Love Music? Consider CU Denver’s Music Business Program

Brody Miller’s first shot at college didn’t turn out how they expected. The Coloradan had gone east to George Washington University with the goal of becoming a lawyer but quickly realized that path wasn’t for them. They were a lot less inspired by their coursework than they were by their favorite musicians, like Joan Jett. “I wasn’t as passionate about anything else as I was about researching these artists and how they got to be where they are,” Miller said. 

Then they came across something in a magazine that would change their life forever. “I just remember sitting in a class, and this Billboard article came up,” Miller said. “It was [about] the top music business schools in the country.” And one of them was at CU Denver’s College of Arts & Media. While the idea of being a lawyer hadn’t felt quite right, now Miller could picture themself in a music business degree program.  

Where Can a Music Business Degree Lead?

Miller decided to move back home to Colorado and pursue CU Denver’s Music Business program. That’s how their journey to becoming a successful manager in the music industry began. Today, they work with artists like Lucero, Dinosaur Jr., and Lou Hazel at the Denver-based firm 7S Management. They’re living a life beyond what they could have dreamed for themself as a then-18-year-old just trying to figure it out. And they’ve never looked back.  

CU Denver’s Music Business emphasis is widely respected as an undergraduate program that prepares students for careers in the constantly evolving music industry. The program is offered by the Music & Entertainment Industry Studies (MEIS) Department and allows students to focus their studies on Music Business while earning a Bachelor of Science in Music. Students gain knowledge of a wide range of topics, including negotiating the placement of songs in commercials, managing venues, or learning more about entertainment law.  

Music Business Program Director Storm Gloor said the program prides itself on staying current. “We have been changing and shifting with the business and all in favor of our students being better prepared for the changing music industry,” Gloor said. As the source of revenue in the music industry has moved away from album sales and more toward concerts and publishing, CU Denver has added and updated courses to prepare students to work in emerging and growing areas of the music industry. 

The Music Business program also prioritizes equipping students with a well-rounded education. This enables students to tailor their experience to their specific goals and interests while still being versatile enough to adapt to the opportunities that come their way. “We’re like the Justice League,” Gloor said. “We cover all the bases.”  

The result? Graduates have a robust understanding of the music industry and the skills they need to thrive—from social media principles to marketing strategy and the ability to talk music theory in a room full of musicians—plus hands-on experience that is relevant to each student’s unique ambitions and sets them apart in the job market.

How Miller Made the Most of Their Music Business Education

For Miller, the flexibility to explore what was inspiring to them was key. It allowed them to authentically find their place in the music industry as someone who is passionate about music, but not about making music themself.  

While Miller was at CU Denver—they graduated in 2014—they leaned on faculty support to earn credit for managing and coaching their peers who were artists. “I was an advisor for a couple different singer-songwriter students one semester,” Miller said. “We would have weekly meetings where we set their goals and timelines, whether it was a CD release or show they wanted to do, we focused on whatever inspired them.” 

The opportunity to get hands-on experience like this is an advantage of CU Denver’s program. It occurs because the program is housed in the College of Arts & Media—where there are artists to collaborate with—as opposed to being based in a business school, as might be the case at other institutions. 

That exploration also led Miller to a summer internship for Kill Rock Stars, a Portland, Oregon-based independent record label that is a central node in the Riot Grrrl movement (and home to some of Miller’s favorite acts, like Bikini Kill and Sleater-Kinney). Miller felt CU Denver supported them by allowing them to earn credit for the work. “As long as you went through the right steps, they were happy to support you in any kind of internship that excited you,” Miller said. Their first internship paid off big time. “I do really feel strongly that that was the steppingstone that set me on this path,” Miller said. 

Miller was poised to thrive at Kill Rock Stars thanks to their training in the classroom. CU Denver’s highly practical curriculum meant they had already built skills that were directly relevant to working in the music industry. “Storm Gloor’s marketing class still stands out,” Miller said. “The whole semester you work on putting together a full timeline and marketing plan for an artist. I could really sink my teeth into it, and it really stuck with me.”  

From Kill Rock Stars, Miller landed their next internship with the manager of the Denver band Devotchka. It wasn’t long before Miller became Devotchka’s day-to-day and tour manager. From there, Miller soon found their way to their current role at 7S. 

CU Denver’s Music Business Program Beyond the Classroom 

For those who can’t complete an internship for any reason, the program offers valuable, hands-on experiences to all students. The internship and career planning class exposes students to the soft skills they’ll need to develop to be successful in the music industry, like networking and personal branding. Student organizations give them opportunities to roll up their sleeves, start flexing their industry-specific skills, and make connections. 

The program helps foster extracurriculars that also give students relevant experience, like a student-run internet radio station. Gloor said this empowers students to learn how to run a business and understand how to reach specific markets. They also gain experience working collaboratively with others. “Employers are looking more for people who can work effectively in a team and can collaborate well,” Gloor said. “[It is] another skill that comes with building and maintaining and managing the radio station.” 

Students can also participate in CU Denver’s chapter of Grammy U (and some even attend the Grammys each year) or join the Music Industry Student Assocation (MISA), which also allows them to work with others. All of the above amount to worthwhile experiences that look great on a resume. 

Whether it’s by ensuring students understand the range of jobs available to them or preparing them with both the hard and soft skills they need to be successful, CU Denver is a solid choice among the best in the country for those who want to pursue a career in the music industry—whatever that means for them. For Miller, that’s been working successfully as a manager for the last eleven years. “I did not go into CU Denver thinking I was going to be a manager,” Miller said. “But I came out of the program knowing that. And I think that’s really cool.”