Moving Image,
Sound Design for the Moving Image,
DIY Musician,
Electronic Music,
Interactive Music Production
Year 3 –
Your Music Business Project,
Advanced Mixing and Mastering,
Progressing your Music Production Career,
Creative Business Research Project

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£14,000
per year
International
£14,000
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

York St John University

Department:

Performance

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

83%
Music production
89%
Creative management

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Music

Teaching and learning

90%
Staff make the subject interesting
95%
Staff are good at explaining things
80%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
90%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

61%
Library resources
68%
IT resources
85%
Course specific equipment and facilities
88%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

97%
UK students
3%
International students
86%
Male students
14%
Female students
88%
2:1 or above
28%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
D

Management studies

Teaching and learning

80%
Staff make the subject interesting
93%
Staff are good at explaining things
85%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
76%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

86%
Library resources
91%
IT resources
88%
Course specific equipment and facilities
77%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

90%
UK students
10%
International students
47%
Male students
53%
Female students
70%
2:1 or above
22%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

D
C
E

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Music

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£16,000
med
Average annual salary
93%
low
Employed or in further education
27%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

24%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
24%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
8%
Other elementary services occupations

Management studies

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£20,000
med
Average annual salary
95%
med
Employed or in further education
60%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

16%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
13%
Business, finance and related associate professionals
10%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Music

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£11k

£11k

£18k

£18k

£20k

£20k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Management studies

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£18k

£18k

£23k

£23k

£27k

£27k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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Course location and department:

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here