Survey of Music Business

 

 

MBU 1110.01     [CRN 20228]      MWF    8:00 – 8:50 AM       MC 200B  

 

 

MBU 1110.01  [CRN 20228] 8:00 – 8:50 AM  MC 200B

MBU 1110.06 [CRN 20233]  2:00 – 2:50 PM  MC 109

 

Wednesday, January 11, 2006 is the first class

Monday, May 1, 2006 is the last class

 

Spring 2006

 

Syllabus

 

 

Professor:                   Dr. E.  Michael Harrington, Professor of Entertainment and Music Business

         http://www.emichaelharrington.com/about_harrington/

 

Office:                         Barbara Massey Hall.  Room 350.  Office hours: TBA

Phone/Voice Mail:   615-460-5473

Classroom:                 MC 200 B

Email:                           harringtone@mail.belmont.edu

 

Final Exam:          at the specific time and date scheduled by Belmont University

            

Text:                             The Recording Industry: (2nd ed.) by Geoffrey Hull. (2004),

Routledge Press, New York, New York ISBN 0-415-96803-8   

 

A sharpened pencil  (the pencil and the textbook must be brought to each class)

 

Internet:                The student will frequently be required to read from contemporary online news resources such as the New York Times (reading and downloading are free but registration is necessary), Wired, Tech Law Journal, Future of Music Coalition, Billboard, Hollywood Reporter and others.  The NY Times, the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Deep Links, Wired, Tech Law Journal, Future of Music Coalition, Billboard, Celebrity Access, and Hollywood Reporter can be found at:

 

www.nytimes.com

www.eff.org/deeplinks/

www.wired.com

www.techlawjournal.com

            www.futureofmusic.org

            http://www.billboard.com/bb/index.jsp

            http://www.celebrityaccess.com/

            http://www.hollywoodreporter.com

            www.emichaelharrington.com

 

 

Because many articles found online are posted for only 24 hours (especially those from the NY Times), students will have to read and/or download articles from the Internet in a timely manner, purchase the articles, or perform a Lexis Nexis search.

 

 

Survey of Music Business

 

 

This course will be an introductory study of the music industry, that will include an examination of music copyright, recording, engineering, technology, publishing, songwriting, licensing, management, promotion, merchandising, markets and marketing, administration, contracts the Internet and career options in the music industry.  It will also include the newest developments and changes in the music industry with special attention give to the fastest changing aspects of the industry – copyright law, the digital transmission of intellectual property, legislation, common law, and the consolidation of power by the Big Four (Vivendi, Sony BMG, EMI and Time Warner).  

 

The textbook, the Belmont University Bunch Library’s resources – books, videos, journals, CD’s, online and physical news resources, including Lexis-Nexis and Westlaw, databases, journals, etc. - will be used as primary resources for the course.  In addition, students are encouraged to take advantage of the Nashville Public Library.

 

Course objectives:  To become familiar with the business practices of the music industry, and to a lesser extent, the entertainment industry, and how these industries are evolving in light of globalization, media consolidation, rapid technological advances, changes in business methods and operations, new legislation, and judicial decisions.

 

Topics To Be Covered:  Music copyright, recording, engineering, technology, publishing, songwriting, licensing, management, promotion, merchandising, domestic and foreign markets, marketing, administration, contracts, radio, television, the Internet and career options in the music and entertainment industry.

 

Class:       Students are expected to have completed the assigned readings for each class before the beginning of each class.  Students can expect to be tested for their comprehension of the assigned readings for each class at the beginning of each class.

 

Class attendance:  Class attendance is very important as class discussions and lecture material are central to the course.  Students are expected to be present when class begins and remain in class until its conclusion.  Attendance for each class will be taken. Attending less than 30 minutes of a class meeting is considered 1.0 absence.  Arriving late or leaving early is considered 0.5 of an absence, and WILL be factored into the student’s grade. 12.5 absences WILL result in a grade of “F.”   This policy applies to all students, including seniors who expect to graduate.

 

Students who arrive late on the day when a quiz is given will not

be allowed to take the quiz.

 

Tests:   Tests can only be made up if there is an excused absence, approved in advance by the professor or the Office of the Provost, and the professor is notified no later than twenty-four hours after the exam was given. Failure to notify and/or provide a valid, written excuse if requested will result in a grade of zero.  Quizzes may or may not be announced in advance.  Quizzes cannot be made up.

 

A missed test can be made up only at the date and time scheduled for the Final Exam.  The test will be comprehensive in nature and will count in place of the missing test grade.  Only one missed test can be made up.  It is the student’s responsibility to inform the professor, via email, of his/her intention to take the makeup exam.   The professor must be notified of the student’s intention to take the makeup test three (3) days before the date and time of the Final Exam and no earlier than one (1) week prior to the Final Exam time.

 

Quizzes:   Quizzes may or may not be announced.  Quizzes cannot be made up.

 

Homework:   Homework will not be accepted late.

 

Dishonest Behavior/Cheating:  All work by a student during the semester, inside or outside of a classroom, is to be done independently, i.e. a student's work is to be his/her own and done without the aid of any person, book, notes, etc.  Any work not done independently is considered dishonest behavior/cheating.

 

During quizzes and tests, ALL electronic and/or wireless/Wi-Fi devices (cell phones, PDA’s, laptops, etc.) must be turned off and placed on the floor below the student’s desk.

 

The class will adhere to the Belmont University Honor System, found at the following site:

 

http://www.belmont.edu/academics/honorsystem.htm

 

The Belmont University Student Honor Pledge is stated below:

 

“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.”

 

The Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act:

 

Accommodation of Disabilities: In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, Belmont University will provide reasonable accommodation of all medically documented disabilities.  If you have a disability and would like the university to provide reasonable accommodations of the disability during this course, please notify Tammye Tanksley, Director of Counseling & Developmental Support in the Office of the Dean of Students (615-460-6407) as soon as possible.

 

 

Changes in Syllabus:  In the event of unforeseen circumstances, the professor reserves the right to deviate from the syllabus.  Also, occasionally special guests will address the class.  Students are responsible for learning the content of these lectures, as well as the assigned readings for the particular class.  Not all of these guest lectures will cover material assigned for that particular class.   As is expected, it will be the student’s responsibility to have read and understood material for each class whether or not the assigned readings for that class are discussed on the day of a guest lecture.

 

 

Grading:  

     

             13%  Test 1

             13%  Test 2

             13%  Test 3

             13%  Test 4

 

             10%  participation

13%  quizzes

25%  FINAL

 

 

      A+ =    95 - 100

      A   =    92 - 94

      A-  =    89  - 91

      B+ =    87 – 88

      B   =     83 – 86

      B-  =    79 – 82

      C+ =    77 – 78

      C   =     73 – 76

      C-  =    69 – 72

      D+ =    67 – 68

      D   =    63 – 66

      D-  =    60 – 62

      F    =    0   - 59

 

 

 

 

All work MUST be finished at least one week prior to the beginning of final exams.


Short of an act of God, a grade of “Incomplete” will never be given.

________________________________________________________________________

 

 

Outline of classes:

 

Week 1      1/11-13      Introduction.  pp. 1-26     Chapter 1 – Understanding The Recording Industry

     

Week 2      1/16            Martin Luther King Day  -  no class

 

1/18-20      pp. 27-37         Chapter 2 –Copyright Basics In The Recording Industry

                   pp. 37-43

     

Week 3      1/23-27      pp. 45-55         Chapter 3 – Copyright In Sound Recordings And Songs

Review

TEST 1     (pp. 1-55) 

 

Week 4      1/30-2/3     pp. 56-68         Chapter 3 – Copyright In Sound Recordings And Songs

                                      pp. 69-84         Chapter 4 – Music Publishing:  The First Stream

                                      pp. 85-96

                                     

Week 5      2/6-10        Review

      Review

      TEST 2  (pp. 56-96)

 

Week 6      2/13-17      pp. 97-104 Chapter 5 – Live Entertainment:  The Second Stream

pp. 104-112

pp. 112-117

 

Week 7      2/20-24      pp. 117-120           

Review

                                     

Week 8      2/27-3/3     Review

TEST 3     (pp. 97-120)               

 

                   Spring Break      Saturday, March 4  - Sunday, March 12

 

______________________________________________________________________________________

Week 9            3/13-17      pp. 121-130            Chapter 6 – Recordings:  The Main Stream

pp. 130-138

pp. 139-153           Chapter 7 – Production and the A & R Function

 

Week 10          3/20-24      pp. 153-167

                                            pp. 169-175            Chapter 8 – The Marketing Function

                                           

                                            MEIEA 2006 University of the Pacific

 

Week 11          3/27-31      pp. 176-182

pp. 183-189

                                            pp. 189-198

                                           

Week 12          4/3-7          pp. 198-204

Review

                                            Review

                                           

Week 13          4/10-12      TEST 4  (pp. 121-204)

                                            To be announced

 

Easter Break       Thursday, April 13 – Sunday, April 16      No Classes

 

Week 14          4/17-21      pp. 205-229            Chapter 9 – Retailing:  Software on Hard and Soft Copies

pp.    205-229

pp. 231-254           Chapter 10 – The Recording Industry and Other Media

 

Week 15          4/24-28      pp. 231-254           

                                            pp. 255-266            Chapter 11 – The Recording Industry and The Internet

                                            pp. 255-266

                               

Week 16          5/1       Last day of class        Review for Final Exam   

 

 

FINAL Exam:  at the specific time and date scheduled by Belmont University

 

 

Suggested Readings/Radio Programs:

 

 

http://www.pbs.org/now/transcript/transcript_copyright.html   

 

http://www.whyy.org/91FM/RadioTimes.html

 

       Search for “E. Michael Harrington”

 

http://www.goodnightkiss.com/joybutler.html

 

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.10/tail.html

 

http://www.economist.com/business/displayStory.cfm?story_id=3329169

 

http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/policy/2002/08/15/lessig.html

 

“Paranoia, stupidity and greed ganging up on the public “ by Dan Gillmor, San Jose Mercury News Technology Columnist, May 4, 2002

 

http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/business/columnists/3200101.htm

 

“Who’s Afraid of Jamie Kellner?”             by Lisa Schmeiser, May 27, 2002

 

http://www.teevee.org/archive/2002/05/27/ Siva Vaidhyanathan, author of Copyrights and copywrongs

 

http://www.nyu.edu/classes/siva/          Address by Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA).      “Re: proposals

for changes to the fair use doctrine in the context of digital and Internet media”   March 6, 2001.

 

http://www.techlawjournal.com/intelpro/20010306boucher.asp

 

Learn from the Libraries     “The digital delivery of intellectual property is our generation's nuclear

Power” by Jim Griffin, February 2000 Issue

 

http://www.observer.co.uk/Print/0,3858,4177408,00.html  PERSPECTIVE  by Heather Green

 

“The American crocodile that swallowed freedom”  by John Naughton, Sunday April 29, 2001, The Observer

 

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/sep2001/tc20010912_1569.htm?mainwindow

 

      “Why the E-Free-Speech Debate Matters” Heather Green September 12, 2001

 

http://www.culturaleconomics.atfreeweb.com/cpu.htm

 

            The Collected Works of Harry Hillman Chartrand

 

http://wwwsecure.law.cornell.edu/commentary/intelpro/litrvtxt.htm

 

            “Revising Copyright Law for the Information Age” by Jessica Litman

     

http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/ca9/newopinions.nsf/04485f8dcbd4e1ea882569520074e698/b3ec68ff03b90b06882569580068d047?OpenDocument

 

“Senate May Ram Copyright Bill”” by Michael Grebb, Wired, November 16, 2004

http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,65704,00.html

 

“Piracy rule is definition of misguided” by Hiawatha Bray, Boston Globe, October 11, 2004

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2004/10/11/piracy_rule_is_definition_of_misguided/

 

“SoundExchange:  A Digital Primer” by Kristin Thomson, October 13, 2004

http://www.futureofmusic.org/articles/soundexchange.cfm

 

“Music’s Brighter Future,” The Economist, October 28, 2004

http://www.economist.com/business/displayStory.cfm?story_id=3329169

 

“The BitTorrent Effect”  Wired, Issue 13.01, January 2005

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.01/bittorrent.html?tw=wn_tophead_2