Music Industry

College Search & Selection
1

Hello everyone, I’m going to be choosing my colleges soon and I have a few questions id like to ask but before that ill give you guys some background.

I am looking to have a career in the Music Industry, as of now I want to either become a booking agent or artist manager but I am still not sure. I plan on doing internships at labels to really see what I want to do but as of now those are the two majors careers i’m looking at. I also don’t know how to play any instruments (novice at the guitar).

So the questions i have are

  1. Should I get a degree in business and minor in music management/industry to keep it safe (This field is hard so I can always fall back on my business degree)

  2. Should I stay in NYC (schools in NJ as well) or go to L.A (which location will give me more opportunities in the music business field)

  3. What schools will be my best choice (It would really help me out if you guys would give me a list of schools for the area you think I should attend, keep in mind i’m looking for schools that don’t require an audition and have that option to minor music business/industry)

Thank you so much! I’m very torn between L.A and NYC and also if I should get a business degree and minor since I can always fall back on it.

2

If you are open to places outside of LA or NYC, you could look at Belmont in Nashville. They have multiple music business tracks, many of which do not require an audition.

3

Belmont is a great music industry choice, but it is a christian school (evangelical) so you need to decide if that’s OK.

S just went through this and is starting at Syracuse (Bandier) in the fall. Need a better idea of your academic creds and financial capability to properly recommend schools, as most good MI schools are large privates, with a wide variation in selectivity. That said, many MI programs are among the most selective majors at the schools below.

Top schools industry-wise w/o an audition are USC (Music Industry), NYU (Clive Davis), and probably Belmont. NYU and USC are very tough admits and you need to have some serious music cred (industry cred is fine) to get in.

Next tier is probably Syracuse (Bandier Program), Northeastern (Music Industry), and Drexel (Music Industry), and Middle Tennessee State (mostly known for recording arts, but they have MI as well). We researched all of the above programs, and they will all provide you with opportunities to get internships and coops in the industry, pretty much wherever you choose to work. They are all set up with lots of connections and are well known.

The only other true MI programs I know of where you DON’T need to audition are Loyola-New Orleans, University of New Haven and James Madison.

American has a Business and Entertainment concentration in its business school, and it’s an up-and-coming major/program - you can focus on music, film, or TV, but the program head is a very well-connected music business guy - he’s basically gotten anyone who wants one good jobs in the music industry.

Tulane and Lehigh have Music Industry minors (there are many others that do as well), that you could pair with a business degree.

You have to decide if you’re committed or not. My S is also a musician, so it’s his passion and the path he naturally wanted to take. If you are unsure (and it is a tough industry), you may want to hedge your bets with a minor and get a standard business degree. Like anything in life, it’s about how badly you want it. Technically, you could go to any school and work your tail off trying to make inroads to the industry. Or, you could join an established program that already has a track record and multiple inroads to the industry. There is no correct path for anyone, you make your path. Of course, your path is also somewhat determined by what you can afford as well as your academic record. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask, again, we just went through this thing. Good luck!