Music
Industry Essentials
Taught by People Who Work in Music
Learn from the NYU Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music faculty alongside working professionals across music.
Built to Launch Your Career in Music, Not Just Your Knowledge
Real Industry Projects
Hands-on, project-based assignments grounded in how the music industry actually works.
Start Immediately
On-demand video lessons and projects you can begin the day you enroll.
Insider Expertise
Learn from the NYU Clive Davis Institute faculty and working music professionals.
A NYU Credential
Earn a certificate from New York University Tisch School of the Arts and Yellowbrick, a credential employers recognize.
What You'll Be Able to Do
- Speak the language of the music industry and its many roles
- Identify song forms, structures, and production elements
- Build an artist and brand identity that drives strategy
- Understand revenue streams and how money flows through music
- Apply modern marketing across social and content channels
- Map career paths across managing, songwriting, and performing
Skills You'll Gain
Build Your Portfolio
The course is built around hands-on projects, so you leave with real, portfolio-ready work, not just a certificate.
History of the Recording Industry
Trace the watershed moments and figures that shaped the modern music business.
Money Matters in Music
Understand who gets paid, how, and the many revenue streams across the industry.
Creativity in Content and Artistry
Develop your persona, tell your story through song, and build a community around your performance.
Building Your Image and Marketing
Build an aligned image and brand and learn the marketing strategies that make artists leaders.
Producing the Record
Explore the producer's craft and everything that contributes to the final recorded product.
The Full Music Curriculum
Each module is broken into short video lessons with assignments and hands-on projects you complete at your own pace.
History of the Recording Industry
Money Matters in Music
Creativity in Content and Artistry
Building Your Image
Producing the Record
Marketing Music in the New Economy
Results, Not Just Lessons
Music Industry Essentials has helped tremendously within my creative and freelance work. It also helped me gain a clear understanding of what I wanted to do in the music industry, which is music marketing.
The course is really helpful if you want a clearer understanding of how the music industry actually works beyond just making music. It breaks things down in a way that feels practical and approachable.
My main takeaway from the course is that dreaming of a music career doesn't have to stay just a dream. I now have the tools to grow both as an artist and as a label owner.
I now work with a local music school, teaching kids and adults music production, and I'm also beginning to work more with artists and collaborative marketing.
I released my first official independent albums, and now I'm on track to becoming a signed recording artist, getting looked at by Republic Records, Atlantic Records, Def Jam Records, and 300 Entertainment.
Since taking this course, I have a better understanding of how the music industry works and the different roles within it. I've also developed more confidence in my creativity.
I feel more well-versed in the industry, and feel much more confident in my ability to show my skills during an interview with an industry professional.
Upon being accepted into the Yellowbrick program, I was offered an audio engineer position at SB Studios in Atlanta, GA. I've had the pleasure of working with both mainstream and underground artists.
Choose How You Pay
Same full course either way: 6 modules, real industry projects, and your NYU Certificate of Completion.
One-Time Payment
4 Monthly Payments
12 Monthly Payments
Have a discount code? Add it at checkout.
Frequently Asked Questions
Aspiring and working music professionals at any stage (artists, managers, and business hopefuls) who want to understand the industry and build a career doing what they love.
6 self-paced modules. Most learners finish in under 40 hours on their own schedule.
Yes. The course is 100% online and on-demand, so you can study on your own schedule from anywhere.
A non-credit Certificate of Completion from New York University Tisch School of the Arts and Yellowbrick that you can add to your resume and LinkedIn profile.
No. The course starts with the fundamentals and is designed for newcomers as well as those already working in the field.
Yes. Request the course catalog and a program advisor can walk you through payment options and any current offers.
Music Industry Essentials includes six on-demand courses covering topics such as History of the Recording Industry, Money Matters in Music, Creativity in Content and Artistry, Building Your Image, Producing the Record, and Marketing Music in the New Economy. Each course is 2 to 3 hours and is broken into shorter modules and activities that you complete at your own pace.
Courses are taught by NYU Tisch faculty from the renowned Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. You will also receive career insights from industry experts from Billboard and other industry leaders.
By the end of the course, you will have developed skills and knowledge to help launch or advance a career in the music industry, explored the various career paths in the industry, and identified your areas of passion. You will also receive a non-credit Certificate of Completion from NYU that you can add to your resume and LinkedIn profile.
Students must be at least 13 years old to enroll.
Enrollment includes unlimited access to all course videos and materials for one year from your enrollment date. If you need more time after that, you can pay a monthly subscription fee to extend your access.
Most major credit and debit cards are accepted, including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, and JCB. If you enroll outside the United States, tuition is charged in your local currency at the prevailing exchange rate.
You can withdraw within 24 hours of enrollment for a full refund. After that, you have up to 7 days to withdraw for a full refund minus a $100 cancellation fee. No refunds are issued after 7 days. Subscription plans can be canceled before your renewal date by emailing [email protected].
Tuition is $999 when paid in full. Two payment plans are also available at checkout: 4 monthly payments of $269 or 12 monthly payments of $99.
