This module will introduce students to how music journalists work in the industry and develop the skills, information and experience necessary to gain employment in various roles. Students will look at how the music industry is structured and how journalists work with artists, PRs, record labels, management and promoters. We will also look at the various roles within music journalism, specifically in the areas of music journalism particular to the industry (e.g. trade magazines).

This module allows students to gain a basic understanding of journalism and journalistic practices by introducing and developing the various skills needed by a journalist on top of writing skills and styles (which are covered in the Writing for the Music Industry module). Here, students will learn how to prepare, research, interview and report for a variety of platforms. They’ll also learn the different skills required for writing and producing for radio, online and TV, enabling multi-disciplinary training.

To produce insightful, timely and relevant copy, music journalists require a practical working knowledge of the music industry. This module demystifies the business, introducing students to the structure, principles and practices that underpin its day-to-day operation.

This module explores the history of popular music journalism as a distinct sub-genre of journalism from 1900 to the present day. The social and political conditions influencing the development of popular music culture are explored through the work of key writers, along with the cultural and critical response to their legacy.

This module will introduce and develop students’ writing skills for the various roles within music journalism. It will introduce and develop specialist skills and approaches in writing for print, online, TV and radio. Students will be introduced to news, features, review and script writing and the necessary extra skills like subbing, editing and supporting audio, video, visuals and photographs. This unit will further identify the students’ employability skills and develop specialist approaches.

This module will introduce students into the world of online public relation mediums and the development of key software and content development to successfully build reports, stories and news, which are clear and contextualised within the arena in which they situate themselves. Particular areas of specialism will reflect on the use of music and sound within the online world, and how the music industry incorporates various techniques, styles and technology to produce contemporary work.

In a world of varied and competing information sources, professional journalists need to adopt a rigorous approach to original research and the use of social data. This module introduces students to the tools of analytical journalism and the range of research methods used in the media, communications and across contemporary digital platforms and channels.

This module aims to provide a comprehensive history of popular music and the music business. It encourages students to analyse the key economic, social and technological developments that shaped the growth and development of the industry, evaluate the impact of key releases from influential artists and labels, then apply this learning to their own creative practice.

This module is a collaborative effort between the course provider and local employers in which students are given an opportunity to integrate academic knowledge and understanding gleaned from Year 1 of the course, with vocational skills and competencies developed in their WBL experiences. It introduces students to the realities of life as a practitioner in the music industry and the context of a self-employed portfolio career.

Students will learn about the work of artist promotion, marketing and PR in this module and how a marketing campaign can break an artist or develop an existing one. They will learn about writing biographies, campaigns (online and off), writing press reports and the relationship between the journalist and the PR. On successful completion of the unit, students will have the necessary knowledge, understanding and transferable relevant skills to work successfully in a key area of the music industry.

This module will further develop skills introduced in Year 1 in Writing for the Music Industry, but in more depth. Each student will work in various writing and publishing roles as if in a real office in print and online (including audio and video). Students will learn how to pitch, produce and design their own BIMM music magazine. They will start with research and understand why there is a need for a music magazine in their area, and will pitch and plan schedules to tie in with production and content timelines, before learning how to flat plan a magazine.

This module will see students developing the language of print into multi-media facets as they enter the various avenues for delivering clear and dynamic work. New contemporary methods of PR (branding, electronic press kits, etc.) will be incorporated into the module and enable students to apply these skills to a range of services.

In a connected world, the way information is created, shared and consumed is changing rapidly. This module encourages students to develop a critical awareness of the impact of the internet on globalisation and shared culture. The specific themes of cultural reflexivity, territory-specific tone-of-voice, writing for a global audience and contemporary theories of media, culture and society in a transnational context are also covered.

This unit prepares students for the challenge of being a freelance music journalist working in today’s print and online media and/or as a PR. From finding original news or features, and discovering and breaking into new markets, to writing for specialist music publications, this module covers the essential skills that every successful freelance music writer and editor needs. Students will learn the first steps in freelancing – everything from how to make initial contact with commissioning editors, and how to pitch, to the importance of lead times, writing to a deadline, and understanding different music magazine markets and their audiences.

This module ensures that students confront their responsibilities as professionals and manage a project that is rooted firmly in the professional world. Jobs in the music industry vary enormously and most musicians need to be adaptable and flexible in order to carve their own niche in the industry. Final projects must be realistic and achievable, and are linked with the earlier Course Planning and Research Methods modules. During the unit, students will consolidate the skills and experience gained through the course of their studies. They will draw upon their research, project planning, managerial and team working skills.

This module gives students the opportunity to develop their self-assessment and peer feedback skills while undertaking a significant programme of self-chosen and self-directed professional development. Students may choose to focus on professional development relating to their musicianship; their business aspirations; their personal development; or their efforts to develop the skills to undertake a successful Professional Project. The module will take them though the stages of identifying professional development needs, setting themselves effective output and outcome goals, developing an informed plan, putting the plan into action, reviewing progress and adapting plans and actions to improve them, and undertaking a final impact analysis to judge how effective their development has been.

Most successful entrepreneurs, musicians and industry professionals are keenly aware of the traditions in which they perform and of current developments in popular culture. Creative artists and entrepreneurs employ such knowledge to produce innovative and potentially impactful material. This module casts a critical eye over contemporary popular culture, giving students indispensable tools to approach their own projects in creative and original ways.