Academy of Music

What Academy of Music does

Academy of Music, operating as AMS Online, is a UK-based private music education provider founded in 2004 and headquartered in Exeter (54 High Street, EX4 3DJ). Since 2023, the company has operated exclusively online, having previously run a network of seven UK campuses including Edinburgh and Glasgow. Its core product is a portfolio of fully validated undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral music degree programmes delivered in partnership with the University of West London, which acts as the degree-awarding body. The portfolio spans the DipHE Music & Sound (Levels 4 & 5, two years), the BA (Hons) Music & Sound Top-Up (one-year honours completion with a Fast Track option for industry professionals), the MMus Music & Sound (full 180-credit Masters), the PhD in Music and Sound (first cohort November 2025), plus a preparatory Access to HE short course and a post-graduation Access All Areas support scheme.

The technical platform is the MyAcademy learning portal, accessed via AMS-issued Microsoft 365 accounts, with structured and interactive learning materials (PDFs, audio, video lessons, podcasts) and access to the University of West London's electronic library. The defining pedagogical feature is a weekly 1:1 video mentorship model staffed by a network of working industry professionals, alongside regular masterclasses from leading music practitioners. There is no proprietary software, API, or mobile application; the product is delivered entirely through the LMS plus Zoom-based mentor sessions.

Revenue is generated almost exclusively through tuition fees for degree programmes, payable to the University of West London either in lump sum or in instalments. Fees range from £8,495 per annum for the DipHE/BA Top-Up to £8,995 for the MMus and £9,995 per year for the PhD, with an Access to HE short course priced at £280. Approximately 50% of students are international across 12+ countries, and UK students access standard government undergraduate, Masters, and doctoral loans. The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via the company website — no UCAS required, with a video interview acting as the consultative admissions funnel — supplemented by content marketing, SEO, alumni testimonials, and Zoom-based open Q&A sessions.

Name

Academy of Music

Legal name

Academy of Music and Sound Online

Website

https://academyofmusic.ac.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AMS Online (Academy of Music) is a UK-based, online-only music education provider founded in 2004, offering validated DipHE, BA Hons, MMus, and PhD degree programmes in partnership with the University of West London, delivered via 1:1 mentor-led distance learning to aspiring and working musicians across 12+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Music

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Fully Online Universities (Online-First, Degree-Granting) (EDAHALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Online / Virtual Music Instruction & Platforms (EDAMANAI), Certification & Credentialed Creator Programs (MPACALAI), Online/Hybrid Lifelong Learning Platforms & Open Enrollment Programs (EDAAAEAL), Online Learning Content & Course Publishing Platforms (BPAMAJAL)

Keywords

• Online music degrees
• Music performance education
• Music production courses
• Distance learning music
• Postgraduate music programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Exeter

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tuition Fees - Undergraduate Courses: AMS Online charges tuition fees for its validated undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes. Fees are paid directly to the validating partner institution, the University of West London, either in a single lump sum or in three instalments. UK nationals and long-term residents may be eligible for government student loans to cover tuition fees for undergraduate programmes.
2. Tuition Fees - Masters Degree: MMus Music & Sound programme charged at £8,995 total for the one-year full-time programme. UK students may be eligible for a Masters loan. Scottish students may receive partial SAAS funding.
3. Tuition Fees - PhD Programme: PhD in Music and Sound charged at £9,995 per academic year (3-year programme with up to 1 year for writing up). UK students may be eligible for a doctoral loan.
4. Short Course - Access to HE: Access to Higher Education short mentorship course priced at £280 for six 45-minute 1:1 sessions with an AMS Online mentor. This is a preparatory course for prospective students needing to brush up on academic or practical skills before embarking on a full HE music programme.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

AMS Online provides fully online, UK-validated undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral music degree programmes (DipHE, BA Hons Top-Up, MMus, PhD) delivered via the MyAcademy platform with weekly 1:1 video mentoring from industry professional mentors. Courses are validated by the University of West London and specialise in performance, production, songwriting, and music research pathways, supplemented by short courses and a post-graduation graduate support scheme.

Product overview

AMS Online is an online music education provider offering a portfolio of validated degree programmes at undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels in partnership with the University of West London. The core offerings include the DipHE Music & Sound (two-year diploma with Performance, Production, and Songwriting pathways), the BA (Hons) Music & Sound Top-Up (one-year honours degree completion with optional Fast Track for industry professionals), the MMus Music & Sound (full masters with Performance and Production pathways), and the PhD in Music and Sound (doctoral research programme). Supporting offerings include the Access to Higher Education Music short course and the Access All Areas Graduate Support Scheme for post-graduation transition. All courses are delivered 100% online via the MyAcademy platform with weekly 1:1 video mentorship sessions and no set timetable.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DipHE Music & Sound A two-year undergraduate Diploma of Higher Education at Levels 4 & 5 offering 240 credits, validated by the University of West London. Students specialise in Performance, Production, or Songwriting pathways while developing skills in podcasting, video production, social media branding, and music for video games. Delivered 100% online with weekly 1:1 mentorship.
• BA (Hons) Music & Sound Top-Up A one-year Level 6 honours degree top-up equivalent to the final year of a UK undergraduate degree. Validated by University of West London, with optional modules in production, songwriting, film scoring, music management, and more. Includes Fast Track entry for industry professionals with 5+ years experience. Tuition £8,495 total.
• MMus Music & Sound A full 180-credit Masters Degree in Music studied 100% online, validated by the University of West London. Offers Performance and Production pathways with weekly 1:1 mentorship, Level 7 project, and critical perspectives modules. One year full-time programme (3 x 12-week trimesters). Tuition £8,995 total.
• PhD in Music and Sound A three-year doctoral research programme in Music and Sound with up to one additional year for writing up, delivered online in partnership with University of West London. Directed by Dr John Matthias with five principal supervisors specialising in composition, sound design, musicology, and music technology. Tuition £9,995 per academic year.
• Access to Higher Education Music

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 6,500 students trained since 2004; 200+ students enrolled online since 2020; 350+ students on BA Hons Top Up since 2019; 80+ on Masters since 2022.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• University of West LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019University of West London (UWL) is the validating institution for all AMS Online degree programmes. All courses (DipHE, BA Hons, MMus, PhD) are validated and accredited by UWL, which awards the degrees and issues certificates. Students formally register with UWL and receive their qualification from UWL. UWL has been named 'University of the Year for Teaching Quality' and 'University of the Year for Student Experience' in The Times & Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023, ranked top 23rd in the UK.
• London College of Music (University of West London)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe London College of Music (LCM), part of the University of West London, is the academic partner for the PhD in Music and Sound programme. PhD students are supervised by LCM academic staff in partnership with AMS Online mentors. The PhD programme follows UWL's milestone-oriented doctoral programme with additional support from the Graduate School and University Research Degrees Sub-Committee at UWL.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Open University: UK's largest distance-learning university offering fully online degrees across many disciplines including some music modules. Comparable online-first delivery model and degree-granting structure, but at much greater scale and broader portfolio.
• Royal Academy of Music: UK conservatoire offering classical music performance, composition, and music education degrees. Adjacent in subject area (music higher education) and represents an incumbent UK music-HE brand that AMS Online differentiates against via online delivery.

Direct peers

• SAE Institute: Global audio engineering, music production, film, and creative media school with online degree programmes validated by partner universities. Comparable online-only music production pathway and international student mix.
• BIMM University: UK music higher-education institution (formerly BIMM Institute) offering undergraduate and postgraduate music programmes across performance, production, songwriting. Competes with AMS Online in UK music degree provision, though with a primarily campus-based model.
• Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM): UK-based higher education provider offering music performance, production, songwriting, and music business degrees. Closely comparable to AMS Online in subject scope (music performance/production) and target student (aspiring and career-changing musicians).
• Institute of Contemporary Music Performance (ICMP): UK higher-education provider offering music performance, songwriting, music production, and music business degrees. Directly comparable subject mix and UK-validated degree structure, though primarily campus-based in London.
• Berklee Online: Online division of Berklee College of Music offering accredited undergraduate and postgraduate music degrees fully online. Like AMS Online, it serves an international student body seeking recognised music qualifications delivered remotely.
• WaterBear College of Music: UK music college offering undergraduate and postgraduate music programmes across performance, production, songwriting, and composition. Comparable UK higher-education music focus and degree-validation structure.
• Point Blank Music School: UK-based (London) music production and DJ school with online degree pathways validated by partner universities. Directly comparable to AMS Online in offering fully online UK-validated music degrees aimed at international and working musicians.

Emerging players

• FutureLearn: Online course platform partnering with UK universities (including for music) to deliver short courses and microcredentials. Partial overlap with AMS Online's Access to HE offering and online learning audience.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCzuXuRZd3kX2UpI4L7g9f_w
• Xx.com/ams_uk_
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheAcademyofMusicandSound

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Academy of Music