Sydney institution partners with Oxford Art Factory to launch new industry-focused diploma alongside key internal appointments.
Sydney’s Oxford Creative Academy (OCA) has announced a major expansion to its music industry education offering, launching a new diploma that helps students build a music business while they study.
The live music industry training provider, which operates in partnership with Oxford Art Factory, will roll the course out in 2027, anchoring a period of growth for the academy alongside internal promotions, new hires, and ongoing industry activations.
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Expressions of interest are now open for the Diploma of Music – For Entrepreneurs in the Music Industry, a year-long accelerator that shifts away from traditional lectures in favour of a “flipped classroom” framework. The model pairs weekly online sessions and live-streamed classes with direct mentorship from specialist teachers and industry panels. Students build a market-ready portfolio through four structured learning cycles — Discover, Develop, Enhance, and Deliver — taking their projects from initial research through to fully finalised creative and business assets.
The program is built around four core project streams:
- EARN (The Entrepreneurial Program): Students establish a real music business, graduating with a registered ABN, professional brand identity (including logo and website), freelance portfolio, and a tailored self-care plan for long-term career resilience.
- PERFORM (The Music Makers Club): Covers live event execution and project management, with students planning and delivering a real event — handling funding, operations, and budget reconciliation.
- PRODUCE (Gallery Bar Records): Students step into the role of creator or manager to launch a new artist, scouting talent, drafting recording contracts, producing a commercial sound recording (demo/EP), and executing an artist launch strategy.
- RELEASE (Promotion & Monetisation): Focuses on commercial distribution, publishing, and revenue stream generation, with students building monetisation strategies, managing copyright compliance, and executing full promotional campaigns.
The expanded course offering arrives amid a shortage of institutions offering robust music industry qualifications, with OCA now the only Sydney-based Registered Training Organisation (RTO) delivering a Certificate IV in Music in NSW.
To support its growing educational programs, OCA has made key additions to its internal team. Nicholas J. Rodwell has been promoted to RTO Manager, bringing more than thirteen years of operational experience across the sector, including managing music departments for major independent radio station 4ZZZ, serving as label manager for The A&R Dept, and running strategic operations incubator Notochord.
Recent OCA graduate Eshaan Malhotra has also joined the team in Community & Content. Malhotra brings experience in social media management, PR, and branding for industry brands including Sweat It Out, Paper Planes PR, and Achieved Music, alongside his work leading creative agency Rough Cut.
Oxford Creative Academy founder and CEO, Matt O’Connor, said the Australian music landscape is evolving fast, and traditional learning models simply don’t cut it anymore. He added that the new diploma gives students the tools to launch and build sustainable music businesses for themselves before they even graduate, and that elevating Rodwell and bringing Malhotra into the team ensures the academy’s infrastructure and community engagement stay ahead of the curve.
The updates follow OCA’s recent presence at Sydney’s King Street Crawl, where the academy partnered with Future Proof Music and the Inner West Council for a second year to present the All-Ages Stage at St George’s Hall.
OCA also continues its Industry Access Series, giving students direct, closed-door access to music executives. Following recent sessions with Luke Byatt and Sarah Hamilton, upcoming masterclasses feature former ABC head of music, Emily Copeland, and Spotify ANZ head of Artist & Label Partnerships, Leah Harris.
Expressions of interest for the Diploma of Music are now open, with flexible quarterly intakes available throughout the year.
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