Course # / Title / Credit: MBU 3630.01/Record Company Operations /3 Hours
Instructor: Sarita Stewart
Semester: Fall 2007
Contacts: 615-460-6517/stewartsm@mail.belmont.edu
Meeting Time(s): MWF 9 am – 9:50 am
Class Location: Massey Center 200B
Office Hours: T/R 9 am – 11 am; 1:30 pm
– 3:30 pm; Other
times available via appointment.
Final Exam: Monday, December 10 at 8 am
Educational Objectives of the Mike Curb College of Entertainment
& Music: 1) To provide a
personalized, career-oriented and practical education that emphasizes
leadership, innovation, private enterprise and entrepreneurship. 2) To equip
students with the tools to think critically, communicate effectively, accept
responsibility, make successful decisions, and prosper in diverse work
environments. 3) To emphasize quality classroom instruction within the
parameters of ethical Christian principles.
Course Description: This course organizes the areas and operations of a record company. Emphasis is placed on A&R, Creative Services, Promotion, Royalty Distribution, In-House Promotion, Marketing, Publicity and other areas in relationship to the independent versus major label.
Learning Outcomes: This interdisciplinary course is designed
to give the students an opportunity to work together in a teamwork situation
towards the development of and the promotion/marketing of music artists within
a replication of a record company environment.
By the end of the course, each student will be able to demonstrate the
following: 1) an insight and practical
understanding of the structure, organization and operations within a record label 2) to be able
to define and understand of the component parts of a record company operation,
including A&R, Business Affairs, Production, Marketing, Radio, Media,
Manufacturing, Distribution and Sales Operations. 3) to
understand and gain insight into contemporary industry issues and how they
relate to the greater record company environment 4) to
understand the central motivation behind music purchase models and the
organization/purpose of an overall artist development and marketing plan. 5)
Students will be able to take an artist through the artist development process from talent
search through to the development of an extensive development and marketing
plan.
Performance
Criteria: Student will demonstrate their
understanding of the creation, development, manufacturing and promotion of a
recorded product by the end of the term.
This will be accomplished through the implementation of various
individual and team projects that count towards the final presentation and
paper. It is expected that the students
will address and understand the shifting digital environment and its market
implication in relation to more traditional structural business models. The end result is that the project will
encourage the student to develop the professional qualities and time management
models leading to professional excellence.
The students will have an opportunity to engage with local artists and
community partners through the engagement of class activities. The
presentation and paper should involve a discussion and assessment of the group’s
actual career development experiences and the overall lessons learned from the
experience.
Honor
Code: It is the responsibility of each
student to abide by the Belmont University Honor Code. “In affirmation of the
Belmont University Statement of Values, I pledge that I will not give or
receive aid during examinations; I will not give or receive false or
impermissible aid in course work, in the preparation of reports, or in any
other type of work that is to be used by the instructor as the basis of my
grade; I will not engage in any form of academic fraud. Furthermore, I will
uphold my responsibility to see to it that others abide by the spirit and
letter of this Honor Pledge.”
Accommodation
of Disabilities: In compliance with Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act,
Course Requirements:
1. Attendance: Attendance
is critical during the duration of this course, due to the nature of the
individual and team projects incorporated throughout the semester. Each student is expected to attend all of the
class meetings for the best possible learning experience. Every lecture will cover material necessary
to a thorough understanding of the concepts.
This course follows the attendance
policies as stated in the current Belmont University Bulletin. If you miss more than eight classes, you may
be involuntarily dropped from the course with a grade of “WF.” Absences are considered excused if the
instructor is given prior notice, and for reasons such as family emergencies,
extremely sick, etc. Additional accepted
excuses are official university sanctioned events with an excuse from the
Provost’s Office. Attendence will be
taken each class period through the use of a class signup sheet.
2. Materials: Record Label Marketing (Hutchison,
Macy, Allen – Focal Press) (Required)
The instructor may choose to assign additional readings as
necessary. All additional readings and
handouts will be posted on Blackboard.
3. Assignments:
Class participation: While class participation is not an
“assignment,” it is very important element of your grade in that it accounts
for 5% of your overall grade. It is
recommended that each student come prepared to discuss the various class topics
highlighted for the day. The class
participation grade is composed of several different elements, including
regular class attendance, participation in class, etc.
Assignments: A combination of eight individual and team
assignments will be given relating to class material and are due on the
assigned dates given in class and listed on Blackboard. Assignments are expected to be typed and
turned in via “hard copy” unless alternative arrangements are made with the
instructor. The assignments given are
designed to be able to successfully complete and demonstrate competence in the
understanding, creation and execution of the following:
All of the individual and group
projects that you will be doing in class are important and should be applied
towards the completion of the group paper.
Feel free to incorporate the instructor’s suggestions/corrections of the
team assignments into the final project.
Points will be deducted for projects with missing segments. These same deductions will apply for late
team assignments as well as individual assignments.
Group Project: Students will be placed in assigned
teams. The team will engage in a variety
of exercises throughout the course of the semester that are designed to take
the student through a simulation of the record company experience. The final project will include and
incorporate an overall artist development plan.
Elements will include a project proposal, overall budget, marketing,
promotional and publicity activities, production details and a digital
distribution plan at the minimum. Your
final proposal will be presented to industry professionals as available. Final project is to be delivered in a hard
copy format, along with a demo artist CD.
More details will be presented on the group project during the course of
the class.
3.
Assignments (continued)
Group presentation: Each group will give an in-class presentation
that outlines the strategies and work that the group undertook in order to put
an overall record company plan around the artist. The presentation should also include an
honest assessment of challenges involved in each project. Presentations will take place the week of
11/26.
Peer Evaluation: Additionally, there
will be a confidential team peer evaluation given at the class mid-point and
upon final project completion. The
combined average contribution score (0 – 100%) will be applied to the
individual part of your team grade. The
Peer evaluation will rate participation, meeting team deadlines, overall
cooperation, work quality and amount of contribution. These two assessments will reflect 5% of your
overall team grade.
All assignments will be returned to
the students graded with comments.
Assignments are due at the start of the class period. Points will be deducted for late assignments. After three days, late assignments will no
longer be accepted. Due dates will be
posted on Blackboard and on the board during class lecture. Students are expected to keep up with all
assignment due dates, and not being present at the time of a class assignment
is not considered an excuse for a late completion.
4.
Testing
Exams: There will be three short exams given during
the course of the semester on 9/21, 10/10, and 11/16. The exam on 10/10 will count as your midterm
grade. The final exam for this class is
scheduled to take place on Monday, December 10 at 8 am.
All exams will take place during class, and
material will be taken from a variety of sources, including assigned readings,
discussions, assigned and all other materials presented. Exams may not be “made up” if absent, unless
it is excused through an official university function. Exams will consist of a variety of question
types including multiple choice, true/false, short answer, matching, or essay
questions. Exam grades are final and are
graded on a traditional scale of 0 to 100%.
Instructor reserves the right to
make changes in the syllabus as needed.
5. Basis of grade evaluation:
Grading Scale:
(97–100) = A+ (87-89) = B+ (77-79) = C+ (67-69) = D+
(93– 96)
= A (83-86) = B (73-76) = C (63-66) = D
(92–90)
= A- (80-82) = B- (70-72) = C- (60-62) = D-
Grading:
Class Participation 5%
Mid-Term 10%
Exams (two exams/5% each) 10%
Assignments – Individual/Group 40%
Group Project 10%
Group Presentation 10%
Peer Evaluation 5%
Final Exam: 10%
Final Grade 100%
6. Class Schedule: (Subject to
change at instructor’s discretion)
Week Date Topics Reading assignment
1 8/22 Class Introduction Chapter 3
8/24 Overview/Group assignments
2 8/27 Recording
Industry Chapter 20
8/29 Record Label Operations Chapter
4
8/31 Record Label Operations
6. Class
Schedule continued
Week Date Topics
Reading assignment
3
9/3 NO
CLASS – LABOR DAY
9/5 A&R Process Handouts
9/7 A&R Process
4 9/10
A&R Administration Handouts/Assignment
#1 due
9/12 Role of Business Affairs Handouts
9/14
Role of Business Affairs
5 9/17
Production Budgets Chapter
5/Assignment #2 due
9/19 Studio
Sessions/Unions Handouts
9/21 Exam #1 – In
class
6
9/24 Production department Handout/Assignment #3 due
9/26 Artist development Chapter 1
9/28 Artist development Chapter 2
7 10/1 Role
of Radio Chapters 7,8/Assignment
#4 due
10/3 Role of Radio
10/5 Marketing
Department Chapters 12 - 14
8
10/8 Marketing Department Chapter 10, 21, 22
10/10 Exam #2 – In class
10/12 NO CLASS – FALL BREAK
9
10/15 Sales department Chapters
6
10/17 Sales department Assignment #5
due
10/18 Role of Distribution Chapter 11
10
10/22 Role of Distribution Assignment
#6 due
10/24 Tour
support/Promotional marketing Chapter
17
10/26 Role of
Publicity Chapter
9
11 10/29 Music Videos Chapter 15/Assignment #7 due
10/31 Marketing Research Chapter 19
11/2 Special
Products/Markets Chapter
18
12 11/5 Endorsements/Sponsorships Handouts
11/7 International Markets Chapter 16
11/9 Royalty
accounting Handouts
13 11/12
Royalty accounting Assignment #8 due
11/14
Miscellaneous considerations
11/16 Exam #3 – In
class
14 11/19 Case Study
11/21, 11/23 NO CLASS – THANKSGIVING BREAK
15 11/26 Class Presentations Outline due prior
to presentation
11/28 Class Presentations Outline due prior to presentation
11/30 Class Presentations Outline due prior to presentation
16 12/3 Last Day of Class Group Project
due
Final Exam: Monday, December 10 at 8 am