Traditional modes of thought in relation to many aspects of the music sector are now obsolete and larger, institutional processes have been superseded by more technologically democratic ways of conducting business. The rise of the ‘new artist model’ which places emphasis upon commercial autonomy by artists and practitioners within the music sector has also created the need for the development of a new music business skillset which this course addresses.

This course has been heavily endorsed by practitioners at the very highest levels of the creative industries who recognise that it addresses the need for a new skillset which is based on autonomy and an understanding of the realities of income generation in relation to music in the 21st century. As such, the course aspires to produce employers rather than employees. In its first intake, one business that was ‘incubated’ within the MA received start-up funding of £40,000 with others receiving smaller amounts of seed funding.