Meet Music Business Lecturer Ian Ramage

Hi Ramage, thanks for taking the time to be interviewed, firstly:

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? 

I am an incorrigible music fan. I was lucky to realise early enough that I did not have the musical talent to make it, so I have worked in the business (side of things) since 1983.

I am a music publisher and manager as well as lecturing about the business.

I absolutely love doing what I do, which is extremely fortunate. It also motivates me to try and do it as well as I possibly can.

What’s your role at Abbey Road Institute?

I lecture exclusively about the business side. I am not technical at all – the students have to help me plug my laptop in when I set up!

I’m fortunate to have worked in record labels and music publishers doing both A&R and marketing across a wide variety of repertoire. This means my experience is pretty broad – both in a pre-internet and digital age. I aim to share some of this perspective with the students I work with at ARI.

Can you share a couple of highlights from teaching at Abbey Road Institute over the last year?

I think that the level of interaction with the students is fantastic. I have to run a very structured programe to make sure we cover all the ground, but each session has facility for ‘off piste’ dialogue – and this is often where the really good stuff happens!

Fiercely intelligent questions and observations keep me on my toes and we engage in fascinating dialogue about the rapidly changing era of the music business we are currently living in.

We’d love to find out more about your work outside of ARI, any personal highlights you’d like to share with us?

I am lucky to have worked with some really wonderful artists over the years. Kate Bush, Coldplay, Elvis Costello, Pink Floyd…Right now I’m working with Richard Hawley (who I first signed 15 years ago); British Sea Power; Jarvis Cocker; plus a number of new developing artists and writers. So many highlights – what a privilege to be in dialogue with these musicians.

What do you think the Abbey Road Institute diploma offers that’s different to other sound engineering and music production courses?

I cannot speak for the technical side. But I can tell you that learning the whole picture in this environment is truly inspirational. New music is being made around us all the time – we are in it. And as for the heritage of the building and the people who have worked here…

Do you have any tips for future students wanting to apply to ARI?

Come with an open mind and a voracious appetite to soak up the magic. Be prepared to work hard – you’ll get out pretty much in accordance with what you put in.

Apply for the Advanced Diploma

If you want to learn from business lecturers such as Ian Ramage you can apply to study with us. Find out more on the course page for our Advanced Diploma in Music Production and Sound Engineering.