BOSTON (Hypebot) — Music tech veteran Jim Lucchese has exited as CEO of Sofar to become the president of Berklee College of Music. Lucchese founded the pioneering music analytics firm Echo Nest, which Spotify acquired in 2014, where he served as an executive.
Lucchese has been President of Sofar since 2019. Focused on helping artists book shows in nontraditional spaces, Sofar acquired the ticketing platform Seated in February 2019. The company has raised $38 million in funding, with the last round in January 2021.
Last year, another music tech veteran, Marni Greenberg, exited her role as VP of Communications at Sofar to become SVP and Head of Communications at SoundCloud.
Lucchese named Berklee’s 5th President
Lucchese is the fifth President of Beklee since it was founded in 1945. The university has campuses in Boston, New York, and Valencia, Spain, and extensive award-winning online programs.
“It is an immense honor to become a part of the Berklee community, an institution that means so much to me personally and has been a singularly positive force for creativity around the world,” said Jim Lucchese. “I look forward to working with this amazingly talented and diverse community—students, faculty, staff, alumni, and supporters. I am eager to learn from their experiences and expertise across such a wide range of creative disciplines, from music education, dance, and theater to management, production, performance, music therapy, and more.”
“Jim’s appointment marks a transformative moment for Berklee. Having worked closely with him, I’ve witnessed firsthand how his curiosity, entrepreneurial mindset, and dedication to artist empowerment have continuously positioned him at the forefront of our evolving music industry,” said Katie Vitolins BM ’06, head of fan commerce at Amazon Music and Berklee trustee.
