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
Bachelor's degrees
Music Industry – Bachelor of Commercial Music
Seek out and develop new ways to work in the commercial music industry. Learn artist development, management and distribution, and how to stage live events and tours.
Music Practice – Bachelor of Commercial Music
Study musicianship and performance in the popular genre of your choice — whether you’re a singer, DJ, or in a band. Music Practice will give you the skills and confidence to take risks and make it in the music industry.
Music Technology – Bachelor of Commercial Music
Explore and extend how music is created, produced and heard. In Music Technology, you’ll work at the intersection of music, creativity and technology.
Mātauranga Toi Māori – Bachelor of Commercial Music
Study creative arts and help shape a future where te ao Māori is at the forefront of Aotearoa creative industries. A first for Aotearoa tertiary education, the Mātauranga Toi Māori major engages te ao Māori in any of our creative disciplines in Commercial Music – Music Practice, Music Technology or Music Industry.
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.
- Music industry
- Music practice (performing)
- Music technology
Postgraduate study
Postgraduate bachelor's degrees with honours
Bachelor of Commercial Music (Honours) – BCommMus(Hons)
Refine your specialist music skills with postgraduate study in Commercial Music. Singer, DJ, lighting tech, or tour manager—whatever your jam, we’ll help you get further.
Master's degrees
Master of Arts – MA
If you have achieved a high standard of academic performance in your Bachelor of Arts or BA (Hons), shift up a gear and complete an MA. It will stretch your horizons and take your prospects up a whole level.
Master of Commercial Music – MCommMus
Pursue commercial music research pathways, supported through connections and partnerships with industry and the sector. Our Master of Commercial Music spans music production and recording, performance, song writing and composition for games and screen-based media, publishing, promotion and management, music technology, sound design, experimental practices, and much more.
Master of Design – MDes
Go in depth with an advanced design research qualification. You’ll develop a creative outcome, often of direct application to design industry or community. We will help you make strong connections with the business, public or non-profit sector.
Master of Fine Arts – MFA
Embed yourself in a rich dialogue about your creative practice in Massey’s Master of Fine Arts. Our MFA embraces intersections between knowledge systems, a spectrum of making processes, and modes of audience engagement.
PhD and other doctoral degrees
Doctor of Philosophy – PhD
A prestigious research qualification that demonstrates your ability to carry out independent and original research in your chosen field.
Relevant research areas at Massey
Discover research expertise, projects and initiatives relating to commercial music at Massey.
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.”
“Forward-thinking faculty with great connections with the tight-knit music industry of New Zealand—what else would I be doing?”
“I play drums for New Zealand artist BENEE. We’ve toured internationally, travelling all over Europe and America.”
Our facilities
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
- Musician or composer – Pay rates vary
- Producer – Pay rates vary
- Sound engineer – $48,000 to $80,000
Salary ranges disclaimer
Indicative pay rates are:
- in New Zealand dollars
- based on careers.govt.nz data.
Which commercial music qualification?
Examples of where our qualifications may take you.
| Jobs | Examples of what you could study |
|---|---|
| Artist manager, label executive or music promoter |
Bachelor of Commercial Music (Music Industry) Bachelor of Commercial Music (Mātauranga Toi Māori / Music Industry) Master of Commercial Music |
| Musician, composer or songwriter |
Bachelor of Commercial Music (Music Practice) Bachelor of Commercial Music (Mātauranga Toi Māori / Music Practice) Master of Commercial Music |
| Sound engineer, lighting designer or software developer |
Bachelor of Commercial Music (Music Technology) Bachelor of Commercial Music (Mātauranga Toi Māori / Music Technology) Master of Commercial Music |
Accreditations and rankings
QS Ranking - Art & Design
College of Creative Arts – Toi Rauwhārangi ranks in the global top 200 for art and design by QS World University Rankings.
Red Dot Design ranking
Ranked 2nd 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.
Get an information guide
Download our guides to find out more about studying commercial music at Massey.
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