Berklee's Music Business/Management Hosts Inaugural TEDx Event

Berklee's Music Business/Management Hosts Inaugural TEDx Event Molly Neuman, President of CD Baby, and William Tenney, founder of SunPop, were the special guest speakers.

By

Colette Greenstein

December 11, 2024

Berklee and Boston Conservatory at Berklee faculty, staff and students along with special guest speakers Molly Neuman and William Tenney attend Berklees inaugural TEDx Event which was held at David Friend Recital Hall on Saturday, November 16, 2024.

Image courtesy of Music Business/Management

The Music Business/Management Department at Berklee College of Music hosted the Boston campus's first-ever TEDx event TEDxBerkleeBoston on Saturday, November 16 with special music industry guest speakers Molly Neuman and William Tenney.

Neuman is an artist and music industry veteran who has spent nearly three decades empowering independent artists in all facets of their careers. The four-time Billboard Women In Music honoree and Music Weeks International Woman of the Year continues that mission as president of CD Baby, where she leads strategy and management of Downtown Music Holding's self-service music distribution platform serving millions of independent artists daily. Prior to this, Neuman was CMO of Downtown and president of Songtrust (a subsidiary of Downtown), overseeing more than three million copyrights from over 350,000 writers in 145 countries.

Tenney is a music industry executive, entrepreneur, and multi-instrumentalist who was named a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree in 2022. He is the managing partner at SunPop, the New York-based record label and management company he founded, overseeing artists such as Quarters of Change (Warner Music Group) and PTS! (Epitaph). SunPop has independently sold over one million records with artists such as Sara Bareilles, Lizzy McAlpine 20, Stephen Dawes, and more.

The event also featured talks from members of the Berklee community:

Dr. Lenora Helms-Hammond, dean, Professional Education Division

Dan Callaway, assistant professor of voice, Boston Conservatory at Berklee

Isabeau Miller, assistant professor of songwriting and music business/management

Dana James, associate director of alumni affairs in Los Angeles

Zachary Lucia, assistant director of systems and engagement, Alumni Affairs

Amal Irgashev, eighth semester student majoring in music production and engineering

Anu Mendsaikhan, sixth semester student majoring in music business/management

Tyson Velazquez, fifth semester student majoring in Black music and culture

Each speaker's talk focused around the event's theme, Bridge, a symbol that invites reflection on how we connect with others, build new opportunities, and overcome challenges.

Event organizers Duda Barreto and Lyla Jospa, two music business/management majors who left no stone unturned in curating the talks and selecting the speakers, made sure that their event was a testament to the spirit of TED's mission: ideas worth spreading, said Tonya Butler, chair of the Music Business/Management Department and faculty advisor for TEDxBerkleeBoston. Their ideas, hard work, and dedication shone a light on these voices at Berklee. I couldn't be more proud.

TEDxBerkleeBoston was recorded for broadcast on the TEDx YouTube channel and website.

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