Berklee Honors Tina Davis, President of EMPIRE, at Annual Music Business Lecture Series The leader of one of the most successful independent record labels shared insights at the 31st annual James G. Zafris Lecture Series.
By
Kelly Wong
December 12, 2024
Tina Davis, president of the independent distributor, record label, and publisher EMPIRE and Tonya Butler, chair of Berklees Music Business/Management Department.
Image courtesy of Music Business/Management
Berklee's Music Business/Management Department commemorated the 31st annual James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture series on November 14 by honoring Tina Davis, president of the independent distributor, record label, and publisher EMPIRE, for her sustained success in an extremely competitive and traditionally male-dominated industry.
Moderated by Music Business/Management Department Chair Tonya Butler, the conversation offered students a professional's insight on relationship-building, perseverance, and how to build a lasting career in music as an A&R executive.
Davis described how she began her career under the mentorship of LaRonda Sutton, who kept her promise by firing Davis after only one year of employment, a move meant to encourage her growth and expand her opportunities in the industry. This unexpected turn of events led to a position at Def Jam Recordings, where her people skills, work ethic, and talent-spotting prowess earned significant recognition throughout both the company and the music business. Following her departure from Def Jam, Davis was approached by Grammy Award-winning artist Chris Brown to take on the role of his manager. Though initially reluctant, his persistence won her over. How could I say no to Chris Brown? she reflected. He's undeniably the next Michael Jackson.
Davis continued to uplift and encourage the Berklee students by urging them to approach setbacks, such as being fired, as opportunities for growth and redirection. Challenges can be stepping stones to something greater, said Davis, who took multiple questions from more than a dozen students that lined up to seek her advice.
After the interview, students showcased their original music in a live A&R listening session, hosted by Chris Wares, assistant chair of Music Business/Management. Joined by Latoya Lee, the Berklee Career Center's director of industry relations, the EMPIRE president critiqued and offered feedback on the strength and viability of the student's submissions. Rarely do up-and-coming artists get the chance to hear from a genuine record label president and A&R icon like Tina Davis, said Butler. The students were both honored and grateful that she took the time to listen to their music and share her honest opinion of their work. This turned out to be one of our most inspiring Zafris events to-date.
About the Zafris Lecture Series The 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 Andreea Gleeson, CEO of Tunecore; David Israelite, president and CEO of the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA); Jon Platt, chairman and CEO of Sony Music Publishing; Dina Lapolt, renowned entertainment attorney; Jeff Harleston, general counsel and executive vice president of business and legal affairs at Universal Music Group, and many more.
Related Categories
News
Most Popular
Rihanna sings during the Concert for Valor in Washington, DC, November 11, 2014.
Image by EJ Hersom / CC-BY-2.0
This Rihanna Song Has Secret' '80s Easter Eggs The SOS songwriter revealed a nostalgic twist to the lyrics, and it's going viral on TikTok.
Latest
Berklee concert at the Gnaoua and World Music Festival on June 29, 2024, in Essaouira, Morocco.
Image by Zakaria Latouri
Berklee at the Gnaoua and World Music Festival Returns for Its Second Year The Berklee on the Road program will be held June 16-21, 2025, in Morocco.
Students performing at Berklee at Umbria Jazz Clinics in Perugia, Italy, in July 2024.
Image courtesy of Berklee Global
Berklee at Umbria Jazz Clinics to Celebrate 40th Anniversary in July 2025 Applications for the 2025 edition will open December 17, 2024.
Alissia Benveniste BM '14
Grammy-Nominated Producer Alissia Benveniste Makes Magic, Inside and Outside the Studio Since graduating a decade ago, bassist Benveniste has been exploring collaborations with legends and forging new creative connections.
Read All
Subscribe The latest sounds, stories, and ideas, sent to your inbox weekly.
Most recent headlines
23/01/2025
NEW YORK The Media Rating Council (MRC) has completed its accreditation process covering Nielsen's Big Data + Panel National TV measurement, making it the f...
23/01/2025
BALTIMORE, Md. Sinclair Inc. has announced 16 promotions across the country, including 11 in the Television Group....
23/01/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. At a White House briefing, President Donald Trump has announced the Stargate Project, a new private company that aims to invest $500 billion ov...
23/01/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. The broadcast standards group ATSC has announced that John I. Taylor of LG Electronics USA has been elected 2025 Chairman of the ATSC Board of ...
23/01/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. The FCC's Enforcement Bureau has reinstated complaints against two stations, Paramount Global's WCBS in New York and Disney's WPVI ...
23/01/2025
Adobe delivers new innovations and AI tools for video pros and invests $6 millio...
23/01/2025
Adobe introduces major new updates in Premiere Pro (beta), After Effects (beta),...
23/01/2025
Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF Added to Netflix Approved Camera List
Brie Clayton January 22, 2025
0 Comments
Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF meets strict qu...
23/01/2025
Spring Signature Series Presents Kendrick Scott Berklee Ensemble The acclaimed percussionist has toured and collaborated with jazz legends Herbie Hancock and ...
23/01/2025
Fresh Voices, Fresh Energy and Fresh Sounds: 2FM Announces Brand New Daytime and...
23/01/2025
Samantha Mumba and EMMY announced as next hopefuls bidding to represent Ireland at Eurovision 2025
First listen and interview on today's Ray D'Arcy Sho...
23/01/2025
GeForce NOW is expanding mod support for hit game Baldur's Gate 3 in collaboration with Larian Studios and mod.io for Ultimate and Performance members.
Thi...
22/01/2025
Personalized listening is key to unlocking your perfect soundtrack for 2025. It's about more than just hearing your favorites, and at Spotify, we want to he...
22/01/2025
The boys are back! Smash-hit series Rogue Heroes returns for an adrenaline-fuell...
22/01/2025
In our latest blog, Tim Pearson reflects on CES 2025, the latest trends, and the key conversations held with visitors to the NAGRAVISION booth.
Connect the wor...
22/01/2025
December is the perfect month for spending time together in front of the TV, with the winter weather and festive period combining to create the ideal conditions...
22/01/2025
NEW YORK - January 21, 2025 - An estimated 24.6 million viewers tuned in on Mond...
22/01/2025
RENO, Nev. PBS Reno and Sinclair Broadcast Group have launched KNPB-VC, a new virtual ATSC 3.0 channel, broadcasting on virtual channel 5-11....
22/01/2025
TASCAM, renowned for its versatile and adaptable audio solutions, announced the availability of the new IF-ST2110 Expansion card for its TASCAM Sonicview 16XP/2...
22/01/2025
Cobalt Digital, the leading designer and manufacturer of award-winning signal processing products, and a founding partner in the openGear initiative has reveal...
22/01/2025
Featuring IP connectivity, the cameras aim to provide an end-to-end solution for on-location filming, production and distribution
By Matthew Corrigan
Publish...
22/01/2025
ISE 2025: Technology Convergence is now free to access ahead of ISE 2025, and is jam-packed with features, interviews and product news
By Jenny Priestley
Pub...
22/01/2025
Ateliere Creative Technologies, a leading GenAI media software solutions company, today announced the appointment of Michael Sid as Strategic Business Accelerat...
22/01/2025
Hiltron Communications reports its 45th year of success. Based near Stuttgart, the company is a globally active systems integrator, manufacturer and distributor...
22/01/2025
WestCom Broadcast Services GmbH, renowned for producing German news show SAT.1 NRW, has made a forward-looking investment in its production infrastructure with ...
22/01/2025
Test & measurement innovator, Leader Electronics of Europe, has announced that BBright, a prominent provider of cutting-edge media and broadcast solutions, has ...
22/01/2025
Cubbit, the first geo-distributed cloud storage enabler, today announced that ASL CN1 Cuneo, a North Italian healthcare public service organisation, has reduced...
22/01/2025
Aiming to create more flexibility, encourage growth, and future-proof its infrastructure, Radio Botswana has upgraded its 60-year-old analogue system to IP with...
22/01/2025
Riedel Communications today announced that the Grande Halle de la Villette (EPPGHV) in Paris has deployed Riedel's state-of-the-art intercom and signal dist...
22/01/2025
Guntermann & Drunck GmbH (G&D), a leading provider of high-performance KVM solutions, is pleased to welcome VuWall as a new member of Naxicap's portfolio of...
22/01/2025
FREMONT, Calif. Blackmagic Design has announced that its URSA Cine 12K LF digital film camera was recently added to the Netflix Approved Camera List....
22/01/2025
Bain Capitals Kantar Group has announced it plans to sell the media measurement and analytics firm Kantar Media for about $1 billion to H.I.G. Capital, a major ...
22/01/2025
ATLANTA The Cleveland Cavaliers, Rock Entertainment Sports Network, Gray Media, and FanDuel Sports Network have announced an agreement will simulcast five upcom...
22/01/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. In one of his first notable acts as the head of the Federal Communications Commission, FCC chair Brendan Carr has announced that he is ending ...
22/01/2025
Netflix stock jumped in after hours trading after announcing Q4 results that easily beat Wall Street expectations for sub counts, revenue and profits as it adde...
22/01/2025
Companies and organizations are increasingly using AI to protect their customers and thwart the efforts of fraudsters around the world.
Voice security company ...
22/01/2025
We are thrilled to present the premiere of new music by Viennese composer and keyboardist, Gerald Peter. Known for his innovative and highly creative style, Ger...
22/01/2025
Miami Heat's Kurt Doster on the Immediate Impact of Their New Control Room, ...
22/01/2025
The Shared Fan Experience: How Cosm's Immersive Venues Change What It Means ...
22/01/2025
EMG/Gravity Media U.S. Names Carston Bell Specialist Systems Manager He is an expert in RF-transmission technology and specialty cameras By Ken Kerschbaumer, E...
22/01/2025
Larger-Than-Life Live Viewing: How Sports Is Re-Imagining the Location-Based Exp...
22/01/2025
Is Your Corporation Looking to Support Victims of L.A. Fires? Donate to Sports B...
22/01/2025
Adirondack Bank Center Is First North American Venue To Install Permanent Digita...
22/01/2025
Official trailer revealed for Chris O'Dowd's Small Town, Big Story, a ve...
22/01/2025
Strap yourself in: Production begins on the farewell series of critically acclai...
22/01/2025
Wuppertal January 22, 2025
Grande Halle de la Villette Transforms Event Production With Riedel SolutionsRiedel Communications today announced that the Grande ...
22/01/2025
Thursday January 23
Cinema Palace / 85 Boulevard Anspach, 1000 Brussels
Brought to you by FilmLight & Sondr
6:00pm / Doors open
6:30pm / Presentations follo...
22/01/2025
Friday February 7, 11am
Parc Floral de Paris
Register for Micro Salon
Rencontre cr ative : Dans les coulisses de Saint-Ex
FilmLight sera au Micro Salon Pa...
22/01/2025
Comscore Appoints Industry Change-Maker Frank Friedman to Lead Next Era of Measu...
Berklee Honors Tina Davis, President of EMPIRE, at Annual Music Business Lecture Series The leader of one of the most successful independent record labels shared insights at the 31st annual James G. Zafris Lecture Series.
