Musician as a Startup (iversity)

Offered by iversity,
Musician as a Startup (iversity)

Introducing the first practical course in the world that teaches musicians and artists how they can build a business around their art, discover new revenue streams, and market themselves as startups.

Have you ever wondered why 90% of musicians (and artists) don't make a living in the digital era - although they want to?
The answer is simple: they are still stuck in the last century mindset. The truth is, if you want to become a full-time artist doing what you love, you have to structure a business around your art, not just merely hope!
In this practical, 8-week course, two full-time practitioner musicians and academic educators, Tommy Darker and Stereo Mike, will guide you though the process of creating your very own business model, how to market yourself as a startup, how to be agile, motivated and productive, how to develop a work-in-progress brand, and how to adapt to the new mindset.
This is a course for all artists, and 'music' will be used as a case study. You will learn through practical assignments, so that you can implement what you learn in the real world, and get practical results.
This is the first MOOC in the world of its kind. It will be exciting. Shall we start?
Upon completion of the course, the students should be able to:

  1. Apply contemporary entrepreneurial approaches to their musical/artistic careers
  2. Identify changing industry trends in order to define relevant opportunities for their practice
  3. Balance artistic and business personal development, ensuring longevity
  4. Discover scalable business models and recurring revenue streams
  5. Produce actionable plans to exploit their art entrepreneurially, through practical assignments
  6. Innovate, recognising future trends and technological progress

COURSE STRUCTURE:
Week 1: Introduction
Historical Context | The New Ecosystem | Modern Concepts
Week 2 & 3: Business Models
Business Model Structure | Revenue models | Audience
Week 4: Lean Startup
Validated Learning | MVP | Prototyping | Management
Week 5: Agile Philosophy Principles
Productivity & Motivation | Startup Mindset | Communication
Week 6: Presence, Product, Process
Work-in-progress Brand | Demo | The Drip Method
Week 7: Digital Opportunities & Digital Paradigms
Power of Free | Digital-to-analogue | Network
Week 8: Deconstruction
Case Studies | Leadership & Innovation | What's Next?

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Capstone Value Creation through Innovation (Coursera) Coursera
EIT Digital

Capstone Value Creation through Innovation (Coursera)

This capstone course is the final course of the Value Creation Through Innovation Specialization. The specialization covers technology bases innovation and transformation and how to spot and to capitalize on emerging opportunities. UC Berkeley Haas School of Business and KTH Royal Institute of Technology are the academic partners in the Value Creation Through Innovation Specialization.

Sep 21st 2026
5-12 Weeks
Digital Business Models (Coursera) Coursera
Lund University

Digital Business Models (Coursera)

Digital business models are disrupting 50-year old companies in telecommunications, transportation, advertising, e-commerce, automotive, insurance and many other industries. This course will explore the business models of software disruptors of the west such as Apple, Google, Facebook and Amazon, and the east such as Xiaomi and weChat. The class uses a structured framework for analysing business models with numerous examples so that students can apply it to their own business or case study.

Sep 21st 2026
5-12 Weeks
Finance for Everyone: Markets (Coursera) Coursera
McMaster University

Finance for Everyone: Markets (Coursera)

Markets begins with one of the most common and important elements of the financial system – interest rates. You will learn why interest rates have always been a key barometer in determining the value of everything. You will explore the changing influence of interest rates; the impact of interest rates on consumption, investment and economic growth; and the bizarre realities of negative interest rates. Markets explains how interest rates change the value of all financial instruments, highlighting the role of the bond and stock markets that have toppled empires

Sep 21st 2026
4 Weeks
Introduction to Learning Transfer and Life Long Learning (3L) (Coursera) Coursera
University of California, Irvine

Introduction to Learning Transfer and Life Long Learning (3L) (Coursera)

Learn how to identify the enablers and barriers to learning transfer. Use your own experience to categorise the processes and activities involved in learning and transferring that learning into practice. There are many criteria against which the success of training and development activities can be judged.

Sep 21st 2026
3 Weeks
How to Create a Good Business (Coursera) Coursera
University of Michigan

How to Create a Good Business (Coursera)

Prioritizing the wellbeing of workers is not just a good - or ethical - thing to do, but because it makes business sense. A happier, healthier workforce is a more productive workforce. A productive workforce is more likely to attend, perform their best work, and add more value to an organization. Unfortunately, investing in the well-being of workers isn’t so simple. In this course, you’ll unpack what “worker wellbeing” means across different contexts, explore how to use research techniques to find the sweet spot between worker interests and firm interests, and understand how to design scalable solutions to enable both parties to thrive.

Sep 21st 2026
5-12 Weeks
Becoming a Social Entrepreneur: Getting Started (Coursera) Coursera
University of Michigan

Becoming a Social Entrepreneur: Getting Started (Coursera)

Do you have an idea that could help solve a societal problem? Are you wondering if starting a social enterprise is the best way to go forward? You are thinking about becoming a social entrepreneur! In this course, you’ll critically examine what makes for a good idea, and whether that idea requires starting a new business. You’ll craft a personal immersion plan while considering different ways to create impact. You’ll explore the personal challenges and connections to your life’s purpose before deciding to commit to becoming a social entrepreneur.

Sep 21st 2026
5-12 Weeks
Create Compelling Business Cases (Coursera) Coursera
Coursera Instructor Network

Create Compelling Business Cases (Coursera)

In this one-week course, we’ll focus on the 5 most crucial elements of a business case, including what is a business case and how it is used to make investment decisions. Whether you are a student or a professional, this course will give you the fundamentals you need, from defining the problem to gathering data and performing a financial analysis.

Sep 21st 2026
1 Week
Auditing I: Conceptual Foundations of Auditing (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Auditing I: Conceptual Foundations of Auditing (Coursera)

This course provides an intensive conceptual and applied introduction to auditing in society. It focuses on concepts and applications related to financial-statement auditors’ professional responsibilities as well as major facets of the audit process including risk assessment and audit reporting. In the U.S. financial-statement audits and related services generally are provided by Certified Public Accountants (CPAs).

Sep 21st 2026
5-12 Weeks
Business Considerations for 5G with Edge, IoT, and AI (Coursera) Coursera
EDUCBA

Business Considerations for 5G with Edge, IoT, and AI (Coursera)

By completing this course, learners will be equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate the complex landscape of 5G technology and its intersection with edge computing, IoT, and AI. They will gain a comprehensive understanding of how these technologies converge to drive business innovation and success in the digital age. Real-world case studies and practical insights will enable participants to apply their learning directly to their organizations, fostering a competitive advantage in the rapidly evolving marketplace.

Sep 21st 2026
2 Weeks
How to Manage a Remote Team (Coursera) Coursera
GitLab

How to Manage a Remote Team (Coursera)

Remote management is much more than just implementing a work-from-home policy. In this course, you’ll learn and apply remote work best practices, build your remote work policy, and prepare your team for success. This course is ideal for current managers, executives, and human resources professionals who want to learn how to lead and support a high-functioning, scalable remote team. GitLab is one of the world’s largest all-remote organizations; experts from throughout the company will guide you through in-depth lessons for leaders, people managers, and HR professionals to build, manage, and scale.

Sep 21st 2026
5-12 Weeks