Billboard names Loyola University as a Top Music Business School for Fifth Consecutive Year

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 fifth year in a row.

Billboard magazine has named Loyola to its annual list of Top Music Business schools for 2025, announcing its selections in the Oct. 25 issue. The school is one of several prestigious music programs earning this honor, including the Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business at Belmont University in Nashville; Berklee College of Music in Boston and Valencia, Spain; and, Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California.

Jonathan McHugh, Hilton-Baldridge Eminent Scholar/Chair in Music Industry Studies, said he's truly honored that Loyola has been recognized by Billboard for the fifth year in a row for its Music Industry Studies program. He said the students who study at Loyola have the unique opportunity to learn the music business in New Orleans, a city rich in music history and culture.

"Our city is filled with venues, festivals and the business of making music," McHugh said. "Our 'Loyola Live' initiative is focused on creating experiential learning that is fueled by venue and festival partnerships, where students have opportunities to play on stage and work backstage at great festivals like the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, the French Quarter Festival and, most recently, NOLA Funk Fest. The future is bright at Loyola's College of Music and Media."

The magazine cited the school's new entrepreneurship hub, Wolf Moon Entertainment, as providing opportunities for students to build businesses in music publishing and sync licensing, label operations and venue management, graphic design, music booking, digital radio streaming, and more.

And among recent guest speakers, members of the band - and Loyola alums - The Revivalists joined a master class to share thoughts on the live-performance business, and trio The Nth Power performed and offered insights.

"We don't stop building because we can't stop," said Kate Duncan, director of the School of Music and Theatre Professions and the Conrad N. Hilton Chair in Music Industry Studies at Loyola. "Our music business program continues to produce students at the top of their game who are ready to tackle what the industry hands them. The music business requires nimble and creative problem solvers, and what better place to learn and apply those skills than the creative hub that is New Orleans, the city that built American music?"

Among the school's many accolades, Duncan noted that Loyola recently added two new heavy-hitters into the fold, women who are keeping the school two steps ahead of the forefront of the industry.

Tavia Osbey, artist manager to international acts such as Tank & the Bangs, as well as co-founder of MidCitizen Entertainment, has taken the helm of Loyola's Music Management class. Sami Slovy, another industry pro, has worked to develop a new course in the Business of Live Entertainment.

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 co-wrote and produced several songs on Justin Bieber's 2025 album "Swag," as well as "Sunflower" for Post Malone - one of the most downloaded songs in the world. Lang, a 10-time Grammy nominee, won his second Grammy earlier this year for his work co-writing and producing "Saturn" by SZA.

Read the Billboard article here: https://www.billboard.com/pro/top-music-business-schools-2025-list/

About Music Industry Studies

This degree offers students a solid foundation in intellectual property issues, management, marketing, entrepreneurship and other key concepts necessary to succeeding in today's music industry. Students learn through experience in state-of-the-art recording studios and through immersion in New Orleans, an international creative and cultural destination.

About the College of Music and Media

The College of Music and Media is comprised of two schools - the School of Music and Theatre Professions and the School of Communication and Design. Students who choose to study in the college prepare for careers in music, theatre, music industry, design, fine art, filmmaking, strategy, mass media and more.