The research is done. The materials are ready. You bring the expertise. Below is a working preview of Music Business Lab's curriculum, ready for your review.
For Individual Artists
Visit Royalty School for standalone courses built for independent songwriters and producers — no institution required.
Visit Royalty School →Royalty School is a DBA of Music Business Lab LLC.
Music Business Lab was built on the premise that music business education should give students the whole picture: who the players actually are, how deals and rights really move between them, what the numbers look like once a deal closes, and the administrative discipline that protects an independent artist's income.
That holistic view comes from a rare dual vantage point: 25 years inside institutional banking and finance, combined with hands-on experience inside the music industry itself, seeing both how the majors operate and how independent artists navigate the same landscape without that infrastructure behind them.
Every module is built around a verifiable, real-world case study, not a hypothetical, so students learn how the business actually works by tracing exactly what happened.
Music Business Lab licenses ready-to-teach modules to universities and independent recording schools. Every module gives students the full picture: who the players are, how the deals actually work, what the numbers really look like, and the administrative groundwork that protects an independent artist's income.
Built directly on the WTTJ anchor module, this capstone puts business and music students on the same team to advise a real energy drink brand on a $750,000 licensing campaign, choosing four placements from the same five WTTJ scenarios, building the financial model, and defending the strategy live to a panel acting as the client's executive board. Five graded deliverables, 200 points, and a final presentation that brings the entire curriculum together.
See the Full Capstone →The Northern Songs catalog sale, and what it teaches about owning your own copyrights.
Case StudyA sample clearance dispute and a work-for-hire lesson that cost the band its own songwriting royalties.
Case StudyA viral sampling chain and a masterclass in how modern hits clear their source material.
Case StudyStreaming-era chart mechanics and the royalty math behind one of the best-performing songs in chart history.
A legal and administrative playbook built around a 14-step release roadmap, anchored by a real independent release used as the case study throughout.
Preview the Module →The producer's legal framework: metadata, plugin licensing risk, lease terms, indemnification, and the Content ID traps independent producers run into first.
Preview the Module →How live performance and merchandising became the primary income source for most working artists, and the deal terms that determine who actually gets paid.
In DevelopmentOne page that walks through all three live modules, the four case studies, and (for independent schools) current licensing rates, ready to send ahead of a conversation.
Full licensing details, including current rates, are available in the curriculum preview built for your institution type.
Whether you're evaluating one module or the full library, the fastest way to get pricing, sample materials, and licensing terms is a direct email.