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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Music Business Foundations by Berklee

4.9
stars
2,557 ratings

About the Course

This course has been developed to provide students with the latest instruction on the best way for creators, consumers, and facilitators to navigate the resurgence of one of the world’s most exciting industries: the music business. Three things are clear about today’s music industry: The consumption of music is expanding at the greatest rate in history and from the most portals ever imagined, the cost of producing music is decreasing, and the number of artists creating and seeking to expose their work and develop careers through the Internet has increased dramatically. Whether you’re a music creator, consumer, or facilitator of this process, you’ll want to understand the history, underpinnings, and basics of the music business. Course author John Kellogg—administrator, educator, entertainment lawyer, performer, and radio and television personality—offers students the opportunity to learn the fundamental principles of the developing new music business, for now and into the future. What you'll learn: -- The basic history of the music industry and today's business trends -- How recording agreements are formulated -- The basics of copyright law as it pertains to the music business -- The role of agents, managers, attorneys, and specific business entities...

Top reviews

BD

Oct 22, 2017

This course was very useful and important to me, I plan on venturing in the music world very soon and knowing/ equipping myself with all of these will come in pretty handy for me. Thank you immensely.

EM

Dec 22, 2021

"Thank you John P. Kellogg!!!" This is truly one of the most informative and 'put together' course I have ever taken... and its about one of the things I love the most ...music! - Evan McNeeley

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1 - 25 of 652 Reviews for Music Business Foundations

By Janet E

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Jul 18, 2020

Excellent introductory course, providing a wide overview of the business side of the music industry. Mr. Kellogg is interesting, credible, clear, and brings his real-world experience to the class. I think the course needs an update to address changes between 2013 and now (2020), but that doesn't take away from the basics, history, and principles covered in this class.

By Shanika M W

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Oct 18, 2019

This course has seriously whet my appetite to learn more about the business of music. As an artist, sometimes I just want to be creative. This course has shown how to maximize my success.

By David B

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Mar 4, 2019

It is 2019 This is OUTDATED

By David J

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Feb 4, 2016

I loved the course so far, the professor is just the type of guy with the right knowledge and insight to pass on some great information that anybody in the music industry should know!

By Daryna K

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Feb 22, 2016

I advise this great course to everybody who wants to learn more about music industry in general, music business principles and tricks, including all types of agreements and principal actors.

By Aurora D

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May 11, 2020

The subject of this course is awesome and very interesting. But the effort that Berklee put into it is a little less than what they share on their official website. I completed a Certificate with Berklee online and I do recommend Berklee Online courses, with written lessons and interactive works.

P.S.: the videos stop many times and this makes it a little harder to follow.

By Buddy H

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Apr 28, 2019

Mr. Kellogg does an amazing job breaking down very confusing business and legal matters so anyone can understand. This is the perfect course for artists who can't yet afford to hire a team. It gives you information to protect you and prepare you for what's to come. This course offers you the opportunity to go forward in business knowing what to expect from your team, who you need on that team, and what you should be paying them.

By My A N

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Jul 20, 2020

Thank you Berklee College of Music and Coursera for such a valuable knowledge and classmates interactions provided in this courses as well as materials about music business that without the enrolling for the course, I would never have the exposure to such practical and useful information to apply on to my next career journey in doing businesses in music industry.

By Basetsana S D

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Oct 23, 2017

This course was very useful and important to me, I plan on venturing in the music world very soon and knowing/ equipping myself with all of these will come in pretty handy for me. Thank you immensely.

By Elizabeth E

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Oct 26, 2020

This class is an amazing opportunity to get a handle on all the important behind-the-scenes info regarding music business success. John Kellogg is a highly, highly valuable resource here.

By Thomas

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Feb 28, 2016

This course is fantastic. John Kellogg is a great, engaging teacher. I have learned many things about the music business, which I am sure will greatly benefit me throughout my career.

By Cesar Z

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Jan 18, 2017

Really good for understanding music business. I would need now an in paralel training course applied to european / spanish regulation.

By Kristina S

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Feb 13, 2023

Really cool course, but unfortunately this is very outdated. Was made over 10 years ago

By Himanshu S

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Mar 14, 2020

Content felt outdated

By Ben S

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Jun 5, 2019

Reasonable overview. Poor quality of instructor, many typos in course material. Appropriate difficulty for middle/high school students.

By Natalia F

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Jun 7, 2016

Great course if you need to know the basics of music business! You'll probably need to take a deeper course if you want to take an actual business position (like a personal manager). But if you're an artist and you just need to understand how this whole thing works and whose help you might need to build a successful career in show business - I'd say this is about all you neew to know.

By Mark C

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Sep 3, 2016

Outstanding course. For this rather specialized industry and area of law, it's hard to find resources that assemble the material in one place to create a coherent picture. Prof Kellogg brings it all together and delivers clear, concise lectures that include his own stories from a long industry career. You can't beat this course for making complex material fun and easy to digest.

By Sergio S

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Sep 18, 2017

Great course with great and professional professor, materials and topics.

I've finished this course with hands and mind full of new knowleges, ideas and concepts. Everyrhing's going to be transformed in very precious personal skills that will help me to be valuable and more competitive in my job life.

Thanks to Mr. Kellog, to Berklee Institute and Coursera.

Sergio Scandurra

By Joel J

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Apr 28, 2020

The course is really informative and useful for budding music professionals. Gives a thorough insight about the history of the music industry and its progression. However, it would've been perfect had it included content relevant in today's ongoing scenario which is in the music subscription era and how the whole industry has changed in its working.

By Nostalia R (

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Aug 15, 2021

Absolutely fantastic

As both a musician and a entrepreneur with and Incorporated record label and recording studio

This course to me was like learning from two perspectives not just one

I have studied Diplomas of business and Hospitality and a certificate of Live Sound and Event Production but the information in this course was so fresh and new compared to my other education

I now feel a lot more confident in succeeding with my business as i know more details specific to the music business industry itself and also feel a lot more safer as a musician after completing this course

If i had accepted or signed a record label before this course i most likely would have become trapped in a contract for a very long time and now i am able to avoid any potential contractual trap and risks as well as make sure when i design my own that they are fair and not oppressive and are simple and easy to understand for the musician yet also keep myself safe as the business and record label owner / CEO

The tutor was fantastic' knowledgeable' experienced and extremely concise and kept me from losing interest through his way of teaching or presentation of the information as a teacher so to speak

5 out of 5 stars without doubt but 5 stars is not enough and i feel that he deserves a 10 plus out of 5 star rating for his efforts and the same for the course as a whole

Thank you so much, Am very Grateful, can't even begin to say how much respect i have for Berklee' Coursera and the tutor for this amazing class and opportunity to study it

Kind Regards and Much Love

Allan C J Palmer A.K.A Nostiko

By Wil K

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Jul 31, 2017

An amazing course with an amazing instructor. The instructor's real world examples and practical, hands-on experience is a wealth of info. It helps that he has also been an artist before he was a lawyer so he has intimate knowledge of the artists's perspective. I have been in the music business for many, many years and studied the business side of contracts and practices in preparation for that long ago. The business has changed a great deal since that time with the advent of the internet, folding of Major Labels, decline of the CD market, streaming services, digital downloads and the emerging changes to recording contracts (360 deals) and distribution arrangements. This course is at once a great history lesson on traditional music business practices and a updated survey of current trends in the industry and how they affect the artist. I highly recommend this course!!

By Santiago R d V

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Sep 23, 2021

Very good course! I think it covers all of the fundamentals if you want to get basic knwoledge of the music indusrty. It gives you an understanding of where things came from and how everything in today's music indusrty was molded. It helped me to understand contracts, roles of the people involved in an artist's team and how royalties and money earned from the artist is used and distributed. I was looking to get into the basics of everything and i found that this course was very good for that matter. Sometimes it may feel a little outdated because of how fast everything changes, but it helps you understand why things have changed the way they have and how people have acted in the past, so you understand how things will be in the future. Liked it a lot.

By PRINCE C

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Sep 7, 2018

This course is a great asset for the artist, managers of musicians, investors, legal practitioners and anyone in love with music industry. Best of it all, the teacher is both a musician and a lawyer and know the inside-out of music and the industry. True-to-type, this course is worth recommending to any musicians, lawyers and any potential investors anywhere in the world. Without mincing world, I say BRAVO to the Instructor and God Bless him for this resourceful education and knowledge for humanity. For this great work, I will slow down on my speed to complete this course so that I can make my first month payment. My humble regards to the organizers of this wonderful course.

By Mikhan D

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Sep 5, 2020

Great Material. Speaking For Everybody... For those who are struggling with having to deal with life's shifts..I just want to let the Berklee College Institution Know how much we appreciate how you designed these certificate programs. You gave us access to the content and information we need to succeed, for those that cant afford to pay back a loan to pay for school, by giving us a flexible program we can pay for monthly and learn at our own pace... The program is a great fit for anyone whether you binge learn or if your a person who needs to take breaks between lesson's, it's a great fit. Thank you again Berklee !

By Norb M

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Nov 24, 2015

If you are surrounded by music, live, breath and love the music business; this course is for you. I write my own material and work with all my music responsibilities and this course helped a lot with the different aspects of music and what goes behind the scenes and beyond the artist. This course clarify lots of questions I had regarding the business side of music. Prof. Kellogg speaks about all the little terms and big words use in the business and breaks them down in small bite of knowledge that become easy to comprehend. Thanks, Berklee College of Music and Coursera for this great course.