Solent academics publish music management book

Three Solent academics are celebrating, after their book Music Management, Marketing and PR was published.

We caught up with Dr Chris Anderton, James Hannam and Johnny Hopkins to find out more about the publication, how it will translate into their teaching, and what they all plan to do next:

Hi all, tell us a bit about the book, and why you decided to focus on this topic:

Chris: The music industries have changed greatly in recent years, and we felt that there was a need for a new book aimed at students and musicians that addressed key aspects of the management and marketing of music. The book addresses key areas of working in the music business, from getting started through to dealing with issues of wellbeing and equality. What do music managers and artist managers actually do? How are artists developed and how should they release their music? How can a ‘buzz’ be created about an artist, using the many tools and outlets now available, and how can artists connect with fans, brands, and other areas of the music and media industries? Alongside such questions we examine the online platform economy of audio and visual streaming, the enduring importance of live concerts and festivals, and detail how copyright, funding and revenue streams operate.

How will your work towards this book translate into your teaching?

Chris: The book directly relates to many of the modules that we teach on the course, providing a primer for topics that we discuss with our students, and which will help them not in only in their academic work but in supporting their practical projects and their understanding of a fast-paced industry sector that they will be moving into after graduation

James: Our modules on the Music Business course certainly influenced the book. And the primary research that we conducted with industry professionals will ensure that our students benefit from expert insights. Our in-class discussions with Music Business students also contributed to the topics that we chose to cover in the book.

Johnny: There's a symbiotic relationship between our research for the book and our teaching. They both feed into each other. We strongly believe in research-informed teaching and material from the book is already being used in modules across the Music Business course. The book combines theory, statistics, case studies and interviews with current music industry professionals. It is benefiting our students in their studies and hopefully will continue to do as they develop their careers.

What’s coming up next for you?

Chris: I am currently working on two new edited collections and developing journal articles based on my research that will be previewed at conferences this summer. One of the books will examine developments in the global music industries, while the other focuses on the intersections between literary sources/ideas and the genres of progressive rock and metal. Both will feature an international line-up of academic contributors.

Johnny: The priority is to finish my PhD and secure its publication in book form. Recent years have seen an acute rise in nationalism and racism in the UK and it is a pressing subject to address. While music has the power to challenge nationalism and ideas of national identity, music often plays a worrying role in embedding nationalism in society. Using my contacts, I aim to start a dialogue with the music industries to help improve the situation and see if new industry policies can be implemented. In addition, I'm working on a journal article and two interdisciplinary collaborative research projects that relate to my PhD subject.

James: I'm currently completing an MSc in Education, so will be focusing on that for the next few months. Next year, I'm aiming to publish a journal article on the related topic of school funding.

Anything else you would like to add?

Chris: Much of the book was written during the lockdowns and disruptions of the past two years, and I’d like to thank my co-authors for finding the time to work on their contributions during a very difficult time. I look forward to working with them again in the future.

James: Although Johnny and I have published lots of chapters and journal articles, it was our first experience of writing an entire book. I'd like to thank both Chris and Sage Publications for guiding us through the process.

Johnny: The whole experience has been an exciting learning curve. Chris has been the perfect leader and mentor on this. The three of us have different areas of interest, so it's very useful hearing Chris and James's perspectives and reading their chapters. The staff at Sage have been incredibly supportive and they produced a fantastic cover for the book. I'd also like to thank my family for being so supportive and the industry contacts for all their time and insights.

The book can be purchased from Amazon via this link.