News
Billboard Names Loyola a Top Music Business School for 5th Year
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – The School of Music and Theatre Professions at Loyola University New Orleans has once again been recognized among the world’s top music business schools, earning a spot on Billboard magazine’s 2025 list of Top Music Business Schools for the fifth consecutive year.
The Oct. 25 issue also included programs such as Belmont University’s Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business, Berklee College of Music in Boston and Valencia, Spain, and the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music.
Hands-On Learning at Loyola
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.
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.
Expanding Faculty, Courses and Industry Connections
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.
