Overview

An entrepreneur in the music business understands the industry's history, learns from the latest trends, and creatively pushes the boundaries of art and sound. This learning path provides best practices for working in the music business.

Learn the roles and inner workings of the music business.
Understand music law and social media best practices.
Sell & Promote your music, merchandise, and digital releases.

Syllabus

Course 1: An Insider's Guide to Today's Music Biz: 1 The Big Picture

Learn how the music industry really works. Insider Music industry insider Steve Rennie explains the business and how artists and songwriters can kick off successful music careers..

Course 2: An Insider's Guide to Today's Music Biz: 2 Making Great Music

Learn the secrets of making great music that makes its way into the hands of music biz movers and shakers.

Course 3: An Insider's Guide to Today's Music Biz: 3 Treating Your Career as a Business

Steve Rennie explains how to approach the music biz with the mindset of an entrepreneur and look at a career in music as a business.

Course 4: An Insider's Guide to Today's Music Biz: 4 Building a Professional Team

Learn about the key players you need on your team as you pursue a career in music. Discover what these music professionals do, how you find them, and when you need them.

Course 5: An Insider's Guide to Today's Music Biz: 5 Managers

Learn how to find and hire a manager to guide your music career, and build a long-lasting artist-manager relationship.

Course 6: An Insider's Guide to Today's Music Biz: 6 Marketing and Promotion

Learn how to market and promote your music and turn music consumers into permanent fans.

Course 7: An Insider's Guide to Today's Music Biz: 7 Record Labels

Learn about the role of record labels in the music business. Learn the secrets of finding a record label, negotiating a record deal, and getting paid.

Course 8: An Insider's Guide to Today's Music Biz: 8 Music Publishing

Get started in music publishing. Learn how to sell your music and turn your songs into money.

Course 9: An Insider's Guide to Today's Music Biz: 9 Touring

Learn how to plan and organize a music tour, book gigs, and build out a great live show. Steve Rennie shares insider tips for a successful music career.

Course 10: The Business of Songwriting: First Steps

Get started in the business of songwriting. Learn about all of the major organizations, rights, and procedures that songwriters have to deal with in the music business.

Course 11: Super Fans: The Future of the Music Industry

Join Benji Rogers as he heads to SXSW to talk to music insiders about how artists can connect with super fans—the fans who want deeper relationships with their favorite musicians.

Course 12: Music Law: Managing a Band's Business

Learn to avoid the major music business and legal pitfalls that can break bands apart, such as financial mismanagement and contract disputes.

Course 13: Music Law: Copyrighting a Song

Learn how to get and protect copyrights for your songs, and understand the critical language, concepts, and business aspects of music copyright.

Course 14: Music Law: Recording, Management, Rights, and Performance Contracts

Learn how to understand and negotiate terms for the four major types of music business contracts: recording, management, performance, and rights agreements.

Course 15: Selling Music Merchandise

Learn how to make money selling music merchandise. Find out where to order merch, how to price it, and how to run a successful merch table or online store.

Course 16: Digital Release and Promotion Strategies for Musicians

Find out how to promote your music online. Learn the best practices for self-releasing and marketing music.

Course 17: Taxes and Accounting for Music

Making money in the music business? Find out how to claim income from gigs, maximize your deductions, and file the right tax forms with the IRS.

Taught by

Steve Rennie, Steve Rennie, Steve Rennie, Steve Rennie, Steve Rennie, Steve Rennie, Steve Rennie, Steve Rennie, Steve Rennie, Garrick Chow, Benji Rogers, Richard Stim, Richard Stim, Richard Stim, Bobby Owsinski, Evan Sutton and Richard Stim