DataGeek Series: The Music Business System is Designed to Keep Artists in Debt with Andrae Alexander

In this episode, we take a systems look at the music industry and how it sets up artists and composers to be in constant debt through the lack of fair and transparent contracts and the restrictions in regulations and contract terms. We envision a music industry where artists and composers are more informed about their contracts, their rights, and their fans. 

Andrae is a Grammy-Nominated musician and professor who moved to Los Angeles in 2009 from Maryland and is a faculty member at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music in the Music Industry Department, and is completing a PhD. in Leadership Studies . He is also a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and the United States Navy Band of Washington, D.C. He is also an Amazon best-selling author of the book, Build Your Music Career from Scratch, which is in its second edition, and has multiple Billboard #1s. An internationally traveled musician and clinician on the subjects of Music Business, Music for Film and Television, and Music Production, Andrae has been to over 40 countries.  Andrae holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music, a Master of Arts in Music Industry Administration. Andrae is currently a voting member of the Recording Academy, member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, a Songwriters of North America board member, a co-founder of the Songrise NFT Platform

As a musician, composer, and consultant, Andrae has worked on projects such as Empire, Detroit the movie, and The Birth of a Nation soundtrack. Some of the artists he has worked with include NeYo, BlackBear, George Drakoulias, Swae Lee, Mellissa Ethridge, Allee Willis, Meek Mills, Pusha-T, Kanye West, Jesse J., Rodney Jerkins, Lamont Dozier, No I.D. and more. Before teaching at USC, Andrae taught courses on Music Business, Music Production for Media, and Music Composition and Programming at the Los Angeles Film School in Hollywood.

Get in touch with Andrae: 

• Musicindustryencyclopedia.com  
• instagram.com/andraealexander
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamandraealexander/
• Songrise.io

Resources mentioned on the show:

Organizations: 

• Songwriters of North America - https://www.wearesona.com/

Articles:

• Music Publishing in the US $6.4 Billion
• Major Label Music Production in the US $9b
• Only 2% on Spotify make over 1000 dollars a year, 
• 870 artists make $1m
• 229 streams of Spotify to get $1
• 3 major labels. Warner, Sony, Universal - https://www.liveabout.com/top-major-pop-record-labels-3246997
• Discrimination of Black artists