University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Curriculum Proposal Form #3
New Course
Effective Term:
Subject Area - Course Number:MUSC 431Cross-listing:
(See Note #1 below)
Course Title:(Limited to 65 characters)Music as a Business
25-Character Abbreviation: Music as a Business
Sponsor(s): J. Michael Allsen
Department(s):Music
College(s):
Consultation took place:NA Yes (list departments and attach consultation sheet)
Departments:
Programs Affected:Music Business Module
Is paperwork complete for those programs? (Use "Form 2" for Catalog & Academic Report updates)
NA Yeswill be at future meeting
Prerequisites:Music major or minor, or or consent of instructor
Grade Basis:Conventional LetterS/NC or Pass/Fail
Course will be offered:Part of Load Above Load
On CampusOff Campus - Location
College:Dept/Area(s):Music
Instructor:Prof. J. Michael Allsen
Note: If the course is dual-listed, instructor must be a member of Grad Faculty.
Check if the Course is to Meet Any of the Following:
Technological Literacy Requirement Writing Requirement
Diversity General Education Option:
Note: For the Gen Ed option, the proposal should address how this course relates to specific core courses, meets the goals of General Education in providing breadth, and incorporates scholarship in the appropriate field relating to women and gender.
Credit/Contact Hours: (per semester)
Total lab hours:Total lecture hours: 32
Number of credits:2 Total contact hours:32
Can course be taken more than once for credit? (Repeatability)
No Yes If "Yes", answer the following questions:
No of times in major:No of credits in major:
No of times in degree: No of credits in degree:
Revised 10/021 of 7
Proposal Information:
Course justification:
MUSC 431 is a long-overdue addition to the Music Department’s offerings, and will be part of a newly-proposed Music Business Certificate. While a great deal of the training in our various Music Education degrees is essentially vocational—giving students the tools they need to get a job and work sucessfully as professional educators—the vocational training offered to Music Performance and Music Liberal Arts students goes on informally in studio lessons and ensembles. As noted in the accompanying Form 1 for the new Certificate, the national trend for performance and liberal arts degrees is to not only to train students to play and sing well, but also to pay some attention to how they’ll earn a living doing it. This course will provide a wide overview of a various aspects of the business of music, ranging from work in several different styles (orchestras, pop music, jazz, church music, and the military), to financial aspects of working as a musician (contracts and taxes), to marketing in several categories, to freelancing and private teaching.
MUSC 431 will be the centerpiece of Music’s proposed Music Business Certificate and an attractive elective for music majors and minors who are not enrolled in this Certificate program. It may eventially serve as an elective for students enrolled in the Arts Administration Minor as well.
Relationship to program assessment objectives:
A clear indicator of a program’s success is the success of its graduates as professionals. This course, particularly in combination with the broader Music Business Certificate, is designed to provide our students with tools they can use to succeed in the profession of music.
Budgetary impact:
The course will be absorbed into current faculty loads. It is envisioned that, while a single faculty member will facilitate the course, much of the course material will be presented by a rotation of guest instructors from the Music Department speaking to areas of their expertise.
Course description: (50 word limit)
This course provides a broad overview of the business aspects of the music profession, including work and marketing in a variety of musical categories, contracts and taxes for musicians, intellectual property, and musical entrepeneurship.
If dual listed, list graduate level requirements for the following:
1. Content (e.g., What are additional presentation/project requirements?)
N/A
2. Intensity (e.g., How are the processes and standards of evaluation different for graduates and undergraduates? )
N/A
3. Self-Directed (e.g., How are research expectations differ for graduates and undergraduates?)
N/A
Course objectives and tentative course syllabus:Attached below.
Bibliography: (Key or essential references only. Normally the bibliography should be no more than one or two pages in length.)
NOTE: Andersen Library’s resources are rather dated in this area, though there are a few recent books in the collection and available as electonic resources which will be of value. Items in the bibliography below marked with an asterisk (*) have already been ordered for the collection.
Aczon, Michael A. The Musician’s Legal Companion. Second edition. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2008.*
Barrow, Tony and Julian Newby. Inside the Music Business. London; New York : Routledge, 2003. [electronic resource available through Andersen Library]
Baskerville, David, and Tim Baskerville. Music Business Handbook and Career Guide. Ninth edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2009.*
Beeching, Angela Miles. Beyond Talent: Creating a Successful Career in Music. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.*
Brabec, Jeffrey and Todd Brabec. Music, Money and Success. Sixth edition. New York: Schirmer Books, 2008.*
Borg, Bobby. The Musician's Handbook: A Practical Guide to Understanding the Music Business. New York: Billboard Books, 2003. [electronic resource available through Andersen Library]
Caan, Simon. Building a Successful 21st Century Music Career. Boston: Thomson Course Technology, 2007.
Gerardi, Robert. Opportunities in Music Careers. Chicago: VGM Career Books, 2002.[electronic resource available through Andersen Library]
Moore, Steve, The Truth About the Music Business: A Grassroots Business and Legal Guide. Boston, MA: Thomson Course Technology, 2005. [electronic resource available through Andersen Library]
Passman, Donald. All You Need to Know About the Music Business. Seventh edition. [New York]: Free Press (Simon & Schuster), 2009.*
Pearce, Linda M. Business Plans Handbook, Vol. 15: A Compilation of Business Plans Developed by Individuals Throughout North America. Detroit, MI: Gale, 2009. [electronic resource available through Andersen Library]
Suisman, David.Selling Sounds: the Commercial Revolution in American Music. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2009. [Anderson Library: ML3790 .S88 2009]
Thall, Peter M. What They'll Never Tell You About the Music Business: the Myths, the Secrets, the Lies (& A Few Truths). New York : Watson-Guptill Pub., 2002. [Andersen Library: ML3790 .T44 2002]
Wacholtz, Larry Edward. Off the Record: The New Music Business Guide Workbook for the Digital World. Second edition. [n.p.]: Thumbs Up Publishing, 2009.*
Course Objectives and tentative course syllabus with mandatory information(paste syllabus below):
MUSC 431: Music as a Business
Spring 2012
Prof. J. Michael Allsen, UWW Department of Music
Monday/Wednesday 12:05, CA7
Office: CA2038 / Phone: 262-472-1310 / Email:
Office hours: Monday/Wednesday/Friday 12:00-1:00, Thursday 10-12:00 or by appointment
Textbooks (UWW Textbook Rental)
- Passman, Donald. All You Need to Know About the Music Business. Seventh edition. New York: Free Press (Simon & Schuster), 2009.
- Beeching, Angela Miles. Beyond Talent: Creating a Successful Career in Music. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
Course Description (from UWW Catalog)
This course provides a broad overview of the business aspects of the music profession, including work and marketing in a variety of musical categories, contracts and taxes for musicians, intellectual property, and musical entrepeneurship.
Objectives
This couse is intended as a very broad overview, and thus much of the content will be delivered by a rotation of speakers from the music department, speaking to areas of their expertise, and guest speakers. Prof. Allsen will facilitate the course and will do assignments and grading the course as a whole.
Course Goals
- To gain a broad overview of the various workplaces within the music business.
- To gain a basic knowledge of financial aspects of the music business.
- To gain a basic knowledge of legal and intellectual property issues pertaining to musicians.
- To learn techniques of marketing and promotion within the music profession.
- To formulate personal career goals and an entrepeneurial plan in preparation for a career in music.
University of Wisconsin –Whitewater Policies
The University of Wisconsin – Whitewater is dedicated to a safe, supportive and non discriminatory learning environment. It is the responsibility of all undergraduate and graduate students to familiarize themselves with University policies regarding Special Accommodations, Misconduct, Religious Beliefs Accommodation, Discrimination and Absence for University for University Sponsored Events. (For details please refer to the Undergraduate and Graduate Timetables; the “Rights and Responsibilities” section of Undergraduate Bulletin; the Academic Requirements and Policies and the Facilities and Services sections of the Graduate Bulletin; and the “Student Academic Disciplinary Procedures” [UWS Chapter 14]; and the “Student Nonacademic Disciplinary Procedures” [UWS Chapter 17]).
Grading
Final grade comes from three areas:
1. Weekly Assignments (60%)
Weekly assignments will be submitted via D2L, and will vary in format depending on the topic of that week’s class, and may include responses to directed readings in the texts, questions sringing from that week’s topics, or other projects.
2. Statement of Personal Goals and a Detailed Entrepeneurial Plan (20%)
The final project will develop over the course of the semester. Personal goals will come both from a detailed inventory of skills and interests, and careful formulation of personal goals. From that will spring a “business plan” detailing realistic objectives and steps necessary to achieve those objectives.
3. Participation(20%)
A purely subjective grade on my part: my judgement of how you have participated in the class. That is... Have you been actively engaged during lectures: taking notes, asking questions, taking part in class discussions, etc.? Is it apparent that you have done assigned readings? Have you sought individual help when needed? Are you in class all the time? NOTE: I will be taking attendance each day, and although attendance is not a formal part of this score in the sense of “X number of absences costs you Y number of points,” if you are habitually absent, you certainly don't deserve full credit for participation.
Final grades awarded as follows:
A ≥ 92%B+ ≥88%C+ ≥ 78%D+ ≥ 68%F < 60%
A- ≥ 90%B≥82%C ≥ 72%D ≥ 62%
B- ≥ 80%C- ≥ 70%D- ≥ 60%
Schedule of Topics
I will assign readings from the texts on a weekly basis.
WEEKS 1-4The Musical Workplace: An overview of several musical workplaces: academia; the symphony orchestra, opera, and chamber music, pop music and jazz, recording studio (on both sides of the glass), church music, music retail, music publishing, the military, and more. How do we get this kind of work? Pros and cons? Necessary skills? Speakers: B. Whitcomb, F. Hanson, M. Rubinstein, B. Leeper, M. Dugan, J. Herriott, E. Sheffield, G. Ferencz.
WEEK 5Musical Entreneurship: Introduction to basics of entrepeneurship and career planning. What is a business plan? What are your personal goals? Speakers: M. Matthews, M. Dugan, guest from College of Business to be announced.
WEEKS 6-7Legal Issues for Musicans: Introduction to several fundamental legal issues. How do we understand and write various types of contracts? What is the role of musicians unions? How do we deal with copyrights in performing, recording, publishing, composing, and arranging music? What is the role of the Musicians’ Union? Speakers: J. Cross, G. Ferencz, F. Hanson, guest from College of Business to be announced.
WEEKS 8-9Financial Issues for Musicians: An introduction to what we do with our money once we earn it. What accounting practices are appropriate for different types of musical workplaces? How do musicians do taxes? What are grants and how do we get them? Speakers: M. Sintchak, J. Herriott, guest from College of Business to be announced.
WEEKS 10-13Marketing Issues for Musicians: Basic marketing practices in a variety of musical workplaces. How do we get publicity for ourselves/our groups? How can we use the internet and social media effectively? What promotional materials can we use? How do we arrange tours and recordings? How do we interact with audiences? How do we work with the media? Speakers: C. Ellenwood, M. Sintchak, B. Whitcomb, J. Tuinstra, J. Cross, M. Rubinstein.
WEEK 14Making an Independent Living: Working as an independent musician in several ways. How do we set up a private teaching studio? How can we be successful as a freelancer? What other ways can we earn money in music (writing and criticism, arranging, administration, management)? Speakers: K. Boe, R. Fellows, G. Ferencz.
WEEK 15Wrap up: Discussion of issues from across the semester.
FINAL EXAMOpen discussion of our entreneurial plans.
PERIOD
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