NEW ORLEANS (press release) – The School of Music and Theatre Professions at Loyola University again has taken its place among the top music business schools in the
world, ranking as one of the finest collegiate music programs for the fourth year in a
row.
Billboard magazine has named Loyola to its annual list of Top Music Business schools
for 2024, announcing its selections in the Oct. 26 issue. The school is one of several
prestigious music programs earning this honor, including the Roc Nation School of
Music, Sports & Entertainment at Long Island University; the Herb Alpert School of
Music at UCLA and the Abbey Road Institute in London.
Tim Kappel, who is a professor of practice in music law at Loyola, said he’s truly honored but not surprised by Billboard’s continued recognition of Loyola’s Music Industry Studies program. He said the school’s values-based approach to music business education offers students a unique experience that is worthy of recognition. “Like my colleagues, my daily mission is to train the next generation of musicians and music professionals to be not just great in their craft or profession but also dedicated to human values like fairness, integrity and care, for self and others,” Kappel said.
“Billboard’s recognition provides strong affirmation that we’re doing something meaningful down here in New Orleans – the birthplace of American music.”
The magazine cited Loyola’s location in New Orleans and the city’s music scene as being the backdrop for the school’s Music Industry Studies program. Loyola sponsored one of the largest stages at the annual French Quarter Festival, at which students worked as interns at 25 stages over the four-day event and experienced first-hand what it’s like to run a large-scale music festival.
Students also traveled to industry conferences such as South by Southwest, NAMM and
Americana Fest, and took courses at Loyola including Record Label Operations and
Digital Strategies. This past summer, Loyola offered a two-week, three-credit course at
Regents University in London that included classroom instruction and field trips to U.K.
entertainment companies.
The success of the Music Industry Studies program at Loyola led to the creation of two
contemporary, commercial music performance degrees – Popular and Commercial Music, and Hip Hop and R&B, the latter of which is the only degree program of its kind
in the world.
“Students come to Loyola because they know our program provides them with incredible opportunities to learn directly from industry professionals in one of America’s greatest musical cities, getting hands-on learning experiences playing and producing music in professional settings, and learning the entrepreneurial skills they need to build successful careers from their creative passions,” said Kate Duncan, director of the School of Music and Theatre Professions and the Conrad N. Hilton Chair in Music Industry Studies at Loyola. “We are leading the charge of the new music industry, and we’re thrilled to be recognized once again as one of the best programs in the world for aspiring performers, songwriters and producers.”
The school counts among its alumni Gerald “G-Eazy” Gillum ’11, who made both Forbes and Fortune’s Top 100 lists, and Carter Lang ’13, who produced “Sunflower” for Post Malone – one of the most downloaded songs in the world. Lang, a nine-time Grammy nominee, won his first Grammy this year for his work co-writing and producing for “SOS” by SZA.
Read the Billboard article here.
