Professor Tonya Butler, J.D., LL.M. is Chair of Music Business/Management at Berklee College of Music. She 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 has more than 14 years of expertise as an entertainment attorney and record label executive, as well as 16 years of experience running music business programs and teaching classes in entertainment law. She has a Juris Doctorate from California Western School of Law and a Master of Laws in Entertainment and Media from Southwestern University School of Law, with an international component from Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, England.
Professor Butler is an award-winning motivational speaker, Toastmaster and author of the self-published career guide, “The Music Business is Corrupt or Maybe You Just Can’t Sing?”, a book about how to take responsibility for your struggling career. She also hosts a bi-weekly podcast called the B.O.M.B. (Business of Music Bootcamp) Podcast, which highlights the business and legal aspects of the music industry using high-profile cases and celebrity disputes.
