Music Industry

Our Music Industry Programs will help you understand the practice of music as a profession while connecting you with prominent players within the vibrant Los Angeles music scene. Participate in student-run zines, concerts, and even a record label, and take part in events featuring prominent industry speakers. Take classes taught by top faculty and industry professionals and make use of our school’s professional-grade recording and music creation studios.

Options include:

Music Industry BA: Our new degree provides a leadership-focused path to creative, executive, and entrepreneurial careers in the music industry.
Music History and Industry BA: This hybrid degree program features a holistic approach to understanding music and the music industry. (Note: this degree is no longer accepting applications.)
Music Industry Minor: This popular program prepares you for employment in the music industry by highlighting key topics including marketing, sales, recording production and more. This program is open to all UCLA students.

Bachelor of Arts

Music Industry BA

Bachelor of Arts

Music History & Industry BA

Minor

Music Industry Minor

More News

Transfer Student Blazes Trails for Others

Antonio Estrada dreamed of going to a big university, big in every way. Raised in Sacramento, Estrada was encouraged by his parents to be the first in his family to graduate from college. After trying out several different pathways in community college, he decided on a career in music and applied to transfer to UCLA.

Judith Finell Talks Copyright Infringement in the New Yorker

From the New Yorker: Many people correctly predicted that the “Blurred Lines” ruling would trigger a wave of frivolous infringement cases. “I can’t tell you how many calls we get after the Grammys,” Judith Finell, who was the Gaye family’s expert musicologist in the “Blurred Lines” case, told me. “Mostly from lawyers wanting to see

Musician, activist, and MacArthur Fellow Martha Gonzalez ’99 to deliver commencement address at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music

Martha Gonzalez, who received her bachelor’s degree in ethnomusicology from The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, will be the keynote speaker at the school’s commencement celebration in Dixon Court North on Friday, June 16 at 4 p.m. PT. “We are over the moon that Martha will be joining us to congratulate and inspire the dedicated and

They’re Changing the Music Industry (and Invite You to Listen)

When describing students and their work, it’s easy to fall back on words like “aspiring,” “hopeful” or even “amateur.” There’s the impression that they won’t be prepared to make a significant contribution until sometime in the future. That it won’t happen until after they receive a degree and secure a job that kicks off their

How Spotify Knows What You Want Next

When the Wall Street Journal wants to understand how Spotify’s algorithm works, they turn to Thomas Hodgson, assistant professor of musicology and music industry at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.

New UCLA Musicology Professor Fights for Algorithmic Justice in the Music Industry

Everybody knows the game is rigged. Streaming services like Spotify and YouTube now dominate music distribution worldwide, often leaving aspiring musicians unable to make their voices heard in the din. Tom Hodgson, who will join The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music as assistant professor of musicology in January 2023, angles to fix that. Hodgson

EXPLORE ALL SCHOOL OF MUSIC EVENTS

Oct 5 Thu

7:00pm
Free

talks

Ric'key Pageot

Join pianist, music director, and Steinway Artist Ric’key Pageot performing and discussing his new educational initiative and documentary project “Classic Black” celebrating Black excellence in Classical music showcasing historically significant symphonic composers of African descent spanning the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Montreal-born pianist, accordionist, producer, composer, music director and Steinway Artist Ric’key Pageot will

Lani Hall

Oct 18 Wed

1:00pm
Free

lectures-symposia

Nabil Ayers—His Life in the Sunshine: The Intersection of Music, Race, and Family

In 1971, a white, Jewish, former ballerina chose to have a child with the famous Black jazz musician Roy Ayers, fully expecting and agreeing to his absenteeism. Like Roy, Nabil became deeply involved in the music industry, first as a musician, and currently as the President of Beggars Group USA. The title of Nabil’s memoir

Lani Hall

Dec 6 Wed

6:00pm
Free

lectures-symposia

Protecting Creativity with AI-Generated Musical Compositions - Forensic Musicology in the New Frontier

Round table discussion with Attorney Don Franzen and Musicologist Judith Finell with Leading Inventors of Music Creation Technology.

Lani Hall

Conducting

Graduate study and training in choral, orchestral, or wind conducting

MM/DMA

Ethnomusicology

The study of global musical traditions through performance training, research, and field work

BA MA / PhD Minor Iranian Music Minor

Global Jazz Studies

Jazz performance and musicianship courses are paired with African American Studies

Music Composition

Mentorship in the creation and realization of music for concerts, opera, and visual media

BA MA / PhD

Music Education

Preparation for music educators leading to a B.A. and teaching credential in just four years

Music History & Industry

Combining Musicology and the Music Industry minor for practical hands-on training with the study of music within the context of different societies, cultures, and theories

Music Industry

Industry professionals and UCLA faculty prepare students for music-related careers

Minor

Musicology

The scholarly study of the histories, cultures, and critical interpretations of music and music-making

BA MA / PhD Minor

Music Performance

Study and training towards professional performance careers in Western classical music

BM MM/DMA