MUSIC BUSINESS HUMAN

Professor Tonya Butler, J.D., LL.M., is the Chair of the Music Business/Management Department at Berklee College of Music. She is the first woman and the first person of color to lead the department in its 30-year history. A seasoned veteran of the music industry, Professor Butler brings over 14 years of experience as an entertainment attorney and record label executive, along with two decades of developing and managing music business programs at colleges and universities across the country. She holds a Juris Doctorate from California Western School of Law and a Master of Laws in Entertainment and Media from Southwestern School of Law, which included an international component at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, England.

In addition to her academic and professional accomplishments, Professor Butler is an award-winning Toastmaster and the author of the self-published career guide The Music Business is Corrupt or Maybe You Just Can’t Sing?, a candid exploration of taking personal responsibility for a struggling music career. She also hosts the B.O.M.B. (Business of Music Bootcamp) Podcast, a weekly show that uses real-life celebrity disputes and high-profile cases to equip musicians, artists, songwriters, and producers with essential business and legal knowledge to protect themselves and their work.