Students will learn what ‘music industry’ means for the modern city, how a local music economy functions and how it promotes its music to the world. A walking tour will provide a real-world introduction to Liverpool’s music industry, such as Philharmonic Hall, the Cavern Club, and grass roots venues.
Module leaders: Nina Himmelreich and Grace Goodwin
Nina is a researcher and musician, originally from Munich. Since graduating from LIPA, she has completed an MA in Music Industry Studies and started her PhD on Gender Equality in the German Music Industry at the University of Liverpool. She hosted a monthly radio show showcasing music by local women and is a member of the F-List research hub steering group.
Grace pursued a music career from an early age in her hometown of Liverpool. She went on to study Popular Music at LIPA and has continued her research onto a PHD focused on regional gender inequality in the UK music industry. She works as an artist mentor at Future Yard, runs advice sessions for emerging artists, and workshops on music business.
Aims
- To develop confidence in understanding and communicating complex ideas in written and/or spoken language
- To develop skills in research and collaborative learning
- To develop an understanding of the music industry, and how this features in the city of Liverpool.
Content
The module will cover the following:
- An introduction to the music industry, what it is and how it operates
- A close look at Liverpool’s local music scene, its history and current state
- The differences and parallels of classical and pop music industries
- A walking tour around Liverpool’s key music locations
- An immersive lesson and visit to the British Music Experience.
Structure
The module will be delivered over a three-week period in six two-hour sessions (four hours per week, total of 12 hours of teaching time).
Four sessions will consist of lecture-style sessions interspersed with case study material to enable group discussions. The module leader will introduce and teach the core ideas and concepts for the session before engaging the students in collaborative learning time as smaller groups. Students will be expected to participate fully and actively throughout the sessions, undertaking prior reading and research where necessary to enable them to have adequate knowledge and examples to participate during the teaching time.
In addition, we will arrange two sessions outside of the classroom, one walking tour around Liverpool’s most iconic cultural sites and one site visit to the British Music Experience at the historic Cunard building. It is expected that students will spend 38 study hours outside of the classroom contact hours on activities, including assigned reading, an optional reading of areas of personal interest, homework tasks, online research and preparation for assessment. Students should be aware that to benefit from the face-to-face classroom sessions fully, the preparation work assigned should have been done prior to the lecture.
The indicative schedule is as follows:
Session one: What is the music industry? An introduction
The term "music industry" encompasses a variety of sectors, including recording, live, publishing, and many jobs and professions. This initial classroom presentation serves as a comprehensive introduction, dissecting these components and clarifying the key players and companies that collectively form the intricate ecosystem of the music industry. This introductory session sets the foundation for the subsequent classes.
Session two: Live music and music studios in the city of Liverpool – from The Beatles to today
From the Beatles’ legendary influence to today's vibrant scene, the second session delves into the historic development of the local music culture, connecting knowledge acquired in the previous session to Liverpool’s music industry. Looking at local promoters, musicians, labels, venues and many more, this session will explore how the local music economy functions. Discover the local music scene through its iconic live music venues and studios that have shaped the city’s sonic landscape, tracing the evolution from the Fab Four to contemporary sounds.
Session three: Walking tour to music industry-related sites in the city of Liverpool
Liverpool's music venues are some of the most iconic and historic in the UK. With over 600 clubs, bars and pubs that offer musical entertainment, the city lives and breathes music. This session promises an engaging citywide exploration, guiding participants through a captivating walking tour that encompasses both historic landmarks like the iconic Cavern Club, The Jacaranda, or the Philharmonic, as well as grass roots venues showcasing the latest and most exciting musical talents; a real-life experience of what has been covered in the previous lessons.
Session four: Marketing music: social media and the dissemination of music online
The music industry has undergone a transformative shift in the last ten years and is no longer imaginable without the internet and digital technologies. This fourth session delves into the extensive research that has gone into the dissemination of music online and the digitisation of the musical landscape. This exploration addresses the strategies that artists and industry professionals employ to captivate global audiences and examines the requisite technologies for a thriving digital music economy. The session dissects the advantages and challenges inherent in this digital era, offering a comprehensive understanding of the dynamic intersection between technology and the contemporary music industry.
Session five: Pop music industry and classical music industry – Liverpool’s cultural map
Session five will take place at the British Music Experience at the historic Cunard Building and will explore the differences and parallels of the pop and classical music industries. Liverpool not only has a vibrant pop music scene, but also a supreme classical music culture, as it is home to its own Philharmonic Hall as well as the award-winning and oldest continuing Philharmonic orchestra in the UK. This immersive session not only offers insights into the city's musical identity but also includes a captivating visit to the BME museum, enhancing the experience with a visual journey through Britain’s rich musical history.
Session six: Assessment and reflection session: the music industry of your home versus examples from Liverpool
As this course comes to an end, the final session will provide a platform for reflection on the development and state of Liverpool's music industry. As part of the assessment students will be asked to give a presentation on their research comparing their cities’ music industry to that of Liverpool.
Teaching methods
The teaching approach will include the following:
- Taught sessions
- Small group work
- Group discussions
- Presentations
- Workshops
- Site visits
- Walking tour.
Assessment
Assessment will be by:
- Group presentation (worth 50% of the overall mark)
- Multiple choice/short answer paper (20 questions) (worth 50% of the overall mark).
Standard University policies apply with regard to late submission of assessments.
Learning outcomes
On completion of this module, students will be able to:
- Understand and communicate complex ideas in written and spoken language
- Research a topic and work to present ideas in academic suitable style, including the appropriate use of reference and source material
- Demonstrate a general understanding of the history of Music Industry, and how this features in the city of Liverpool.
Skills
Key skills that will be developed:
- Collaboration and teamwork, through participation in informal group activities as part of the field trip, and working in groups for the final presentation assessment
- Communication skills, developed orally in working together on tutor-supported tasks and activities, and through the group/individual presentation task
- Time management - students will be set short preparatory or follow-up tasks relevant to the seminar classes and the walking tour, including reading, listening, and the preparation of assessments.
Books, ebooks and websites
The University Library website provides access to many relevant books and electronic books, as well as academic journals and databases.
- Rutter, P. (2016) The music industry handbook. Second edition. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
- Burnett, R. (1996) The global jukebox: The international music industry. London: Routledge.
- Brocken, M. (2015) The Twenty-First-Century Legacy of the Beatles: Liverpool and Popular Music Heritage Tourism. Farnham: Routledge.
- Wolfe, P. (2019) Women in the Studio: Creativity, Control and Gender in Popular Music Sound Production. United Kingdom: Routledge.
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