Business Career Workshop for Media Composers

This course is indispensable for students who aspire to compose for the media scoring industries. It examines the entrepreneurial nature of becoming a professional media composer and explores the ways in which students can achieve a durable and sustainable career. The course takes a deep dive into music business basics, such as budgeting, negotiation, contracts, taxes, legal entities, and the musicians union (AFM), and covers copyright and royalty basics such as intellectual property rights, performance rights organizations, music publishing, licensing, and creating multiple income streams. In addition, students will learn how to promote themselves in the marketplace through networking strategies, social media, websites, demoing, and learn about the ways a composer can specialize within the overall media scoring landscape of film, television, video games, commercials, production music libraries, immersive technology, theme parks, and more. Students will learn how to pursue related non-composer career options such as music editing, orchestrating, music copying, assisting, and also learn when agents, managers, and lawyers are necessary. Lastly, students will learn how to pursue a traditional freelance scoring career, starting with independent films, and learn how residency in various locations impacts career outcomes.