57-464 Music & Money

6 units, Carnegie Mellon University

This course is intended to develop in the student a broad knowledge of the music business, an entrepreneurial mindset applicable to it, and to encourage curiosity about future possibilities in the field. Students will examine the musical groups, ensembles, and institutions from the standpoint of economic, business and marketplace realities. Musical entities will be considered and studied not for their inherent artistic merit but as commodities affected by the same forces as any other consumable. Students will acquire a basic understanding of the forces - economic, financial, psychological, societal - that affect entities in the music field. They will also be called upon to think creatively and entrepreneurially about possible directions for existing musical entities. Students will become familiar with current methods of musical content creation, delivery platforms, advertising and marketing avenues, and revenue streams. Students will consider the history, economic structure, opportunities, and the challenges faced by each. Students will encounter and react to case studies taken from the music field about individuals and groups and the decision-making mechanisms at work in each, and the outcomes of the decisions taken by these individuals and groups.

Prerequisites: none listed

Offered: Spring 2027, Spring 2026

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