Module overview
This module introduces you to some of the key areas of the international music industry that have top do with artists and their repertoires. It focuses on infrastructure (artists, repertoires, distribution channels etc.) in order to help you understand the consumption of music as a practice on a global scale, and prepare you to manage your own career and that of others.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- conduct research and find information on a given artist, venue, repertoire
- communicate your ideas clearly and concisely
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- how social media and streaming platforms operate within the music industry
- markets, audiences and venues for musical performance
- Branding and artists' aesthetic proposition
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- identify genre, ensemble, singer, type of artist.
- discuss genre, ensemble, artist, in a historical context as well as today
- Develop the skills necessary to organise musical events, including choosing appropriate repertory, venue, and audiences
Syllabus
The module tackles some of the most up-to-date topics in the international music industry, discussing real-life case studies and asking you to engage with your favourite artists and repertoires from a variety of genres. Topics could include the role of social media platforms and how they are changing the relationship between artists and audiences; copyright; international opera festivals, questions of funding, branding and marketing; how to develop an artist's proposition; how venues can shape repertoires; how to curate a playlist or a concert programme.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching methods include
- lectures
- seminars
- small tutorials and open hours
- guest lectures
Learning activities include
- independent study/research
- engaging with a wide range of online resources
- peer learning and group work
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Lecture | 36 |
| Independent Study | 264 |
| Total study time | 300 |
Resources & Reading list
Textbooks
Small, Christopher (1999). Musicking: The Meanings of Performance and Listening. Wesleyan: University Press.
Steinberg, Michael (1999). The Concerto. A Listener's Guide.. Oxford University Press.
Steinberg, Michael (2008). Choral Masterworks. A Listener's Guide.. Oxford University Press.
Mordden, Ethan (1986). A Guide to Orchestral Music. The Handbook for Non-Musicians.. Oxford University Press.
Martin Iddon, Melanie L. Marshall (2014). Lady Gaga and Popular Music: Performing Gender, Fashion, and Culture. Routledge.
Beng Huat Chua, Koichi Iwabuchi (2008). East Asian Pop Culture: Analysing the Korean Wave. Hong Kong University Press.
Cook, Nicholas (1998). Music: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press.
Juslin, Patrik N. (2019). Musical Emotions Explained. Unlocking the Secrets of Musical Affect.. Oxford University Press.
Jampol, Joshua. Living Opera. Oxford University Press.
Taylor, Tim (1997). Global Pop: World Music, World Markets. Routledge.
Allen Chun, Ned Rossiter, Brian Shoesmith (2015). Refashioning Pop Music in Asia: Cosmopolitan Flows, Political Tempos, and Aesthetic Industries. Taylor & Francis.
Assessment
Assessment strategy
A Playlist will give you an opportunity to reflect on the act of curating a programme/playlist, how to choose and identify target audiences, and how to retrieve key metadata on a broad repertory (including publishers, copyrights, etc.)
The final portfolio will ask you to engage critically with the material covered during the semester, discussing venues, audiences, artists' propositions, repertoires and their interaction. It will also assess your ability to write confidently, authoritatively and independently about a wide variety of musical genres, and to conduct your own research on the topics covered in the module using multiple professional resources.
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Essay | 60% |
| Short essay /assignment | 40% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Coursework | 100% |
Repeat
An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Coursework | 100% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External