FSU College of Music hopes to ‘bridge the gap’ with new degree

Florida State University’s College of Music is expanding with a new degree offering for students interested in a behind-the-scenes career within the music industry.

The College of Music announced earlier this month the introduction of its bachelor’s of arts degree in music business, which gives students the opportunity to explore the business-related side of the evolving entertainment industry.

“The purpose of the new bachelor’s in music business is really aimed towards students that may want to be in a career that’s meant to support artists as opposed to being on stage,” FSU College of Music specialized teaching faculty member Alan Blanchard, who will lead the program, told the Tallahassee Democrat during a Feb. 23 phone call.

“We hope students would want to go into entertainment law or maybe into concert promotion for digital marketing. They can even work at a record label or a booking agency, or in artist management.”

The possibilities in the music entertainment industry are countless, Blanchard said. Also, the College of Music’s continued growth with more degree offerings for students comes as the school is celebrating its 125^th anniversary of being established on FSU’s campus.

The College of Music has over 30 degree offerings. Besides music business, it also introduced a community music degree in December, which made it the first degree program of its kind in the nation to offer a specific bachelor of arts degree.

Given the college’s expansion during the milestone anniversary, Blanchard – an FSU alumnus with a background in artist management who has also released GRAMMY-Award winning albums – expressed how beneficial the new opportunity will be for current and incoming students.

“Being back here teaching, it’s just great to be able to see new opportunities for the students and different ways that we can help make an impact in the greater music industry,” Blanchard said. During his career, he helped guide the marketing campaign for the album “How Love Begins” by jazz singer-songwriter Nicole Zuraitis, which won a 2024 GRAMMY Award.

The 120-credit-hour music business degree program offers a curriculum that integrates music, business, law, marketing, technology and management – topics that foster the College of Music’s partnership with the Herbert Wertheim College of Business and the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship.

“The College of Music at FSU continues to be a leader in the field, offering innovative degree programs that are student-centered and providing a pathway for all students who want to pursue music as part of their career goals,” FSU College of Music Dean Todd Queen said in a prepared statement.

With the creation of the new degree, it comes as a result of increasing student interest and industry demand for graduates who combine musical knowledge with business, entrepreneurial and technological skills, according to the university.

“I’ve met a bunch of students already here on campus who are studying marketing or business, or something else, hoping to get into the music industry,” Blanchard said. “The College of Music is interested in expanding and offering more courses that can help bridge the gap for so many students.”

He also said music business is “certainly a degree that is rising in popularity” and named some prominent universities that offer the program − including Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, New York University and the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music.

The new degree is offered under music industry, which is a new overarching area of study within the College of Music that also includes the college’s commercial music degree program. While Florida A&M University does not offer a music business degree, its campus houses The Julian “Cannonball” and Nat Adderley Music Institute, which develops research in music and entertainment industry studies. At the same time, it offers courses related to recording arts with an emphasis on production, composition, business management and marketing.

Applications for FSU’s new music business degree program are currently open with a March 1 deadline for admission in the fall. There is no cap for the number of students who will be accepted.

Tarah Jean is the higher education reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat, a member of the USA TODAY Network – Florida. She can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X: @tarahjean_.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU College of Music launches new bachelor’s degree in music business