Starting from the Fall semester 2026, the master’s programme in Music Business & Management - one of the five specialisations at the Popular Music master’s degree - will shift to a new, hybrid study format, combining online lectures with intensive on-campus sessions several times a year. This new study format provides students with greater flexibility to access and follow the programme, as well as the opportunity to pursue a master’s degree while working.
Inside the Curriculum
The programme’s curriculum provides an in-depth understanding of how the global music business operates, covering industry structures, cultural economics, emerging technologies such as AI, entrepreneurship, global markets, and copyright. The lectures are designed as a combination of learning about theoretical foundations of music ecosystems as well as experiential insights from leading music industry experts through guest lectures. The students will also have access to international exchange opportunities with partner institutions in Germany, South Korea and Thailand, broadening students’ understanding of international music markets, and industry practices.
The programme is part of the Department of Popular Music, which has been awarded a Centre of Excellence in Education status through CreaTeME (2022 – 2027) and is affiliated with the national Centre for AI and Creativity, MishMash (2025 – 2030).
Programme Leadership
With two in-residency professors - an internationally recognized thought leader in digitalization, Daniel Nordgård, and world-renowned musician and composer Bendik Hofseth, the department has also introduced a new assistant professor, Andreas Meland, a PhD research fellow at UiA, researching music rights management in the Norwegian live market. Meland’s work focuses on collective management organisations, copyright awareness, and practices among music creators and users.
“It is great being able to work with a programme that is both dynamic and highly relevant. In-depth knowledge about the music industry and its internal dynamics is more important than ever, and this programme provides the opportunity to delve straight into it. Our goal is to properly equip the students with the knowledge they need to start and build their careers”, comments Andreas.
The programme has also appointed a new programme coordinator, Jelena Mijatović, a PhD research fellow and former Head of Promotion at Indie Recordings in Oslo. Throughout her career in the music industry, she has worked on multiple Norwegian Grammy-winning metal records and with internationally recognized Norwegian bands such as Gåte and Leprous. Her PR experience includes campaigns for major acts like Avenged Sevenfold and collaborations with media outlets including BBC Radio, NRK P3, NME, Loudersound, Dagbladet, and Aftenposten, to name a few.
Jelena comments: “It is a great honour to return to the programme where I began my studies, and to be able to contribute from a new perspective. The progress achieved over the years is remarkable, and the fact that many graduates have gone on to build successful careers in the music industry speaks volumes about the value of our learning experience at UiA.
The recent acknowledgements of the Department of Popular Music, such as being awarded a Centre of Excellence in Education – CreaTeME, and appointed the national Centre for AI in Creativity - MishMash, serve as a recognition on how knowledge, innovation, and creative work are being cultivated at the Department, but also – what kind of platforms, networks, and future trajectories are available to students who join this thriving community.”
About the MA in Music Business & Management at UiA:
- Hybrid study format combining online teaching with intensive on-campus sessions
- Insight into the global music industry, with a focus on innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship
- International exchange opportunities with partner institutions in Germany, South Korea, and Thailand