Students

MMCC2090 – The Music Business

2023 – Session 2, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor
Sarah Keith
sarah.keith@mq.edu.au
Contact via By e-mail
10HA 165G
See iLearn
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
40cp at 1000 level or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

In this unit students apply music industry theory to a range of real life situations. They create and market an artist's image, organise and promote a live gig, and learn how to plot a musician's career path. This course provides a holistic outline of the music industry: it considers all five income stream groups (record sales, live performance, song publishing, merchandise and sponsorship) in relation to artists' and industry practitioners' careers. The artist manager is the only other individual, besides the artist, who gets to see and touch all the jigsaw puzzle pieces that fit together to create the artist's career. This course therefore focuses on artist management in order to provide a comprehensive overview of the different facets that constitute the industry.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: analyse industry practices and historical contexts in order to discover new knowledge concerning the music business.
  • ULO2: collaborate with other students in order to evaluate, contrast and defend personal judgements concerning the music business.
  • ULO3: evaluate relationships and contracts between artists and other parties, including (but not limited to) artist managers, agents, producers, record companies, and music publishers.
  • ULO4: apply professional and personal judgment and initiative regarding the complexity, ambiguity and diversity that is generated by the changing music business environment.

General Assessment Information

Late Assessment Submission Penalty  

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of ‘0’ (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue.    

This late penalty will apply to non-timed sensitive assessment (incl essays, reports, posters, portfolios, journals, recordings etc). Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs etc) will only be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application. Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic. 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Case study 30% No Sunday Week 7, 23:55 10/9/23
Active iLearn engagement 25% No Sunday Week 11, 23:55 22/10/23
Marketing plan and presentation 45% No Plan: Sunday Week 12, 23:55 29/10/23. Presentation: Week 13

Case study

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Sunday Week 7, 23:55 10/9/23
Weighting: 30%

 

Students will research and analyse the strategies of an artist of their choice. Refer to iLearn for further information.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • analyse industry practices and historical contexts in order to discover new knowledge concerning the music business.
  • apply professional and personal judgment and initiative regarding the complexity, ambiguity and diversity that is generated by the changing music business environment.

Active iLearn engagement

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: Sunday Week 11, 23:55 22/10/23
Weighting: 25%

 

Students will respond to tasks set on iLearn, exploring weekly topics, applying relevant ideas, and engaging with readings. Refer to iLearn for further information.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • collaborate with other students in order to evaluate, contrast and defend personal judgements concerning the music business.
  • apply professional and personal judgment and initiative regarding the complexity, ambiguity and diversity that is generated by the changing music business environment.

Marketing plan and presentation

Assessment Type 1: Presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 45 hours
Due: Plan: Sunday Week 12, 23:55 29/10/23. Presentation: Week 13
Weighting: 45%

 

Students will present a marketing plan for the release of a musical product into the marketplace. A written summary of the marketing plan will also be submitted. Refer to iLearn for further information.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • analyse industry practices and historical contexts in order to discover new knowledge concerning the music business.
  • evaluate relationships and contracts between artists and other parties, including (but not limited to) artist managers, agents, producers, record companies, and music publishers.
  • apply professional and personal judgment and initiative regarding the complexity, ambiguity and diversity that is generated by the changing music business environment.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Lectures: Lectures start in Week 1. The weekly lecture will be recorded and made available online before the time that lecture is scheduled in iLearn. Students are expected to watch all lectures. Lectures are not optional: they are a central component of meeting the learning outcomes in this unit, and deliver important content that is directly assessed. Students who elect to not attend/watch lectures will miss out on important unit content, and do so at their own risk.

iLearn: iLearn is the online platform for this unit and is where unit information and weekly content is hosted, and where written assessments will be submitted. For the online-flexible cohort, iLearn also provides an environment where students can discuss ideas, and learn from each other, building important networks and group work skills. Online-flexible students will also use iLearn to complete activities based on weekly topics and communicate with their tutor. Students who do not engage on iLearn will miss out on important unit content and learning activities, and do so at their own risk.

Unit Schedule

  • Week 1: Unit Overview
  • Week 2: The Independent Artist
  • Week 3: From Analogue to Digital
  • Week 4: Artist Management
  • Week 5: Copyright and Contracts
  • Week 6: Touring and Scenes
  • Week 7: Valuing Recorded Music
  • — Mid-session break —
  • Week 8: Creating a Strategy
  • Week 9: Live Music and Festivals
  • Week 10: Music and Branding
  • Week 11: Songwriting and Publishing
  • Week 12: Music and Cultural Policy
  • Week 13: Presentations

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Changes since First Published

Date Description
19/07/2023 Updated staff information due to unit staff changes.

Unit information based on version 2023.02 of the Handbook