CMC Nashville

What CMC Nashville does

CMC Nashville (legal name: Contemporary Music Center) is a postsecondary educational institution operating under Greenville University accreditation from a single campus at 559 Church Street East, Brentwood, Tennessee. It delivers a 15-week immersive semester program producing 16 transferable college credits across four tracks: Artist, Business, Technical, and Worship Creative Arts. The curriculum combines three core courses (Faith, Music & Culture; Inside the Music Industry; CMC Tour Practicum) with nine track-specific credits and culminates in a student-run end-of-semester Road Tour that functions as the practical final exam.

The technical stack is centered on professional music production and live event infrastructure, including Midas consoles, Shure in-ear monitoring, GrandMA2 lighting, Blackmagic cameras, ATEM switching hardware, and software such as ProTools, Logic, Ableton, Resolume, OBS, ProPresenter, Planning Center Online, and Master Tour. Hands-on training is reinforced by weekly CMC LIVE showcases, offsite visits to local churches for the Worship track, and 24/7 building and equipment access. Faculty are described as working professionals, and small class sizes are emphasized as a differentiator.

The business model is tuition-based, billed through partner universities for enrolled students or directly to non-enrolled students with a 6-month payment plan. Students can apply federal and state financial aid and institutional scholarships from their home institutions. The institution is authorized by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission and operates without venture or private equity funding as a nonprofit, with a 15-person staff supporting admissions, instruction, and operations. The 1,200+ alumni network and the iNashville Internship program serve as the primary post-graduation placement infrastructure.

Name

CMC Nashville

Legal name

Contemporary Music Center

Website

https://cmcnashville.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CMC Nashville (Contemporary Music Center) is a 15-week, four-track postsecondary music industry training program in Brentwood, Tennessee, operating under Greenville University accreditation. It serves college-aged students with hands-on Artist, Business, Technical, and Worship Creative Arts tracks, awarding 16 transferable credits and culminating in a student-run road tour.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Industry Education

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Schools & Conservatory Prep (Pre-College) (EDAMANAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Music Instruction (Instrumental & Vocal) (EDAMAAAE)

Keywords

• Music industry education
• Live events training
• Entertainment industry careers
• Audio production training
• Postsecondary music programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Brentwood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

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 through Partner Institutions: Students enrolled at partner colleges/universities are billed through their home institution, which then bills the student. Students not enrolled at a partner institution receive a bill directly from CMC with a 6-month payment plan option.
2. Credit-based Education: Students earn 16 college credits through the semester program. Billing is handled through institutional financial aid and scholarship frameworks at partner campuses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CMC Nashville delivers a 15-week immersive educational program in the music and live events industry, offering four tracks (Artist, Business, Technical, and Worship Creative Arts) plus three required core courses totaling 16 transferable college credits. Students gain hands-on training with professional audio, lighting, video, and recording equipment, culminating in a student-run Road Tour that serves as the practical final exam, followed by post-program career support through the iNashville Internship program.

Product overview

CMC Nashville is an educational institution offering a 15-week immersive program under Greenville University accreditation. The core offering consists of four distinct training tracks—Artist Track, Business Track, Technical Track, and Worship Creative Arts Track—each supplemented by core courses (Faith, Music & Culture; Inside the Music Industry; CMC Tour Practicum) totaling 16 college credits. The curriculum culminates in a student-run Road Tour that serves as the practical final exam. All tracks feature hands-on training with industry-standard tools and software, and graduates gain access to the iNashville Internship Program for career placement support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Artist Track A semester-long program where students develop skills in songwriting, musical collaboration, band formation, performance, and studio-quality recording. Students write original songs, record demos, rehearse bands, and perform at CMC LIVE showcases.
• Business Track A semester-long program where students manage a talent roster of 10-14 student artists, produce live events, plan and execute the end-of-semester Road Tour, and interact with Nashville entertainment industry professionals.
• Technical Track A hands-on program where students work with professional audio, lighting, video, and recording equipment in real-world settings. Covers live audio engineering using Midas consoles, lighting design using GrandMA2, video production, and studio recording.
• Worship Creative Arts Track A program providing musical, administrative, and technical skills to serve as worship and creative team leaders in local churches. Includes offsite visits to local churches representing a broad range of worship styles, combined with technical training in live sound, lighting, video walls, and streaming.
• Core Courses (MUSC 301, MUSC 302, MUSC 401) Required courses taken by all CMC students: Faith, Music & Culture (3 credits), Inside the Music Industry (3 credits), and Practicum: CMC Tour (1 credit). Together with track-specific courses, they total 16 college credits per semester.
• Road Tour The end-of-semester student-run touring experience that serves as the practical final exam for all tracks. Students pack up and go on tour, gaining real touring experience managed through tools such as Master Tour software.
• iNashville Internship Program Post-program internship opportunity for CMC alumni to gain additional industry experience before starting their first industry job, leveraging the 1,200+ alumni network and Nashville industry connections.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,200+ alumni placed in entertainment industry careers
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Greenville UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCMC Nashville is an Experience Institute under Greenville University accreditation. Greenville University provides institutional accreditation for the program, enabling students to earn transferable college credits.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Blackbird Academy: Nashville-based audio engineering and music production school affiliated with the Blackbird Studio complex. Trains students in professional studio and live production using industry-standard workflows, directly overlapping with CMC's Technical Track curriculum and Nashville placement ecosystem.
• Full Sail University: Winter Park, FL institution specializing in entertainment, media, arts, and technology programs including recording arts, music production, and show production. Closely comparable in its hands-on, equipment-heavy, career-focused model with similar live events and recording tracks.
• Belmont University: Nashville-based university with a Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business offering degrees in music business, audio engineering, and performance. Most direct geographic and curricular competitor — also located in Nashville and training students for entertainment industry careers.
• SAE Institute: Global network of creative media schools offering diplomas and degrees in audio, film, and music production. Directly comparable curriculum in live sound, studio production, and music business, competing for students seeking short-form, hands-on industry training.
• Visible Music College: Memphis-based Christian music college offering degree programs in music performance, production, and worship leadership. Closest match for CMC's faith-based positioning and worship track, competing for the same Christ-centered student segment.
• Trebas Institute: Audio, music, film, and entertainment school with programs in audio engineering, live event production, and music business. Comparable in curriculum scope, target student, and emphasis on practical, hands-on industry preparation.
• Middle Tennessee State University (Recording Industry Program): Murfreesboro, TN — adjacent to Nashville — with one of the country's largest recording industry programs covering audio production, music business, and entertainment technology. In-state competitor drawing from the same Tennessee talent pool and employer network.
• Dark Horse Institute: Nashville-based school focused on audio engineering, music production, and music business with short-format programs. Direct geographic peer with overlapping Nashville employer network and similar target student demographic.

Regional players

• Greenville University: CMC Nashville's parent/accreditor institution based in Greenville, IL — a private Christian liberal arts university. Related through the Experience Institute model that grants CMC Nashville its accreditation and academic framework.

Broad incumbents

• Berklee College of Music: Largest and best-known contemporary music school globally, with degree programs in performance, production, business, and worship/film scoring. Competes for the same students nationwide and offers a much broader degree portfolio plus a substantial alumni network in the industry.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/cmcnashville

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 CMC Nashville