Notting Hill Academy of Music

What Notting Hill Academy of Music does

Notting Hill Academy of Music (NHAM) is a London-based, for-profit private music education institution founded in August 2015 by Shabs Jobanputra, who is also Managing Director of Relentless Records (a Sony Music UK label). The company delivers a portfolio of five vocational programmes — four 9-month Level 4 Certificate of Higher Education courses (Beatmaking & Production, Creative Music Business, Commercial Songwriting, and Digital Marketing, Content and Promotion) validated by BIMM University, plus a 1-year Executive MA in Music Business (Level 7, 180 credits) validated by Arts University Bournemouth, with prior validation support from Rose Bruford College. All teaching is delivered face-to-face in central London at Sony Music UK's King's Cross headquarters, the Notting Hill Arts Club (21 Notting Hill Gate), and Tileyard, with curricula built around industry-standard DAW software on Mac laptops.

The core technology stack is third-party rather than proprietary: Logic Pro and other industry-standard Digital Audio Workstations are used on fully equipped Mac laptop setups, with course content covering melody, chords, song structure, sampling, mixing, MIDI, sound design, sequencing, recording, production, and mastering. No proprietary software platform, AI models, or technology products are shipped; the technical differentiation is in curriculum design and physical access to a major-label environment rather than in underlying software.

NHAM's revenue model is tuition-based, with Cert HE courses priced at £9,790 and the Executive MA at £10,250 for the 2026 academic year. Fees are eligible for Student Loans Company funding (Tuition Fee Loans plus Maintenance Loans) for eligible UK students, and the company also accepts self-funded and employer-sponsored students. Scholarships are offered via partnerships with Raw Power Management and Relentless Records. The customer base is exclusively UK-domestic (international students are not accepted), segmented into aspiring music producers/beatmakers, songwriters/artists, music business entrepreneurs, digital music marketers, and career changers. Acquisition is sales-led through monthly Open Day experience events at Sony Music UK and a multi-channel organic social presence (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn). The company is founder-owned with no disclosed external investment, supported by an advisory board chaired by Martin Doel with Trevor Nelson MBE as patron.

Name

Notting Hill Academy of Music

Legal name

Notting Hill Academy of Music

Website

https://nottinghillacademyofmusic.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Notting Hill Academy of Music is a London-based private music education institution founded in 2015, delivering industry-focused Cert HE and MA programmes in production, songwriting, music business, and digital marketing — taught inside Sony Music UK and validated by UK universities for fee-loan-eligible UK students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Education

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Instruction (Instrumental & Vocal) (EDAMAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Music Production & Composition (Songwriting, Recording, DJing) (EDAMAAAF), Music (Instruments, Voice, Music Theory) (EDAAAGAC)

Keywords

• Music education
• Music production courses
• Songwriting training
• Music business degrees
• Creative industry courses

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition Fees: Primary revenue from course fees for Cert HE (Level 4) and MA programmes. Fees are £9,790 for Cert HE courses and £10,250 for the Executive MA in Music Business for the 2026 academic year. Student Loans Company funding available for eligible UK students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Notting Hill Academy of Music (NHAM) is an industry-connected music education institution offering vocational Certificate of Higher Education (Level 4) courses in Beatmaking & Production, Creative Music Business, Commercial Songwriting, and Digital Marketing, Content and Promotion, as well as a Level 7 Executive MA in Music Business. All courses are delivered face-to-face at Sony Music UK headquarters in King's Cross, the Notting Hill Arts Club, and Tileyard in London, with academic validation from BIMM University, Rose Bruford College, and Arts University Bournemouth. Students gain direct industry access through Relentless Records (a Sony Music label), including A&R sessions, mentoring, and work experience opportunities.

Product overview

Notting Hill Academy of Music (NHAM) is an industry-connected music education institution offering a portfolio of vocational courses and a postgraduate degree. The core offerings consist of four Level 4 Certificate in Higher Education programmes (Beatmaking & Production, Creative Music Business, Commercial Songwriting, and Digital Marketing, Content and Promotion) delivered through face-to-face teaching at Sony Music UK, Notting Hill Arts Club, and Tileyard in London, plus an Executive MA in Music Business (Level 7) taught at Sony Music's King’s Cross headquarters. All programmes are designed in collaboration with Sony Music/Relentless Records and focus on real-world industry skills, employability, and entrepreneurial development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Beatmaking & Production (Cert HE) A 9-month, Level 4 Certificate in Higher Education focused on digital music creation, beatmaking, and audio production using industry-standard software and Mac laptop DAW setups. Covers melody, chords, song structure, sampling, basslines, drum programming, mixing, remixes, MIDI, sound design, sequencing, recording, production, and mastering. Delivered face-to-face in London.
• Creative Music Business (Cert HE) A 9-month, Level 4 Certificate in Higher Education focused on music business entrepreneurship. Students develop business ideas from ideation to launch, learning product design, organizational structures, business models, financial planning, marketing, PR, sales strategy, and pitching, culminating in a final pitch at Sony Music. Delivered face-to-face in London.
• Commercial Songwriting (Cert HE) A 9-month, Level 4 Certificate in Higher Education focused on songwriting and music production. Students develop songwriting craft through studying styles and structures of other artists, compositional techniques, and industry-standard production software to create industry-ready songs and build a professional portfolio. Delivered face-to-face in London.
• Digital Marketing, Content and Promotion (Cert HE) A 9-month, Level 4 Certificate in Higher Education focused on digital marketing, content creation, and promotion for the music industry. Students learn to use digital social technology to promote artists, build brands, create content, and work with Sony marketing professionals to build a professional portfolio. Delivered face-to-face in London.
• Executive MA in Music Business A 1-year, full-time Level 7 postgraduate degree awarded by Arts University Bournemouth, delivered in partnership with Sony Music's Relentless Records at their King's Cross headquarters. Covers music business ecosystems, professional identity, workplace culture, market intelligence, strategy, industry consultancy, and a capstone research project. Features deep AI literacy as a core embedded capability. Open to UK students only.

Quantifiable outcome

• Alumni have gone on to work at major labels including RCA Records, Black Butter Records, and streaming services
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and supporting.

• Relentless Records (Sony Music UK)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2015NHAM is directly linked to Relentless Records, part of Sony Music Group. Students have opportunities to attend label and A&R meetings, receive one-to-one industry mentoring, professional training in CV creation and interview skills, participate in guest sessions from industry and A&R reps, attend listening panels, launch events, performance opportunities, and work experience at Relentless.
• Arts University BournemouthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAwarding institution for the Executive MA in Music Business programme. The MA qualification (180 credits, Level 7) is awarded by Arts University Bournemouth, subject to validation.
• Rose Bruford CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHAM works with Rose Bruford College to offer unrivalled, cutting edge courses. Rose Bruford College provides academic partnership and validation support.
• BIMM UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAwarding institution for Cert HE Level 4 courses (Beatmaking & Production, Creative Music Business, Commercial Songwriting, Digital Marketing). BIMM University provides academic validation for these qualifications.
• Sony Music UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHAM teaching takes place at Sony Music UK’s headquarters in King’s Cross. The Executive MA is described as 'the first master’s degree taught and assessed inside a major record label.' Workshops are co-delivered with industry professionals from Sony.
• PRS for MusicminorOthersReferenced in educational content about music licensing and royalty collection. Students learn about registering with PRS for Music for royalty collection.
• PPL (Phonographic Performance Limited)minorOthersReferenced in educational content about performer royalties. Students learn about registering with PPL for performer royalty collection.
• Student Loans CompanysupportingOthersUK government student loan provider enabling eligible students to access Tuition Fee Loans covering full course fees, plus Maintenance Loans for living costs.
• Raw Power ManagementsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerRaw Power Management (Craig Jennings) offers the Raw Power Scholarship with Notting Hill Academy of Music, supporting up-and-coming talent in the UK with scholarship opportunities.
• Relentless RecordssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerRelentless Records (Ben Coates, Managing Director) offers the Relentless Records Scholarship with NHAM, supporting artists and executives with scholarship opportunities for music industry entrepreneurs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• dBs Music: UK-based music production and sound engineering school with campuses in Plymouth and Bristol. Overlaps with NHAM on beatmaking, production, and music technology curriculum.
• Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM): UK music college delivering performance, production, songwriting, and music business programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Targets the same aspiring-producer and music-business student segments as NHAM.
• WaterBear College of Music: Brighton-based music college offering BA, Cert HE, and short courses across performance, production, songwriting, and music business. Comparable curriculum breadth and price point to NHAM's portfolio, competing for UK creative students.
• Tech Music Schools (Drumtech, Vocaltech, Guitar-X): London-based music performance and production schools delivering degree and short-course programmes. Overlaps with NHAM on production and artist-development curriculum in the same London catchment.
• SAE Institute: Global audio/music production and creative media school with UK campuses offering industry-focused diplomas and degrees. Overlaps with NHAM on production, audio engineering, and music business curriculum and competes for UK fee-loan-eligible students.
• BIMM University: Largest UK provider of music-industry higher education, offering Cert HE, BA, and MA programmes in songwriting, production, music business, and marketing across multiple campuses. Direct competitor to NHAM's Cert HE and Executive MA programmes and one of NHAM's own validating partners.
• Point Blank Music School: London-based music production and DJ school offering certificates, degrees, and short courses in production, songwriting, and music business. Closely comparable to NHAM's Beatmaking & Production and Creative Music Business courses, and competes for the same London face-to-face cohort.
• London Centre of Contemporary Music (LCCM): Central London music school offering higher-education programmes in performance, production, songwriting, and music business. Most direct geographic peer to NHAM's London face-to-face model.

Broad incumbents

• Berklee Online: Online arm of Berklee College of Music, the global gold-standard music institution. Serves the same aspiring-producer, songwriter, and music-business learner segments at scale and represents the digital benchmark NHAM does not address.
• University of West London — London College of Music: University music school offering BA, MA, and research degrees in performance, composition, music technology, and music business. Represents the academic-degree incumbent competing with NHAM's Executive MA at the Level 7 tier.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCHbC5W0NWAdXUxbhRCskuBA
• Facebookfacebook.com/NHAmusic
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/notting-hill-academy-of-music
• Instagraminstagram.com/nhamusic
• TikToktiktok.com/@nhammusic
• Xx.com/nhamusic

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Notting Hill Academy of Music