LACM was founded in 1996 as LA Music Academy by Hans Peter Becker and co-founded by Tom Aylesbury, who also became president in 2004. Original department Chairs included Frank Gambale (guitar), Dave Carpenter (bass) and co-chairs Joe Porcaro and Ralph Humphrey (drums). The vocal department was established by Kevyn Lettau in 1998. Tierney Sutton took over as chair in 2008. The school changed its name in November 2012 to LAMA College for Music Professionals, and in 2014 to Los Angeles College of Music.

The school has been accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music since 2003. It offers six-quarter Associate of Arts degrees, Bachelor's degrees and Master's Degrees in music performance (drums, guitar, bass or voice) and in music production, music composition and music industry.

The faculty includes Gordon Goodwin, saxophone, arranging; Wayne Bergeron, trumpet; Tim Landers and Philip Bynoe, bass; Gary Stockdale, Maxayn Lewis, David Joyce, and Teresa James, voice, Andrew Murdock, music production; and Art Alexakis, songwriting.

Past faculty members at the school include Frank Gambale, Jean Marc Belkadi, Gary Hoey and Jerry Donahue, guitar; Sherman Ferguson, John Robinson, Joe Porcaro, Emil Richards, Italo Lamboglia, drums; Dave Carpenter, Alphonso Johnson, Guy Erez and Bunny Brunel, bass; and Kevyn Lettau, Debi Nova, and Tim "Ripper" Owens, vocal.

Master class instructors have included Peter Bernstein, Dean Brown, and Mike Stern, guitar; Patti Austin and Paulette McWilliams, voice; Janek Gwizdala and Alain Caron, bass.[citation needed] Artists in residence at the school have included Abe Laboriel, bass, and Airto Moreira, drums. Many notable musicians have performed clinics at the school.