Industry news & advice blog

The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts’ (LIPA) has launched a new MA in Music Industry Professional Management that aims to develop professional managers who are equipped and able to navigate an increasingly complex global industry.
 
Course leader Keith Mullin (MA), has over 30 years of music industry experience, is a member of The Farm, has managed bands, co-owned record labels and worked in higher education for more than 20 years. “It’s not the industry that I entered where you taught yourself as you went along. The way music is experienced and consumed now is much more diverse in an industry that is constantly changing.

“The modern manager needs to be versatile and quick-witted, to be able to spot patterns and trends and then be able to adapt. For that, they need a wide variety of transferrable skills along with a deep knowledge and understanding of different areas of the industry.”
 
Students on the MA Music Industry Professional Management programme will examine the concepts and practices that underpin various management roles. Then, by researching into their own work-based projects, industry placements or LIPA based collaborations, they will gain a deeper understanding of their personal contribution to the wider music business. The course culminates with students focusing on a practical project or written dissertation directly related to their ambitions and knowledge.

The skills and approaches developed on the course can be applied to different areas, including artist management, live music, marketing, rights management and music supervision. Keith says: “Like most MAs there are academic and research elements, but we don’t want students to solely produce historical commentary. We want them to look at contemporary practice, consider how things are done differently, and through their practice create something new to help drive the industry forward. “I don’t want students to come here just to be part of music industry culture. I’m hoping the students who come through this course, will become the people who go on to create music industry culture.”
 
Leading music industry lawyer Ann Harrison believes the mixture of academic and practice-based research is the right approach. “Good research and analysis into key issues and trends in the creative economies can only help those who wish to share the direction of those economies. 

“The course seems to represent a well-thought-out balance between opportunities for a deeper dive into the issues with the chance to test the conclusions drawn in a working environment.”
 
The MA in Music Industry Professional Management has its first intake of students in January 2022 and is currently accepting applications.