Ex-Spotify, Sofar Exec Jim Lucchese Named President Berklee College Of Music

BOSTON (Hypebot) — Music tech veteran Jim Lucchese has exited as CEO of Sofar to turn out to be the president of Berklee Faculty of Music. Lucchese based the pioneering music analytics agency Echo Nest, which Spotify acquired in 2014, the place he served as an government.

Lucchese has been President of Sofar since 2019. Centered on serving to artists guide reveals in nontraditional areas, Sofar acquired the ticketing platform Seated in February 2019. The corporate has raised $38 million in funding, with the final spherical in January 2021.

Final yr, one other music tech veteran, Marni Greenberg, exited her position as VP of Communications at Sofar to turn out to be SVP and Head of Communications at SoundCloud.

Lucchese named Berklee’s fifth President

Lucchese is the fifth President of Beklee because it was based in 1945. The college has campuses in Boston, New York, and Valencia, Spain, and intensive award-winning on-line packages.

“It’s an immense honor to turn out to be part of the Berklee group, an establishment meaning a lot to me personally and has been a singularly constructive power for creativity all over the world,” mentioned Jim Lucchese. “I sit up for working with this amazingly gifted and various group—college students, college, workers, alumni, and supporters. I’m wanting to be taught from their experiences and experience throughout such a variety of inventive disciplines, from music schooling, dance, and theater to administration, manufacturing, efficiency, music remedy, and extra.”

“Jim’s appointment marks a transformative second for Berklee. Having labored intently with him, I’ve witnessed firsthand how his curiosity, entrepreneurial mindset, and dedication to artist empowerment have repeatedly positioned him on the forefront of our evolving music business,” mentioned Katie Vitolins BM ’06, head of fan commerce at Amazon Music and Berklee trustee.