The music industry is changing faster than ever—and expanding worldwide. In this master’s degree, you’ll learn to meet the artistic management and entrepreneurial challenges of the global entertainment industry.
From crowdsourcing to music streaming, the way of doing business in the music industry is being revolutionized. Berklee's master in global entertainment and music business is part of that revolution. This one-year program is ideal if you have a vested interest in both music and business, and want to gain a competitive edge in the industry.
Experiential
50+ networking opportunities
40+ guest speakers
Global perspective
As a global entertainment and music business student, you will focus on the skills, concepts, and methodologies central to global business models and apply these models to the artistic management and entrepreneurial challenges of music and digital media in the contemporary international entertainment industry. You will strengthen your analytical and leadership skills as well as your written, oral, and musical communication skills. As you advance your professional skills and knowledge, you will grow and excel as leaders of the global music industry.
Program Highlights
Global Perspective
Students from over 30 countries come to develop a global vision of the music industry and understand the tendencies in leading and emerging markets. Our multicultural faculty have experience across the globe, and we bring in industry experts to give in-depth thematic workshops on the nuances of markets such as the US, Japan, Sweden, Brazil, China, and France.
Tailored Curriculum
The program offers concentrations in three areas of the music industry: Live Entertainment, Entrepreneurship, and Record Industry. Students choose the concentration and focus on this area for the practicum course and the culminating experience project. In addition to choosing a concentration, students have the flexibility to choose several electives based on their interests and career goals.
Practical Experience
Getting hands-on, practical experience is vital to success after graduation. Students have the chance to work on real-life projects such as the on-campus record label Disrupción Records(Opens in a new window). Students also get to work on consulting projects to develop creative solutions for real companies and start-ups, such as Sony Music Germany, Kobalt Music Group, FUGA, Chartmetric, Soundcharts, and Next Big Sound.
Culminating Experience
The culminating experience is your final project and is related to your concentration. Through the culminating experience, you will make a creative contribution to—and/or define and solve a problem that exists in—the profession. This experience may take the form of a creative, practical, or research project. You will work in consultation with your faculty advisor and/or the program director to develop your unique project. The goal is to complete original work at a professional level. A faculty committee comprising your advisor and two other faculty members will serve as the examining committee to evaluate your final project.
Culminating Experience Timeline
Semester One: Students propose their culminating experience to their advisor and program director.
Semester Two: Students revise and refine their proposal and get final approval from their advisor. Students also work with their advisor to form the culminating experience committee for their project.
Semester Three: Students complete and present their final project to the culminating experience committee.
Important dates
June 5–9: Rehearsal presentations and definitive committee selection
June 19: CE documents submission (outcome and reflective)
Alex Perrin Pete Dyson Grace Puluczek Alf Olofsson Steffen Meister Pablo Munguia Emilien Moyon Note: Not all jury members will participate in each CE presentation and evaluation.
Program Information
Open Culminating Experience configuration options
Location
Berklee College of Music, Valencia Campus: Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía - Anexo Sur, Avenida Profesor Lopez Piñero, 1 46013 Valencia (Spain)
Language
English All classes are taught in English
Class Registration
During orientation week (Monday, August 26–Friday, August 30, 2024) Students will meet with their program director and/or their academic advisor during Orientation Week and will register for classes following that meeting.
Academic Committee of the Degree
Simone Pilon, Executive Director, Valencia Campus/Dean of Academic Affairs
Emilien Moyon, Program Director of Global Entertainment and Music Business
Alexandre Perrin, Professor
Jorge Ignacio Serrano Cobos, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia
Martina Naretto, Senior Coordinator for Academic Assessment, Records, and Registrar Services
Student Advisory Representatives 2024-2025:
Sara Burpeau
Lilith Lenz
Accreditation
All graduate programs at Berklee are accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education(Opens in a new window) (formerly the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc.), which is internationally recognized as an authority on educational quality.
The Master of Arts in Global Entertainment and Music Business is additionally accredited by Spanish educational authorities. Berklee College of Music Valencia Campus (Berklee-Valencia), the authorized center of Higher Education in Arts, imparts this program under affiliation with Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (UPV) and it is valid throughout the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). Berklee Valencia is a Centro Superior Autorizado de Enseñanzas Artísticas de la Música, Código del centro: 46061691 (Authorized Higher Education Center for Artistic Music Education) in the European Higher Education Area, officially recognized as such by Resolution of the General Director of Universities, Higher Studies and Sciences no. 6844, dated August 8, 2012. [DOCV no. 6844, 08.21.2012, SPAIN].
We encourage all prospective students to carefully research degree recognition requirements in their home country or the country where they intend to work.
On-campus graduate programs are designed to be completed in three semesters of full-time study or one full academic year—a consecutive fall, spring, and summer. The full-time summer term is six-to-seven weeks in length directly following the spring semester.
All students are expected to be in residence for the entire program (three academic terms). Furthermore, all candidates seeking to graduate must earn a minimum letter grade of B- in each course counting towards a degree requirement, attain a minimum GPA of 3.00, and complete all course work, the culminating experience, and other graduation requirements.
Program Details
What Will I Learn?
When you complete the Master of Arts in Global Entertainment and Music Business, you will have the ability to:
synthesize the language of the global music and entertainment industries;
evaluate and apply leadership models as tools for ethical decision-making;
apply effective promotion and marketing strategies;
synthesize research techniques applicable to the global music and entertainment industries;
synthesize intellectual property laws, with particular attention to rights licensing;
assess markets for emerging business models;
assess financial considerations in the commerce of music and entertainment in a global economy; and
forecast trends and gain expertise in the technology applications appearing in business environments.
Entrance Requirements
We seek focused, motivated, creative candidates with excellent academic and professional backgrounds who can contribute skills that will benefit the program.
Ideal candidates want to:
Explore advanced concepts and models in the global music industry;
Apply managerial and/or entrepreneurial skills to existing entertainment and music business environments;
Lead and influence the direction of the profession as visionaries, executives, and entrepreneurs; and
Gain a thorough understanding of the elements of a successful enterprise.
Ideal candidates should demonstrate:
Professional goals of working at an executive/managerial level in a company or creating a business/organization;
Prior academic success;
Prior knowledge in business;
Good understanding of the current situation of the entertainment industry and technology; and
Leadership in professional and/or academic environments.
Curriculum and Courses
The master of arts program at Berklee College of Music is designed to be completed in three semesters of study–or one full academic year: fall, spring, and summer semesters. There is an optional internship that takes place the fall after graduation for those who want to do an internship through Berklee for credit.
This course provides a comprehensive look at entertainment law issues and contracts closely related to the music industry. Students learn to appreciate how the music industry deals in copyrights, exclusive/non-exclusive services, and reputation, image and goodwill through a variety of complex contractual frameworks. Students examine the different contracts specifically involved in music business practice such as publishing, recording, management, production, and live performance, as well as those regarding merchandising, sponsorship and endorsement.
This course focuses on the accounting and quantitative tools of financial analysis that are used by busines professionals in corporate settings and investors. In the course, students look at finance in three ways: first, they discover how music companies record financial transactions in a booking system and calculate ratios of financial statements; second, they determine and understand financial calculations, both focused on the music industry in particular, as well as more general important overall business calculations; and third, they budget and fund music business ventures. Mastering these tools helps students analyze firms from a financial point of view and to measure ventures’ sustainability over the long-term. Students learn how to use financial analysis tools, both basic and sophisticated, to assess the potential of music enterprises, and create new businesses in the music industry.
This is a seminar in which students learn interdisciplinary skills necessary to thrive in a fast-paced industry. Students explore the contemporary challenges that impact the music industry today, make predictions about future challenges, and work on solutions. Students meet with leaders and experts who will help them develop a global understanding of the industry. Students will also share in the responsibility for inviting guest presenters and organizing panel discussions with speakers of their choice, related to their professional goal.
The amount of data available to organizations in the music industry has reached unprecedented levels. Data is transforming business, social interactions, and how music is consumed and artists are marketed. In this course, students examine real world examples of how analytics significantly improve management decisions, firm strategies, and artist success. Students learn the following analytical methods: linear regression, logistic regression, trees, text analytics, clustering, visualization, and optimization. Students apply data analysis and statistical concepts to evaluate artists’ and labels’ marketing strategies, using logic and strategic reasoning, as well as the latest trade and scholarly writings in the field. Students focus on three areas:
1. Attain Data
Write a survey or conduct a focus group (e.g. Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey)
Apply online databases and search engines (e.g. Google Alerts, Next Big Sound, BuzzAngle Pro, BMAT Vericast)
Import metrics from social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter) or streaming platforms (eg. Spotify Artist Insights)
2. Analyze Data
Sort important data and clean unuseful data by using spreadsheet software (e.g. Excel)
The online free-for-all approach in creative industries has destabilized payment models for music, movies or video games. This practicum enables students eager to test and develop emerging business ideas in the entertainment industry. To do so, students learn practical concepts, including market research, submission of business licensing application, location, organizational structure, financing, employee issues, project management and many other considerations. Students complete work that is extremely experiential in nature and based on the refinery and delivery of a business plan. Among other tasks, students complete a professional business plan at the end of the course.
In this course, students analyze the current realities and evolution of the global live music business. This analysis of the live music industry contextualizes the relationship and power structures among the main stakeholders in the live music industry, from the audience to multi-national promoters. Students examine and evaluate the role of live performances in developing artists’ musical careers, as well as the expansion of niche markets, including the global festival market. They also examine the development of marketing and branding elements. In learning how the specific areas of events management interplay, students also explore the legal structures that operate in the live music industry, including performing rights and venue logistics, and they evaluate how these impact live music and its stakeholders both positively and negatively. Finally, students explore the future of live music, including the challenges posed by globalization, pressure upon local artists and promoters, and the gentrification of core urban centers such as New York and London.
Eligibility to this course is contingent upon securing a micro-internship before the add/drop deadline.
This course provides students with practical experience in the development and management of a record label, through work with the student-run label, Disrupción Records. Through the course, students produce, market, and distribute a record of student work. In doing so, students gain expertise with the departments of artists and repertoire (finding talent among Berklee Valencia students; choosing songs to be crafted and/or recorded), business affairs (negotiating contracts with all the parties involved), production (completing masters and artwork, among other tasks), marketing (promotion, advertising and publicity of the music projects), and distribution (online and physical sales).
Master's students in global entertainment and music business are required to complete a culminating experience. This experience may take the form of a directed study, project or internship. The student will work in consultation with his/her faculty advisor and/or the Music Business Department Chair to develop his/her unique project. The goal is to complete original work at a professional level. A faculty committee composed of the advisor and two other faculty will evaluate the final project that results from the culminating experience. The three-person faculty team will serve as the examining committee.
Students in global entertainment and music business choose four electives to take. Electives are centered around five career areas of the music industry: artist management, live entertainment, production, marketing, and entrepreneurship. Students choose the electives that best fit their career goals and interests. The semester that electives are offered may vary.
Fall Electives: choose 1 course
Spring Electives: choose 2 courses
Summer Electives: choose 1 course (or/and an Internship)
“I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man.” (Jay Z)
In this course, students analyze the current realities and evolution of the global live music business, an area of music which now contributes approximately 60% of revenues to top artists. This analysis of the live music industry contextualizes the relationship and power structures among the main stakeholders in the live music industry, from the audience to multi-national promoters. Students examine and evaluate the role of live performance in developing artists’ musical careers, as well as the expansion of niche markets, including the global festival market. They also examine the development of marketing and branding elements. In learning how the specific areas of events management interplay, students plan and potentially stage their own live events. Students also explore the legal structures that operate in the live music industry, including performing rights and venue logistics, and they evaluate how these impact live music and its stakeholders both positively and negatively. Finally, students explore the future of live music, including the challenges posed by globalization, pressure upon local artists and promoters, and the gentrification of core urban centers such as New York and London.
This course is designed to prepare students to both understand and capitalize on technological change, whether in creative practice or organizational leadership. The focus is placed on practical understanding and learning through experimentation—demystifying both the technologies and their impact as they cycle from early adoption to the mainstream. This is a topics course which means that the focus of the course will adapt to take into consideration the technological content and new business trends resulting from it.
No business like show business? This course offers an economic analysis of creative industries defined as industries that produce goods that provide artistic, cultural, or entertainment value for the consumer, including music, movie, television, sports, advertising, fashion, and video games. Students apply economic concepts to understand firms’ strategies as they evaluate, using economic reasoning, the latest trade and scholarly writings in the field. Students also analyze current events in world affairs thanks to classroom debates about controversial issues, and their effect on creative industries. Students also master tools and concepts that allow them to navigate these industries and anticipate emergent trends that shape business strategies.
This course is an in-depth exploration of the processes and activities related to management of artists. Students learn how to represent an act by focusing on the many facets of the music industry a personal manager must address. Students learn about the different roles on an artist’s team and other people managers encounter, including understanding who is responsible for which tasks, and how to get the deliverables they need. Students also learn about the environment they must navigate as managers, including record labels, live events, contract negotiations, budgeting, union and government regulations, talent shopping, and more. Finally, students develop a tool kit in order to perform in the role of personal manager with skill and finesse through both theoretical and practical application of this knowledge.
How do we define “talent”? How do we discover it? Create it? Develop it? How do we assess artists for their commercial, creative, aesthetic and cultural potential? Answering these questions is the role of A&R (Artists & Repertoire) within the music business. In this course, students learn what A&R involves, key elements of the work, as well as how the work is changing. Taking on the role of the A&R professional, students learn to assess talent in the following key areas: vocal performance, instrumental performance, stagecraft, songwriting, image, identity, aesthetics, work ethic, social media performance, and intelligence. Students also learn about cultural milestones reached in the music industry—the incredibly important moments when particular recordings secured their place in the history of popular art. Students listen to, and engage with, recordings that have achieved sustained cultural relevance; and in doing so, students strengthen their ability to work with artists to create works of profound cultural as well commercial importance.
Leadership is one of the fundamentals of success in today’s age, both on the personal and professional level, and this course is designed not only to help students learn the many facets of the global entertainment business world and leadership in theory, but also to master the skills and experiences necessary to turn them into effective leaders in their own right. Students have the opportunity to learn from real industry case studies, understand the organizational implications of quality leadership and global implications on a variety of levels, and participate in a diverse set of activities and assignments towards developing quality sensibilities and practices as thoughtful leaders in whatever endeavor they might choose to pursue. They study human behavior, internationalization, leadership and communication tactics, and other organizational elements combined with a thorough application of these principles towards building a solid understanding and integration of what makes true leaders in the modern entertainment world.
China has climbed into the top 10 recorded music markets, and is likely to head to the number one spot. India has similar potential. Latin American music businesses seem poised to benefit from the global appeal of Latin beats. Africa has increasingly assertive music businesses from Nigeria to South Africa. Meanwhile, in Europe, EU changes to copyright law look set to close the “value gap” between technology companies and content companies. In this course, students explore these phenomenon and more as they learn to prepare for, anticipate, and create entertainment industry changes. Students learn to analyze global music markets; to assess differences and similarities; and to evaluate various business approaches and best practices. In short, this course positions students as future music industry professionals with a truly global understanding and outlook.
Through this course, students will acquire a detailed understanding of music publishing beginning with the signing of a songwriter through to the exploitation of an administered work via a synchronization license. We will look at the basics of copyright and how a music publisher handles its works in order to best monetize its catalogue through print, mechanicals, performance and licensing. This course will review the use of music in popular and current film, TV, video game and advertising projects to look at aesthetic, artist positioning, and the relationship between the value of a song, pricing and a production budget.
Students will also complete a detailed study of the clearance process of synchronization and the language and terms included in licensing agreements for film, television, video games and other digital media. This course will provide a comprehensive look at music licensing from the point of view of the various departments within a music publisher as well as from a music supervisors perspective. They will acquire a deep understanding of the job of a music supervisor, the skills required and trends to be aware of in the future with the impact of music tech.
Students will acquire the knowledge and skills needed to be a music supervisor; work at a film/television studio or advertising agency’s music department, an international music publishing company, or to start their own music publishing company.
In this course, students learn a variety of multimedia software, hardware, tools and strategies useful in creating compelling graphic design, posters, music videos and other visual media, especially using “guerilla” techniques (self-produced, low budget projects). The goal is to put more visual tools in the hands of musicians, to enable them to take control of their own visual brand and visual promotion, and to help students synthesize a variety of visual design and editing skills in order to increase their ability to express themselves artistically. Students focus all of their newly learned skills to produce a final project of their choice with guidance from the course instructor.
In this course, students will explore a variety of topics related to marketing in the music business using modern day techniques and methods. We will focus on building a marketing plan from A to Z for an artist and for a release. One part of the experience will be adopting the role as a digital marketer. Lecture content examines the day-to-day functions of the role: Taking stock of all social media / DSP profiles, audience demographics, building a brand online, building a timeline and list of items that should go into it, understanding what works best on Social Media and best practices for content, DSP / video platform familiarization and implementing strategies for getting the most out of these platforms in order to build relationships and fan audiences.
This course provides a comprehensive overview of the marketing of products and services by multinational organizations, with emphasis on international cultures and marketing strategies. Students learn about the practices of companies large and small, with emphasis on those in the music/entertainment industry who are seeking market opportunities outside their home country. Students also learn about the importance of viewing international marketing management strategies from a global perspective.
This course provides students an opportunity to integrate professional and academic experience through internships. The internship site must be approved by the student’s faculty advisor and/or the program director and must provide a learning experience that enables the student to meet academic and/or career goals. Through the internship, students apply theories learned in their graduate studies and explore aspects of the music, entertainment, and/or other industry as appropriate. Students who opt-in to the graduate internship program must complete their internship in order to graduate.
Please note: Students are responsible for securing their own internships. The internship must be secured prior to course registration. Students must complete approximately 100-300 hours during the internship. International students in F-1 status must obtain authorization on their Form I-20 from their International Student Advisor prior to beginning an internship.
Principles of Music Research introduces the tools of music scholarship, including reference and research materials in both book and electronic forms. Students develop the skills, attitudes, and understanding to research and write about music by learning how to approach various types of scholarly study within music and by increasing their proficiency with music library resources. Projects and assignments will be tailored to the individual needs of the student working towards his/her culminating experience or thesis project. Students learn advanced information seeking, assembling a literature review, evaluating current research, writing and documenting sources professionally and ethically, distinguishing primary and secondary research, and finding and applying for funding sources. Students taking this course should have the ability to recognize, identify, and define an informational need; seek basic information in a strategic way; locate and access basic information; and evaluate information sources for essential levels of quality and relevance.
Please note: courses are subject to change. Elective courses subject to availability.
