Music Business or Music Industry or Entertainment Management options

I found a wonderful thread from 2015/16 about the best schools for a Music Business major, but I think it’s time for a new thread since things can change quickly.

What schools have a solid music/entertainment industry/business program in 2018?

A little background: DS19 is a MT kid and also in his high school’s Concert Choir, Show Choir, and Jazz Choir. It’s a very active competition choir program and he has many opportunities to sing at special occasions around the state. He takes voice and piano lessons and is thinking of minoring in VP with a Music Industry degree.

He’s also an academic kid with a 4.1 out of 4.3 GPA, and is currently ranked 3/386 in his class with strong ECs. SAT is 1410, and he’s taking them at least 2 more times. He would like to go on to law school with a concentration in Entertainment Law.

I like that American U has an undergrad Business degree in Entertainment, but that’s the only one I know of like that. If there are others, please let me know. Any information about the American program would also be appreciated, especially if minoring in Music is a possibility.

Other than that, I would rather look at schools in the east, with Texas probably being the furthest west we would be interested in.

My daughter was a vocal performance major at Belmont University, and while she knew two years in that she probably wasn’t going to pursue a career on stage, she stayed in her major. She did several unpaid and uncredited internships, she networked her butt off, worked as a college rep for a record company, even worked part time at a record store, and when she graduated, she actually had 2 jobs lined up. She has now been at a major labor for over a year and she loves her career.

All that being said, she swears it wasn’t so much what she learned at school, but it was who she met and the access she gained by being at Belmont and networking with so many music professionals. If your child is serious about being in the music business, have him go to school where the jobs are - so he can meet and network and intern with the people who have jobs to offer.

But rest assured - jobs are out there for those who work hard. hustle, and put themselves out there. Good luck!

Interning or volunteering during undergrad years can help kids gain some really marketable skills in that area.

If he wants to do law school (and that is pretty far away) he can major in anything.

Music business/industry is a pretty specialized major at the undergrad level. I wonder if he might want to do something broader.

@compmom Well, that’s my concern. Law school is a long way off, and I keep hearing that the world doesn’t need more lawyers! LOL He could absolutely do a business major with a music minor…but I want him to have a major that would take him into the industry that he would want to be in, law degree or not, and that’s why we are intrigued with the music industry major:)

That makes sense!

Here’s the list I put together with my DS19:

For Music Business/Industry degree (Reach):
NYU
University of Miami, Frost
American University
Drexel
Belmont

For a business degree with a music minor (Match):
TCNJ (in-state tuition)
Elon

Safety Music Industry schools (in-state), could also do business with music minor
Rowan U
Ramapo U
Monmouth U (private, but still a safety)
Albright (not in-state, but a safety)

We are open to others, but this list made sense based on reputation and location (prefer to stay NJ and lower).

Thoughts?

In my area, Northeastern, UMass Lowell and of course Berklee.