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 (42 credits), and general electives (26 credits) for a degree total of 120 credits.

Music Industry Leadership and Innovation Core (19 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 Theory and Practice 1 (3 credits)
MILI-311 Innovation Theory and Practice 2 (3 credits)
MILI-312 Innovation Theory and Practice 3 (3 credits)
MILI-410 Innovation Lab 1 (2 credits)
MILI-411 Innovation Lab 2 (2 credits)

Music Industry Core (21 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-425 Strategic Leadership (3 credits*)
MB-433 Music Industry Trends and Special Topics (1 credit)

*This course is currently 2 credits but will be changed in spring 2023.

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

Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship:

ICE-315 RAIDAR: Building a Music and Blockchain Startup (2 credits)
ICE-316 RAIDAR: Building a Music + Blockchain Startup Practicum (1 credit)

Berklee Popular Music Institute (BPMI Live; application required):

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

Internships

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-3XX Social Media Marketing (3 credits)

Choose two of the following electives:

MB-341 Creative Promotion in New Media (2 credits)
MB-387 Web Design and Management (2 credits)
MB-421 Digital Marketing and Data Analytics (2 credits)
MB-4XX Brand Partnerships (2 credits)

Licensing and Administration

MB-311 Copyright Law (2 credits)
MB-3XX Licensing and Royalty Administration (3 credits)

Choose two of the following electives:

MB-405 Advanced Legal/Contract Negotiations (2 credits)
MB-415 International Music Licensing (2 credits)
MB-4XX Music Supervision and Synch Licensing (2 credits)

Emerging Technologies

MB-389 Managing Tech Driven Business (2 credits)
MB-3XX Blockchain and Related Technologies (3 credits)

Choose two of the following electives:

MB-339 Music Tech in the Marketplace (2 credits)
MB-4XX Artificial Intelligence (2 credits)
MB-4XX Extended Reality (Virtual and Augmented) (2 credits)

Liberal Arts and Sciences (42 credits)

General Electives (26 credits)

Updated for catalog year 2022 fall. Please note that curriculum is subject to change.

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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