Bachelor of Arts in Music Industry Leadership and Innovation

The Bachelor of Arts in Music Industry Leadership and Innovation program gives music business students a foundation in design thinking and strategic leadership within the music business and prepares them to identify new opportunities, develop innovative solutions to solve problems, and better meet the needs of both creatives and consumers.

A Music Business Major for Non-Musicians

With no audition or instrument proficiency required, the program provides access and opportunity for non-musicians/performers to pursue a career in the music industry.

Watch

Berklee's First B.A.

Listen to Tonya Butler, chair of the Music Business/Management Department, and R. Michael Hendrix, global director of design at IDEO, introduce the new Bachelor of Arts degree and how it equips students with the design-thinking skills needed to be leaders in today's industry.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Learn about financial aid, scholarships, and others ways of paying for your Berklee education.

Press Release

Berklee Announces Bachelor of Arts in Music Industry Leadership and Innovation Program for Fall 2022

“The Bachelor of Arts in music industry leadership and innovation does not require an audition, yet is still a highly selective and competitive program designed for students with a strong desire to impact, change, and even disrupt the music industry of today."

—Tonya Butler, chair of the Music Business/Management Department

Getting an Edge

How Innovation and Design Thinking Boost Music Industry Careers

The new Bachelor of Arts in Music Industry Leadership and Innovation program is training students to imagine and create the music business of the future.

Full Description

Berklee College of Music’s Bachelor of Arts in Music Industry Leadership and Innovation is a radical shift from traditional music business programs. With a foundation in design thinking and strategic leadership, the program prepares students to identify new opportunities, develop innovative solutions to solve problems, and better meet the needs of both creatives and consumers.

With no audition or instrument proficiency required, the program provides access and opportunity for non-musicians (or non-performers) to pursue a career in the music industry.

Designed to create the thought leaders and innovators of tomorrow, this program has the largest concentration of music business courses of any other program on the market.

Graduates can pursue careers in innovation, digital strategy, emerging technologies, and business development. They can also pursue more conventional music industry opportunities in artist management, music marketing, record label operations, music publishing, copyright administration, concerts and touring, and more.

What Will I Learn?

Upon successful completion of this program, students will:

define, describe, and discuss music industry terminology, core concepts, and the role of each of its key players;
identify current and new sources of income for artists and organizations within the music industry, and describe how money flows through the system;
apply knowledge of intellectual property law, contract law, and standard practices to critically assess the most common contracts used in the music industry;
apply a systematic approach to creative thinking and problem-solving, which can be used to develop new and innovative solutions to music industry challenges and inefficiencies;
apply methods to effectively generate, prototype, and test new ideas, thus creating real, tangible solutions;
gain a deep understanding of customer needs, and then apply methods to transform those insights into human-centered solutions;
lead teams and organizations to develop a vision and culture that will enable them to anticipate and adapt to legal, technological, political, economic, or sociological changes in the music industry; and
collect and interpret relevant data to improve decision-making, profitability, and organizational effectiveness.

Entrance Requirements

This program is for exceptional students who aspire to be leaders in the music industry. Students who are interested in this program will apply directly to the B.A. There is no audition required. For more information, please see the undergraduate admissions page.

Curriculum and Courses

There are 52 core required credits in addition to liberal arts and sciences courses (43 credits), and general electives (25 credits) for a degree total of 120 credits.

Music Industry Leadership and Innovation Core (20 credits)

MILI-110 Introduction to Design (2 credits)
MILI-210 Innovation Methodologies (2 credits)
MILI-211 Technology and Disruption in the Music Industry (2 credits)
MILI-310 Innovation Analysis and Application 1 (3 credits)
MILI-311 Innovation Analysis and Application 2 (3 credits)
MILI-312 Business Development & Strategy (2 credits)
MILI-410 Innovation Lab 1 (2 credits)
MILI-411 Innovation Lab 2 (2 credits)
MILI-401 Designing Your Path: Strategic Life and Career Planning (2 credits)

Music Industry Core (20 credits)

MB-101 Introduction to Music Business (2 credits)
ICE-125 The Creative Entrepreneur Mindset (2 credits)
MB-211 Legal Aspects of the Music Business (2 credits)
MB-325 Principles of Marketing (3 credits)
MB-331 Record Company Operations (2 credits)
MB-335 Music Publishing (2 credits)
MB-375 Music Intermediaries (2 credits)
MB-391 Concerts and Touring (2 credits)
MB-363 Leadership and Organizational Behavior (2 credits)
MB-433 Music Industry Trends and Special Topics (1 credit)

Practicum (3 credits; choose one set of courses from the following areas)

BPMI-401, BPMI-402, BPMI-403 Berklee Popular Music Institute 1, 2, and 3 (1 credit each) (BPMI Live; application required)

IN-299 Internship in the Arts and Entertainment 1 (1 credit)
MB-495 Internship in Music Business/Management (2 credits)

Specialization (9 credits; choose from the following)

Marketing and Product Development

MB-337 Music Product Development (2 credits)
MB-341 Creative Promotion in New Media (2 credits)
MB-361 Content Creation and Design (3 credits)
MB-421 Digital and Social Media Marketing (2 credits)

Licensing and Administration

MB-311 Copyright Law (2 credits)
MB-431 Publishing Royalty Administration (3 credits)
MB-405 Advanced Legal Issues and Contract Negotiation (2 credits)
MB-423 Music Supervision and Synchronization Licensing (2 credits)

Emerging Technologies

ICE-335 Music and Web3 (2 credits)
ICE-315 RAIDAR: Building a Music and Blockchain Startup (2 credits)
ICE-316 RAIDAR: Building a Music + Blockchain Startup Practicum (1 credit)
MB-357 Extended Reality and the Metaverse (2 credits)
MB-457 Artificial Intelligence Foundations (2 credits)

Liberal Arts and Sciences (43 credits)

Major-specific Liberal Arts

LENG-211 Effective Communication (3 credits)
LMSC-251 Data Management and Statistics (3 credits)
LSOC-225 Principles of Economics (3 credits)

General Electives (25 credits)

Updated for catalog year 2024 fall.

Bachelor of Arts in Music Industry Leadership and Innovation

Music Business/ Management

A Music Business Major for Non-Musicians

Berklee's First B.A.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Berklee Announces Bachelor of Arts in Music Industry Leadership and Innovation Program for Fall 2022

How Innovation and Design Thinking Boost Music Industry Careers

Program Details

Full Description

What Will I Learn?

Entrance Requirements

Curriculum and Courses

Bachelor of Arts in Music Industry Leadership and Innovation

A Music Business Major for Non-Musicians

Berklee's First B.A.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Berklee Announces Bachelor of Arts in Music Industry Leadership and Innovation Program for Fall 2022

How Innovation and Design Thinking Boost Music Industry Careers

Program Details

Full Description

What Will I Learn?

Entrance Requirements

Curriculum and Courses

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