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Business of Music

NYU Tisch Music Business Online Certificate Course

Taught by faculty from the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music

The music industry is a complex, fast-moving ecosystem where creativity and commerce are inseparable. From the moment a song is written, it enters a web of rights, royalties, relationships, and revenue streams that determine who gets paid, how much, and when.

This course demystifies that ecosystem through a deep dive into music rights and publishing, streaming economics, artist teams and deal structures, marketing and fan engagement, and live touring and revenue diversification. Whether you are an aspiring artist, manager, marketer, or industry professional, Business of Music equips you with what you need to understand how money is made and retained and make smarter decisions at every stage of a music career.

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Industry Experts

Lauren Davis
Arts Professor
Director, Professional Development
Clive Davis Institute
Arts Professor<br>Director, Professional Development<br>Clive Davis Institute
Marc Plotkin
Associate Arts Professor
Clive Davis Institute
Associate Arts Professor<br>Clive Davis Institute
Naima Cochrane
Assistant Arts Professor
Clive Davis Institute
Assistant Arts Professor<br>Clive Davis Institute
Nick Sansano
Chair
Arts Professor
Director of Production
Clive Davis Institute
Chair<br>Arts Professor<br>Director of Production<br>Clive Davis Institute
Errol Kolosine
Associate Arts Professor
Director, Business & Technology
Clive Davis Institute
Associate Arts Professor<br>Director, Business & Technology<br>Clive Davis Institute

Program Overview

REAL-WORLD EXAMPLES

Study real-world music business scenarios, from streaming-era royalties, catalog acquisitions, and sync licensing to artist‑centric vs. pro‑rata debates, management and label deal structures, and the economics of touring, ticketing, and merch, with case-based lessons drawn from current artists, catalogs, and live events.

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Gain practical understanding through case studies like Taylor Swift’s masters dispute and re‑recording strategy, HYBE and BTS’s global entertainment ecosystem, Olivia Rodrigo’s strategic team and deal choices, Bad Bunny’s cultural branding, and Dua Lipa’s “Future Nostalgia” touring pivot.

BUILD INDUSTRY EXPERTISE

Learn from leading academic and industry professionals at NYU Tisch's Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, with on-demand video lessons and build real-world skills through self-paced projects on sync pitches, artist revenue maps, deal analysis, release campaigns, and long-term artist business planning.

SET YOURSELF APART

Earn a Certificate of Completion in Business of Music from the world-renowned New York University Tisch School of the Arts and Yellowbrick, and show that you can explain how money is generated and retained in music, understand rights and contracts, and apply course frameworks to real music industry decisions.

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Curriculum

The program includes five online course modules and related skill-building activities, taught by faculty from NYU Tisch's Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. Each module is broken into several shorter lessons and project-based learning assignments designed to help you apply key concepts to real artists, catalogs, and campaigns. Students earn a non-credit certificate of completion from New York University Tisch School of the Arts and Yellowbrick.

 

Explore how streaming reshaped the recorded music industry and changed the way money moves through today’s music ecosystem. This module examines how streaming royalties are calculated, why the pro-rata vs. artist-centric debate matters, how performance and mechanical royalties work, and how sync licensing and global market expansion shape modern music careers.

You will learn how to:

  • Understand how artists get paid across streaming, royalties, and other revenue sources.

  • Compare pro-rata and artist-centric models and why that debate matters.

  • Explore sync licensing and the global forces reshaping the music business.

 

Learn how music gets to market and how the deals behind it are structured across distribution, publishing, and catalog ownership. This module explores label vs. DIY release strategies, publishing deal structures, co-writing splits, and the growing role of catalog acquisitions in the business of songwriting.

You will learn how to:

  • Compare distribution strategies from major labels to independent and DIY paths.

  • Understand the differences between publishing models and deal structures.

  • Evaluate co-writing, catalog, and release decisions that shape how music is published and monetized.

 

Behind every successful artist is a team navigating contracts, relationships, and competing interests. This module breaks down key team roles, management agreements, and recording deal structures so you can better evaluate the partnerships and decisions that shape an artist’s career.

You will learn how to:

  • Identify the key members of an artist’s professional team.

  • Understand the basics of recording deals and management agreements.

  • Evaluate the trade-offs of different representation and deal options.

In today’s music industry, an artist’s brand is as important as their music. This module explores artist-fan relationships, platform strategy, release campaigns, audience data, and monetization beyond recorded music through direct-to-fan platforms, brand partnerships, and superfan tools.

You will learn how to:

  • Build a clearer understanding of artist branding and audience strategy.

  • Explore how release campaigns work across major platforms.

  • Evaluate fan growth and monetization opportunities beyond streaming.

 

Go inside the economics of live performance, from first gigs to festival headline slots. This module examines touring, ticketing, dynamic pricing, live entertainment infrastructure, and merchandise as a critical revenue stream, while connecting live performance to long-term artist business strategy.

You will learn how to:

  • Understand how live performance generates revenue and supports artist development.

  • Explore the business dynamics behind touring, ticketing, and merch.

  • Connect live strategy to long-term artist growth and sustainability.