Music: Popular Music and Recording
Popular music and recording is a degree for musicians who are serious about a career in the music industry. The discipline examines popular music both as a creative practice and as a commercial and cultural phenomenon, developing skills in performance, songwriting, production, and recording alongside an understanding of the industry structures and entrepreneurial realities that shape how music is made, distributed, and consumed. It is a subject that takes contemporary music-making seriously, both artistically and professionally.
At the University of Salford, this three-year full-time degree has a track record of producing graduates who go on to real industry careers, including Mercury Prize nominees, award-winning entrepreneurs, and professional film and television composers, as the course description notes. You will develop your musical practice in production, performance, or songwriting while also building the industry knowledge, recording skills, and creative entrepreneurship that a sustainable music career requires. Salford's facilities and its location in Greater Manchester, one of the UK's most vibrant music cities, provide an environment in which professional connections and creative opportunities are genuinely available.
A year abroad is built into the programme, broadening your musical and personal horizons.
Graduates from popular music and recording programmes go on to work as professional musicians, producers, recording engineers, composers for film and television, music managers, label executives, promoters, and music educators. Many build portfolio careers that combine several of these roles, while others develop deep specialist expertise in a particular area. The music industry has changed dramatically in recent years, and the degree prepares you to navigate those changes with both creative skill and professional realism.
Further study at postgraduate level in music production, music technology, or music business is an option for those who want to develop specialist expertise.