
Berklee Honors TuneCore CEO at Annual Music Business Lecture Andreea Gleeson was the featured guest at the 30th Annual James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture Series.
By
Callista Chan and Kelly Wong
November 28, 2023
From left: Andreea Gleeson, Tonya Butler, Hayley Roets
Image by Sam French
Berklee's Music Business/Management Department commemorated the 30th annual James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture series with guest speaker Andreea Gleeson, chief executive officer at TuneCore, the leading development partner for artists who self-release their music, owned by digital music company Believe. As this year's honoree, Gleeson was recognized for her outstanding contribution to music business education.
Gleeson joined TuneCore in 2015 as a member of the company's senior leadership team and has made significant contributions to the growth of TuneCore, first as chief marketing officer and then as chief revenue officer before taking over as CEO in 2021. For nearly a decade, she has played a pivotal role in propelling the company's substantial growth. Under her guidance, TuneCore has established itself as one of the most dynamic and innovative companies in the independent music space.
Besides having a phenomenally strong, smart, passionate, and may I say fashionable CEO in Andreea Gleeson, what impressed me the most about TuneCore is that they are artist-centric, said Tonya Butler, chair of the Music Business/Management Department. Their initiative to help artists produce better music is a sign that they seek to promote not just any music, but good music. TuneCore cares about the craft, which perfectly aligns them with our mission at Berklee.
Tonya Butler (left) presents Andreea Gleeson (right) with a plaque commemorating this falls lecture series.
Image by Christopher Wares
In a conversation between Gleeson and Butler, Gleeson spoke to students about her pathway to success in the music industry and her experience working to develop the global platform. She also shared her insights on a range of topics, from creating value for independent artists to AI's role in the industry, and how TuneCore is investing in artists in order to help them grow at scale in today's digital world.
Gleeson commented, I am so honored to have been able to speak to the brilliant students at Berklee College of Music as part of the James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture series, joining an exclusive list of honorees that includes many music industry executives I admire. It was inspiring to join Professor Butler on campus and be able to interact directly with the next generation of artists and executives that will continue to push our industry forward.
Following the interview, TuneCore presented a session titled Master Class for the Self-Releasing Musician, led by Hayley Roets, manager of artist and partner relations at TuneCore, where she covered the key assets that artists need to distribute their music, as well as the required steps before and after the artists' release goes to digital service providers.
About the Zafris Lecture SeriesThe James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture Series for Music Business/Management is Berklee's first endowed visiting lecture series, established by the Board of Trustees in 1992 and named after James G. Zafris, a longtime chair of the board and one of its founding members. Past Zafris lecturers have included Jon Platt, chairman and CEO of Sony Music Publishing; Bruce Lundvall, president and CEO of Blue Note Label Group; Hilary Rosen, then-president of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA); Dina Lapolt, a renowned entertainment attorney; and Jeff Harleston, general counsel and executive vice president of business and legal affairs at Universal Music Group.
Related Categories
News
Most Popular
Elena Pinderhughes
Image courtesy of the artist
Berklee Announces 2023 Fall Signature Series Lineup This years series will feature Elena Pinderhughes, Braxton Cook, Pavel N ez, and the Pletenitsa Balkan Choir, as well as a career-spanning tribute to Madonna.
Latest
Andrea Recalde
Image by Raisa Akhtar
Student Spotlight: Andrea Recalde The vocalist from Quito, Ecuador, talks about songwriting across language barriers, taking inspiration from family, and rediscovering dad-rock.
Terri Lyne Carrington Receives Luise Vosgerchian Teaching Award from Harvard Carrington was honored with the award at a ceremony from Harvard's Office for the Arts, in partnership with the Harvard University Department of Music, on November 27.
Berklee Artists Collaborate on Song for Grammy-Nominated Album Marianna Matyja and V ctor Badillo B.M. '22 contributed to Lupita Infante's Amor Como En Las Pel culas De Antes, which is up for Best M sica Mexicana Album.
Read All
Subscribe The latest sounds, stories, and ideas, sent to your inbox weekly.
More from Berklee
29/10/2026
Boston Conservatory Center Stage Presents Opera Masterpiece La Boh me The Conservatory's production of the timeless opera will conclude the fall Center St...
23/10/2026
Berklee Welcomes Marcus Gilmore for Signature Series Performance The two-time Grammy Award-winning drummer, composer, producer, and bandleader will also lead ...
23/10/2026
Season 30 of The Voice Features a Record Number of Berklee Alumni Learn more about Dakota Cohen, Brandon Diaz, Nina Howland, and Zalissa Stewart, plus how the...
20/10/2026
Boston Conservatory Center Stage Presents Romantic Musical Comedy She Loves Me Conservatory musical theater students will perform the charming production, set...
20/10/2026
Rachel McFarlanes American Dialogue Premieres at Carnegie Hall The alum composer and violinists commissioned work is part of Sphinx Virtuosis nationwide tour ...
17/10/2026
Danilo P rez Premieres New Work Honoring Architect Frank Gehry Commissioned by the Herbie Hancock Institute, P rez performed The Ever-Changing World at its In...
16/10/2026
Boston Conservatory Wind Ensemble Presents America at 250 The free event, taking place at Samuel Adams Park at Faneuil Hall, features a program of inspiring A...
16/10/2026
Next Jazz Legacy Celebrates Five Years of Mentorship and Impact Across the Jazz ...
15/10/2026
Berklee Asia Rising Brings Asian and Asian American Music to Signature Series The November 3 concert spotlights student creators and a growing program connect...
07/10/2026
Behind the Scenes at Berklee Homecoming 2026 Follow Marley Striem BM '25 behind the scenes as she manages a team of students and liaises with artists duri...
07/10/2026
Berklee College of Music and Berklee Valencia Named to Billboards 2026 List of T...
06/10/2026
Boston Conservatory Artists Turn Chairs on The Voice Watch Lexi Stephens (BFA 25) and Marcus Ladden Jr. (BFA 30) wow the celebrity coaches during their blind au...
01/10/2026
Berklee and APM Music Launch Global Catalog Bringing Student-Created Music to Fi...
29/09/2026
Berklee Alumni and Faculty Nominated for the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards A total of 30 Berklee alumni and faculty earned nominations across 21 categories this ye...
29/09/2026
Berklee's K-Pop & Beyond Explores Connections Between K-Pop and Hip-Hop Now in its fifth year, the series brings together artists, industry leaders, and s...
23/09/2026
Berklee Connect Unlocks the Power of a Global Network Katie Vitolins BM '04 knows firsthand what Berklee's alumni community can make possible. Now she...
22/09/2026
Berklee's First Homecoming Block Party Brings Alumni Home for Global Music F...
18/09/2026
Berklee Establishes Susan Tedeschi Scholarship in Honor of Grammy-Winning Alumna The scholarship is announced as Tedeschi returns to headline the Berklee Bloc...
15/09/2026
Six Berklee Alumni Win at 2026 Emmy Awards The recipients were recognized for their contributions to Widow's Bay, South Park, and Bad Bunny's Super Bo...
15/09/2026
Brandon Woody Joins Berklee Student Ensemble for Signature Series Concert The acclaimed trumpeter, composer, and bandleader will lead a Berklee student ensemb...
12/09/2026
Berklee Students Develop New Ideas for Live Entertainment and Travel in London This summer, a group of music business students collaborated with Heathrow, Bri...
10/09/2026
Three Boston Conservatory Dance Alums Honored for Their Early-Career Promise India Hobbs and Demetrius Lee received Princess Grace Awards, while Lilly David t...
10/09/2026
MonoNeon Returns to Berklee to Kick Off Signature Series The Grammy-winning bassist and alumnus performs with students and faculty from the Planet MicroJam In...
04/09/2026
Berklee Announces Winners of 2026 SongwritersdB Songwriting Contest Students Luca Alexandru, Annika Wild, and Johanna James received the top prizes for origin...
31/08/2026
Homecoming Artist Spotlight: Susan Tedeschi The Grammy-winning singer and guitarist talks about finding her voice at Berklee ahead of her Homecoming performan...
29/08/2026
Berklee Announces Fall 2026 Signature Series This years concerts feature MonoNeon, Brandon Woody, Marcus Gilmore, and Caroline Davis, alongside Berklee Asia R...
25/08/2026
Two Cultures. Millions Reached. One Berklee Connection. Meet Annie Dickinson and Zhengxi Zhang-the couple who turned their creative partnership into music car...
22/08/2026
Homecoming Artist Spotlight: Dogs in a Pile The rising jam band talks about where it all started on the Berklee campus ahead of their Homecoming performance o...
22/08/2026
Berklee Alumna Lexi Vollero MA '22 Receives Fulbright Award to Brazil Vollero, a Berklee NYC graduate, has been selected for a Fulbright Open Research Awa...
14/08/2026
Stacked with Boston Conservatory Talent, Shakespeare on the Common Celebrates It...
12/08/2026
Berklee Announces Full Details for Inaugural Block Party, a Music Festival Next ...
11/08/2026
Homecoming Artist Spotlight: Fabiola M ndez The first cuatrista to graduate from Berklee talks about the community that shaped her career ahead of her Homecom...
07/08/2026
Berklee City Music Presents Nine Scholarships and Awards at Annual Concert Student recipients from seven states and Canada received scholarships, housing awar...
04/08/2026
Homecoming Artist Spotlight: Dreion The singer, songwriter, and producer talks about finding his village at Berklee ahead of his Homecoming performance on Sep...
03/08/2026
How Agua Tinta's Class Project Launched Her Songwriting Career Two years after graduating from Berklee, the songwriter has a Latin Grammy nomination, a So...
29/07/2026
Isabeau Miller Named Chair of Berklee Songwriting Department The Berklee alumna, who previously served on the Songwriting faculty, will begin her new role on ...
28/07/2026
How Rick Aggeler Built a Music Community for Boston Teens As a Berklee student, Rick Aggeler helped create the first music clubhouse at the Boys & Girls Clubs...
25/07/2026
Time to Act: Bringing a New Opera to Life Boston Conservatory at Berklee vocal arts students played a vital role in shaping the opera's creative developme...
25/07/2026
Beyond the Score For Dean of Music Kevin Haden, the boundless possibilities of classical music begin with process.
July 24, 2026
By
Kevin Haden
Michelle ...
25/07/2026
Reading the Room As music director of two major orchestras, conductor Jonathon Heyward aims to make the concert hall a space for everyone.
July 24, 2026
By
...
22/07/2026
From Class to Concert: Explore a Student-Led Production of David Bowies Work Thr...
11/07/2026
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Awards Grants to Five Alumni, Supporting Work in ...
11/07/2026
Berklee Alumni and Faculty Recognized with 2026 Emmy Nominations The 26 nominees include Trey Parker (South Park) and seven-time Emmy winner Pablo Mungu a of ...
07/07/2026
Berklee Valencia Honors Eric Whitacre at the 2026 Commencement Ceremony The Grammy-winning composer was celebrated alongside this years cohort of masters degr...
07/07/2026
Berklee College of Music Alum and Faculty Perform at Boston Public Library's...
06/07/2026
How Adam Rosenwach Pivoted from Music to Medtech Without Missing a Beat What do the rehearsal room and the boardroom have in common? More than you might think...
03/07/2026
Berklee's New Visual Identity: Honoring Our History, Building for What's...
02/07/2026
Berklee Alum and Faculty Perform at Boston Public Library's 250th Anniversar...
02/07/2026
Boston Conservatory's Soir e Breaks Records to Fund Student Scholarships The event achieved 127 percent of its fundraising goal in an evening celebrating ...
02/07/2026
How Adam Rosenwach Pivoted from Music to Med Tech Without Missing a Beat What do the rehearsal room and the boardroom have in common? More than you might thin...