I agree that the UCs should be eliminated from your list as there is no way they will come close to budget (they will be more than $70k/year), apart from UC-Merced which would still be around $19k/year for tuition with WUE, which does not include room & board. But nothing in business or music is eligible for WUE there, so scratch that (source).
But, these are some other California publics you may want to consider include that would run just a bit over $8600/year for tuition via WUE:
-
Cal State - Chico: This is one of the more residential campuses amongst the Cal States and among the WUE-approved fields are Music Industry and Recording Arts, along with many business fields (source).
-
Cal State - Northridge: This school is one of the Cal States particularly known for its music program, but others will have to share more about whether it’s more of a commuter school. (WUE info)
-
Cal Poly - Pomona: This school had the reputation of being more of a commuter school, but I think that has been shifting over the past few years. Within music you could major in industry studies or there’s also business options, all of which are available through WUE (source).
-
Sonoma State might also be worth looking into, and also has a reputation of being more of a residential experience (WUE info).
In terms of other parts of the country, definitely look into Loyola New Orleans (LA). It has a robust music program and it would probably be fairly easy to combine your interests in business and music.
If you’re interested in being in New York City, run the NPC for Fordham, which would be a likelier admit than NYU and also has a Lincoln Center campus. Also, CUNY City College or CUNY Brooklyn would be extremely likely admits and good music options with tuition a bit over $15k (though remember…living in NYC is expensive).
In Chicago, check out DePaul.
A school that would likely be a financial and academic safety would be U. of Memphis.