Researcher’s new podcast explores how songs make money

The podcast has received initial funding from LAHRI and is produced in collaboration with the University’s Digital Education team

A researcher at the School of Music has launched a new podcast delving into the world of music rights and the many ways musical compositions generate revenue.

Dr Ellis Jones, Lecturer in Music and Management, presents and produces the podcast, How Songs Make Money, which combines interviews with industry professionals, leading academics, and renowned composers with work produced by Masters students as part of their Music Management MA assessments.

The nine-episode series covers how ‘soundalike’ music is created for adverts, how new works are commissioned, the production of background music for film and media, the strategies used to revitalise older songs, and much more.

Speaking about the series, Dr Jones said:

"It's great to be able to share this podcast series that combines industry expertise with some of the best student work coming from our Music Management MA programme. We have such a diverse, international cohort of students, who have an interest in such a wide variety of music business activity, and I hope that comes across over the nine episodes.

“The series is intended to support students and young musicians in understanding more about how music rights relate to revenue, but it's not intended to be simply a celebration of the music business. It's an exploration of how songs make money, which hopefully leaves room for critique and contemplation."

The podcast has received initial funding from LAHRI and is produced in collaboration with the University’s Digital Education team.

Weekly episodes will be released via Podbean, with availability on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and other platforms.

The trailer is out now, with episodes running until 11 December.