Online Music Business Program
Our unique certificate program is a combination of high quality pre-produced lessons and live mentorship with an industry veteran instructor. It’s a flexible deep dive into how the entertainment industry really operates and a perfect fit for busy schedules.
The advent of digital recording and distribution forced music professionals to rethink their traditional methods. Modern independent musicians and entrepreneurs, like yourself, are forging new ways to make and market their music.
At Dark Horse Institute you’ll learn the road-tested principles of the past plus innovative solutions to succeed in an evolving music business.
What You'll Learn
Our 20-week online course follows the journey of an artist and their team from obscurity through negotiating deals at the highest levels. We explore marketing, social media, branding, building a team, contracts, merchandising, and touring. We navigate DIY,
Indie, and Major Record Labels, as well as the worlds of publishing, distribution, and Motion Picture Sync.
The course is loaded with unique work-around-your-schedule lessons. Each day the content will be clearly laid out with video lessons, reading, and customized hands-on projects which immerse you in the industry. When combined with twice weekly two-hour
Live Online classes hosted by an industry veteran instructor and mentor, the Music Business Online course will help you enter the industry with a competitive edge. In these live classes, your instructor will not only make sure you fully understand the content, but also help direct your learning to meet your unique goals. Frequently guest speakers will be brought in to provide front-line updates on various facets of the industry.
When it comes to getting an education in the Music Business, there are surprisingly few options that are both practical and affordable. We don’t believe in weighing you down with potentially crushing student loan debt or wasting your time with courses that will
never be of any practical use in your career.
Note: A laptop computer with Microsoft Office is required for the program.
Areas of Focus
- The continuing evolution of the music industry
- Record Company Operations
- Digital marketing and distribution
- Artist management
- A&R and Marketing
- Booking and touring
- Negotiating
- Networking
- Entertainment law and finance
- Royalties and commissions
- Copyright and songwriting
- Online Marketing Platforms
- Music publishing
- Concepts of taxes, business structures
- Employment opportunities in the music industry
- Starting your own entertainment business
Pitch Perfect
Our Music Business Online program will take you behind the scenes where your class will PITCH an artist to music industry professionals — including record label A&Rs, booking agents, publicists, and more.
Nothing is more important than receiving hands-on, real-world experience. Using all the tools available on social media, you will scout out talent which has the potential to take it all the way.
Here’s how it works… over the course of this program you will:
- Search the internet and performance venues to scout out the talent you believe in
- Help them choose one song that that could be their breakout single
- Create a bio and press release for that artist
- Research and build campaigns for radio stations, media, social media platforms,
streaming playlists, international content, and brands - Create graphics based on branding strategies
- Help to create a lyric video and/or music video
- Compile a thorough and professional presentation
- Present to major record label via Zoom
- Through Zoom you will be watching the artist you pick perform for record executives, handle a Q&A session, and experience first-hand what it is like to get that big break!
Dark Horse Music Group
In this program, you’ll work with Dark Horse Music Group, a student-run recording, marketing and project management company. Using digital marketing platforms, you’ll scout and sign indie bands, and prepare them for the production of 6-song EPs recorded by our audio engineering students on-site in Franklin, TN, just outside of Nashville. You’ll also develop the web and social media marketing tools that are essential to launching a career.
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Dark Horse Institute is authorized for operation as a postsecondary education institution by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. In order to view detailed job placement and graduation information on the programs offered by Dark Horse Institute, please visit http://tn.gov/thec/topic/authorized-institutions-data and click on the Authorized Institutions Data.