Entry to Level 2

This module gives you the opportunity to begin exploring the key issues that will affect your ability to develop a professional career as a musician in the 21st century. You will be introduced to the main actors and networks in the music industries in Scotland and beyond, focusing specifically on the publishing and recording industries, so that you can successfully navigate and find your place within them. You will learn how it has changed since the advent of recording right up until the recent development of digital technologies and the introduction of downloading and streaming services. Key concepts such as copyright will be analysed both in terms of how they have become central to the music industry’s attempt to make money from music and your own attempts to protect your intellectual property and profit from your creativity. We will discuss the continued relevance of record labels, the relationship between independent and major labels, and encourage you to think about how your own careers as musicians will be shaped by new technologies that enable more direct forms of distribution to audiences.

LO1: situate yourself within the music industries in Scotland and examine a sector you may want to work in.

LO2: describe the ways in which copyright is important for you as a musician and demonstrate an understanding of potential income streams from PRS and MCPS.

LO3: discuss the continued relevance of record labels and whether you as recording artists still need them.

LO4: examine the structures of major and indie labels and develop strategies for distributing your own music.