Huston-Tillotson proudly offers the

Music Business Foundations Certificate Program

A six-week program PREPARING YOU FOR A CAREER IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

Open to students and adult learners.

Meet your instructor

Philip Payne

Since embarking on his professional journey in 2010, Philip has fulfilled the role of a day-to-day manager and more for Grammy-nominated artists.

He functioned as a partner at Austin’s ScoreMore Management, assuming diverse responsibilities in the trajectories of artists' careers, for over 10 years.

He not only supervised marketing strategies for his clients' albums but also managed the ins and outs related to their publishing deals. He also expertly coordinated logistics as a road manager for multiple tours, including:

Drake: Assassination Vacation Tour

Chris Brown: Indigoat Tour

Future: Nobody’s Safe Tour

Philip's contributions have extended beyond managerial tasks. He has been instrumental in amassing over 25 RIAA gold and platinum records and has helped secure two Grammy nominations for his clients. He has since started his own company, Plan A, a consulting firm that specializes in supporting and collaborating with emerging artists and managers.

In this program, you’ll receive Philip’s hands-on, real-world instruction that will help you develop the foundational knowledge and skill sets you will need to have a successful career in the industry. 

The Music Business Foundations Certificate is a first-of-its-kind program developed by For the Students (FTS) that is taught by Philip Payne in collaboration with Huston-Tillotson.

Each class will expose attendees to the foundational learnings about the business side of music, including:

The Roles Around an Artist

Attendees will get an overview of the various roles of an artist’s team. Here, you will gain an understanding of the independent and interconnected responsibilities of each role, how they support the artist, and how these specific roles on the artist’s team are compensated.


Marketing to Today’s Consumer

Attendees will learn how to market an artist’s music, build their brand, and attract the modern consumer. You will be trained to do market research, identify a target demographic, and help an artist stand out in a crowded marketplace. We will also dive deep into how to implement different sales philosophies and techniques. 


Legal Aspects and Basic Deal Structures

Attendees will be exposed to the various contracts and agreements that are given to, and created by, an artist and their team. You will be able to identify and understand basic legal jargon and what to look out for in management, recording, distribution, and publishing deals. 


Music Publishing Basics

Attendees will learn about the lucrative world of music publishing. You will learn how money is made in publishing, the difference between a co-publishing deal and an admin deal, and study some of the best publishing companies in the business. 


Concert and Festival Promotion

Attendees will get an inside view of how concerts and festivals are produced and promoted.  We will break down everything; finances, production, logistics, staffing, and more. We will also look at the history of how some of the most iconic festivals grew from humble beginnings as local show promoters.

BY THE END OF THIS PROGRAM, YOU WILL WALK AWAY WITH

New and valuable skill sets you can immediately take into the job market

A community of like-minded peers

Relationships with some of music’s most successful professionals

our program’s internship partnerS

Students who complete this program will receive priority consideration for internship opportunities at two of Austin’s leading music companies.

If you are interested in speaking with someone to learn more about the program, please fill out the form below.

WANT MORE INFO?

FAQ

  • Currently, this is an in-person program. We are working to offer an online course option Summer ‘24.

  • Each class will be held once per week for 2.5–3 hours.

  • No! This program is open to adult learners and non-Huston-Tillotson students.

  • Currently, this class is currently non-credit-bearing.

  • Yes! Please email htu@forthestudents.co for more information about our scholarship opportunities.

  • You will receive a certificate in Music Business Foundations and will receive priority consideration for internship opportunities with C3 Presents and SXSW.

  • FTS has partnered with Huston-Tillotson to provide the curriculum and oversight of the Music Business Foundations certificate program. We have facilitated programming with music industry professionals at colleges and universities across the country since 2018.

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