Celebrating Womens History Month with Tonya Butler Berklees music business chair talks about the importance of authenticity, the evolution of the media industry, and being a role model.
By
Alicia Taylor Bard
March 9, 2023
Tonya Butler
Image by Kelly Davidson
As a child, Tonya Butler told people she wanted to be an actress, a lawyer, a teacher, and a politician. Not only has she succeeded in doing all those things, but she says theres still a lot more she wants to do. In 2020, Butler became the first woman and person of color to chair Berklees Music Business/Management Department. The accomplished educator and attorney has more than 14 years of expertise as an entertainment attorney and record label executive, as well as 17 years of undergraduate and graduate-level teaching experience.
In celebration of Women's History Month, we caught up with Butler, whos been blazing trails for most of her career.
Your r sum speaks for itself-professor, attorney, motivational speaker, and author. You have been described as hardworking, fierce, and a trailblazer, and anyone who knows you knows that you are always working. What motivates you? It can be difficult to find your passion. We ask young people to identify their passion, but its not always easy to find a line of work that allows you to align with your passion, so for me thats Berklee, it really is. Ive been teaching now going on 18 years, prior to that about 14 years in the law, and it wasnt until I got to Berklee that I felt as if I found the type of work that aligned directly with my passion, which is working with, guiding, advising, and helping to cultivate the careers of musicians. Thats what I love to do, and it doesnt matter how busy I get or how stressed I may get. I always keep my eye on that prize of helping someone to live their dream, which allows me to live my dream.
You made history in 2020 when you became the first woman and person of color to chair the Music Business/Management Department. It is a major accomplishment, but is there a lot of pressure being the first? There's not a lot of pressure when you've always been the first or when youve always been the only. After a while, I hate to say you get used to it. You dont feel as if theres any additional pressure or burden because youve been in the role before, maybe not in that specific job or area, but youve been the first and before. Its not the first time and probably wont be the last time. I've been the only one before so with that said, no pressure whatsoever because I know that I really believe in my authentic self. I like to say to people, I love being me, and it took a long time to get to a point where I could say, I love me some me. I dont feel any strain or any pressure to be anyone other than me, so thats why when people see me they see pretty much the same me all the time.
From music streaming services to the prevalence of social media, the music industry continues to change and evolve. Musicians can now record at a minimal cost thanks to home recording software. Are there challenges to teaching students in this fast-growing industry? Absolutely. Every day is a challenge when youre teaching students, who are creatives at heart, how to think of themselves as a business, and now more than ever before because they can record their music on their own and they can distribute their music on their own. Unfortunately, they dont recognize that there are a whole bunch of other things that go along with that that they also have to do on their own. No longer do the days exist where you could just sign with a major record company and then they would get you a manager and a lawyer and a publicist, and they would do all those things for you; those days dont exist anymore. Even if you did sign with the label, they are expecting you to have to do and continue to do many of those things yourself, and I dont know if that mentality has quite caught up with our students yet. Theres just as much creativity in business as there is in art, which is also very often overlooked by our students. They think, Oh, if Im doing the business end Im not creative. No, you have to be creative to be in business...take what you learned in your art and apply those same skills to your business. Just as committed as you are to the creativity of your art, you should be that way in your business.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is on the rise in the music industry, with composition apps, mastering platforms, song identification tools, and highly personalized playlists. Is AI changing the way music is created and listened to? Yes! And it will continue to change, and after AI there'll be something else, and therell be something after that. One of the things that I always speak to my faculty and my students about is that change is scary, technological changes in particular...they are very hard to predict because it's very hard to determine what the outcome will be. I got into the music business around the same time that Napster was created so I had the opportunity-and Im so grateful for it-to work in the industry for those last few years of its heyday. But then another thing that Im also grateful for is I also had the opportunity to work in the business during those first few years of its decline, and I got to see how fearful people were of this thing called the internet and file sharing and downloading. I got to witness it firsthand, and I also got to see how many of us in the industry either wanted to ignore it or tried to control it. I feel the same way about AI...if we cannot be afraid of it, we need to educate ourselves about it and figure out how we can use it to our advantage, not how we can keep students from using it. And unfortunately, because Im a little old school, I do believe there also has to be some element of monitoring. But it is already here and theyre already us
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
04/05/2024
NEW YORK As the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month kicks off in May, Nielsen has released an extensive new report diving into their media habits with data sh...
04/05/2024
PHILADELPHIA As National Military Appreciation Month gets underway, Comcast has announced several new initiatives to help veterans, service members, and their f...
04/05/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. Federal Communications Commission chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has announced a tentative agenda for the May Open Commission Meeting scheduled...
04/05/2024
The Broadband Forum has announced major enhancements to key 5G convergence standards that the group said will help advance next-generation applications, improve...
04/05/2024
Spotify Wrapped Campaign Spot Graded With DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
Blackmagic Design today announced that Colorist M...
04/05/2024
Three Boston Conservatory at Berklee Alums Nominated for Tony Awards An additional eight alums and two current students performed in nominated productions.
...
03/05/2024
An innovative learning tool to help media and civil society better understand ho...
03/05/2024
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 21: (L-R) Actors K stutis Cic nas and Greta Grinevi i t , Director Marija Kavtaradze and Producer Marija Razgute attend the 2023 Sunda...
03/05/2024
If you aren't familiar with Danny Ocean's music, it's only a matter ...
03/05/2024
Spotify has an unwavering commitment to supporting emerging artists across all genres, to helping them launch and thrive in their careers, and to connecting the...
03/05/2024
Como uno de los sonidos de mayor expansi n en el mundo, la M sica Mexicana va m ...
03/05/2024
As one of the fastest-growing sounds worldwide, M sica Mexicana is more than jus...
03/05/2024
NEW YORK FuboTV reported that it lost 110,000 subs in Q1 2024 but it exceeded its guidance for the quarter with double digit year-over-year increases across key...
03/05/2024
Only 3 Weeks Left To Enter The Creative Industries Most Award
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
Creativepool is giving a last call to the creative i...
03/05/2024
WePlay Studios Transforms the Future of Live Event Storytelling with AJA Gear
Brie Clayton May 3, 2024
0 Comments
By 2032, the esports market is expec...
03/05/2024
WASHINGTON Shannon Bream, Fox News Sunday anchor and chief legal correspondent, sat for a keynote chat at The Business of TV News, with Tom Umstead, senior co...
03/05/2024
WASHINGTON Asked how important is local news, Martha Raddatz, who has covered foreign conflicts for decades and moderated presidential debates for ABC News, s...
03/05/2024
Sony Pictures and Apollo Global Management have made a $26 billion cash offer fo...
03/05/2024
CBS announced its 2024-2025 primetime schedule, which features the new dramas NCIS: Origins, Matlock and Watson, and new comedies Poppa's House and Georgie ...
03/05/2024
Sports-focused streaming service Fubo said it reduced its red ink in the first quarter, despite losing 110,000 subscribers since the end of the year....
03/05/2024
Walmart is reportedly about to release a new 4K streaming box/smart speaker hybrid device for Google TV that could retail for as low as $50, according to a repo...
03/05/2024
Enhancements to its Delivery Workspace solution provide increased content delivery robustness and security
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: May 3, 2024
Enha...
03/05/2024
According to reports, if the bid is successful, Sony would be the significant majority shareholder of the new private company
By Jenny Priestley
Published: M...
03/05/2024
Located in Manchesters Spinningfields district, the course aims to equip students with the skills, knowledge and industry insight for a career in the creative s...
03/05/2024
Lightbridge has created a new Cine Reflect Lighting System kit, dedicated to enabling artistic lighting with consideration of today's productivity practical...
03/05/2024
Broadcast media systems integrator BeckTV and Lawo worked together on a large-scale AES67 build of radio control rooms at KPBS, San Diego's NPR and PBS memb...
03/05/2024
Raleigh, NC, April 12, 2024 SmallHD announces PageOS 6, a powerful software update free for owners of SmallHD monitors, featuring increased functionality, exp...
03/05/2024
SmallHD announces the Quantum 32 a new 31.5 OLED monitor designed to provide reference HDR/SDR images for post-production final color grading, as well as cri...
03/05/2024
By 2032, the esports market is expected to grow to $9.29 billion, bolstered by a global player count and fan following that both continue to climb. The 2023 Lea...
03/05/2024
Amagi, the global leader in cloud-based SaaS technology for broadcast and connected TV (CTV), today announced that the 11th edition of the Amagi Global FAST Rep...
03/05/2024
Riedel Communications today announced that Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) is relying on a media and intercom network based on Riedel technology for the renewal of...
03/05/2024
Broadpeak , a leading provider of content delivery network (CDN) and video streaming solutions for content providers and pay-TV operators worldwide, announced t...
03/05/2024
Media technology innovator Limecraft will exhibit the latest updates to its online platform on stand G79 at the 15-16 May 2024 Media Production & Technology Sho...
03/05/2024
Audio interface specialist Prism Sound is partnering with console manufacturer Solid State Logic, professional monitor manufacturer PMC and acoustic panel and d...
03/05/2024
Intinor, Sweden's leading developer of products and solutions for high-quality video over the internet, is set to join forces with its UK partner Zest Techn...
03/05/2024
NAKIVO Inc., a fast-growing software company dedicated to protecting physical, virtual, cloud, and SaaS environments, announced its Q1 2024 financial results to...
03/05/2024
Hiltron Communications announces an addition to its range of satellite communication products and systems: a field-upgradable motorisation kit specifically desi...
03/05/2024
Visit LiveU at Stand D30
With this year an exceptional one for major sporting events alongside multiple, key elections, the power and flexibility of LiveU'...
03/05/2024
Agile Content, the leader in the development of technology and solutions for the provision of television services over the Internet, announces Koldo Unanue as i...
03/05/2024
Eight co-signers representing streaming services, pay TV operators and public interest groups have sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging their Committee...
03/05/2024
BOSTON Brightcove has announced that it has implemented Amazon Q Business, a new generative AI assistant on Amazon Web Services (AWS)....
03/05/2024
NEW YORK CBS has declared that it will finish the 2023-24 season as Americas Most-Watched Network in primetime for the 16th consecutive season....
03/05/2024
A new survey indicates that U.S. businesses and consumers had an overall positive attitude towards their technology spending plans in the first quarter of 2024,...
03/05/2024
Sony and Apollo Global Management have sent an offer letter to Paramount Global's board of directors making an $26 billion all cash offer for Paramount Glob...
03/05/2024
EMG / Gravity Media has appointed Charlie Cubbon chief operating officer (COO) and Jamie Hindhaugh regional CEO for the U.K., U.S., Australia and the Middle Eas...
03/05/2024
Final 2024 Season Games to Air Saturdays on WRAL at 10:30am in May, Championship on June 1
Taping for the final episodes of the 2024 season of WRAL-TV's Br...
03/05/2024
Estrella MediaCo said it is expanding its connected TV portfolio by launching three new channels with Curiosity that will first appear on Samsung TV Plus....
Celebrating Womens History Month with Tonya Butler Berklees music business chair talks about the importance of authenticity, the evolution of the media industry, and being a role model.
