Close up of a large mixing desk with two people
Areas of interest

Study commercial music , Ākona te pūoro arumoni

Study at Massey to make, produce or promote commercial music now and into the future. Start your career with us. Pick from three majors — music industry, music practice (performing), or music technology.

Need help or know what you want to study?

Scholarships on offer

To help fund your studies, check out Massey's range of music-related scholarships.

Let's make music together

Commercial music studies give you the opportunity to work together across production, performing and technology specialisations.

Design your own degree

All Massey design students start with broad core courses. Then in later years you can specialise or gain wide-ranging skills.

Stretch and grow

Do it all at Massey. Learn the fundamentals. Be challenged. Evolve, whether you're just starting out or an established creator.

Overview

Want to work in the music industry? Massey prepares you to take your place on stage, or behind the scenes. We focus on popular music genres and new technology and methods.

Learn from top musicians and other industry professionals with decades of experience in performance, production and promotion. Explore how to make music, and how to make it a commercial success. Work in mixed teams across our three majors — as you will in the music business — to put on gigs, record and create music.

Get hands-on experience in our five recording studios and music tech lab. Master new instruments and equipment. Gain industry experience with internship options.

Commercial music is a good fit if you:

  • do well in school subjects such as music or technology
  • want to specialise but also adapt to an ever-change industry
  • like creativity and collaboration.

Commercial music courses may cover:

  • composing and performing
  • instrument design
  • music production, including industry-standard production tools
  • music management, such as branding, contracts and events
  • sound engineering for recordings or live events
  • streaming and digital media.

Commercial music at College of Creative Arts – Toi Rauwhārangi

How to study commercial music

Discover what we offer if you’re interested in commercial music – whether you’re coming to university for the first time, changing direction or returning to advance your study or career.

Undergraduate study

An undergraduate qualification is generally the first thing you’ll study at university.

Bachelor's degrees

Degrees are the standard qualifications you do at university – the most common is called a bachelor’s. Degrees give you enough time to explore your interests, and also focus on specific subjects.

Relevant undergraduate subjects to major or specialise in

When you apply to study at Massey, for some undergraduate qualifications you can choose what subject you’d like to specialise in. You can usually change your mind after you get to university, depending on the courses you enrol in.

Postgraduate study

Once you’ve graduated with a bachelor’s degree – or have equivalent experience – you’ll be ready to take on postgraduate study.

Postgraduate bachelor's degrees with honours

Go deeper into a major subject from your undergraduate bachelor's degree, graduate certificate or graduate diploma; at a higher level of study.

Master's degrees

A master's degree normally builds on a main subject of study from your undergraduate degree.

PhD and other doctoral degrees

Doctoral degrees, including PhDs, are the highest degrees we award. They’re very demanding and their entry criteria reflect this.

Relevant research areas at Massey

Discover research expertise, projects and initiatives relating to commercial music at Massey.

Commercial music research

What our students say

“I chose music because I was living and breathing it. I realised I didn’t want to do anything other than write music.”
Ellie Rose

Bachelor of Commercial Music

“Forward-thinking faculty with great connections with the tight-knit music industry of New Zealand—what else would I be doing?”
Elleana Dumper

Tour coordinator, Banished Music

Bachelor of Commercial Music

“I play drums for New Zealand artist BENEE. We’ve toured internationally, travelling all over Europe and America.”
Felix Holton

Bachelor of Commercial Music

Our facilities

You'll have access to a wide range of first-class facilities when you study with us.

Recording studios

Designed by Munro Acoustics and Athfield Architects, our world-class studios include:

  • live-rooms controlled by two sought-after desks — 72ch Neve and 48ch SSL Duality analogue console
  • control rooms with monitoring by Dynaudio Acoustics soffit mounted speakers in 5.1.

Location: Wellington campus

Dubbing theatre

Our 5.1 dubbing studio features:

  • Avid S6 48ch digital console with 7.1 Dynaudio Acoustics Block monitoring
  • 16ch Avid Icon console.

Location: Wellington campus

Rehearsal rooms

Students can access five acoustically treated rehearsal rooms with backline and vocal PA systems suitable for modern music.

The production rehearsal room, which also doubles as a live venue, is equipped with PA and full professional lighting rig.

Location: Wellington campus

Jobs in commercial music

The music industry is ever-changing, thanks to creativity and entrepreneurial flair, and to new digital technologies and online platforms.

Commercial music careers include:

  • composers and songwriters, who also create music for apps, games, films, TV
  • musicians
  • producers, who work closely with musicians
  • promoters and artist managers, who arrange gigs, concerts and other ways to showcase performers
  • record label or station executive
  • software or hardware developers, who devise new ways to create or record music
  • sound engineers
  • stage or lighting designers.

Annual salary ranges for jobs

Salary ranges disclaimer

Indicative pay rates are:

Which commercial music qualification?

Examples of where our qualifications may take you.

Table showing jobs and what you could study to enter them.
Jobs Examples of what you could study
Artist manager, label executive or music promoter Bachelor of Commercial Music (Music Industry)
Musician, composer or songwriter Bachelor of Commercial Music (Music Practice)
Sound engineer, lighting designer or software developer Bachelor of Commercial Music (Music Technology)

Accreditations and rankings

QS Ranking - Art & Design

College of Creative Arts – Toi Rauwhārangi ranks in the global top 150 for art and design by QS World University Rankings.

Learn more

Grey dot with NASAD in the middle

NASAD

Massey's College of Creative Arts is New Zealand's only art and design school granted “substantial equivalency” — an international benchmark of quality — by the United States National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).

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Red Dot Design ranking

Ranked 3rd in Asia-Pacific by International Red Dot Design Awards, the only design school to be ranked in New Zealand and Australia. This significant achievement recognises the high calibre of our teaching staff and the exceptional quality of our students' design concept work.

Learn more

Get an information guide

Download our guides to find out more about studying commercial music at Massey.

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