Billboard names Loyola University New Orleans as one of the country’s top music business schools for the fourth year in a row
NEW ORLEANS – The School of Music and Theatre Professions at Loyola University
New Orleans 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 named Loyola to its annual list of Top Music Business schools for
2024 this week, 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.
6363 St. Charles Avenue, Campus Box 8, New Orleans, LA 70118, 504.865.3037, loyno.edu/cmm
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: https://www.billboard.com/pro/top-music-business-
schools-2024-list/.