Keynote Q&A: Tina Davis, president EMPIRE

Speaker: Tina Davis (President, EMPIRE)

What should a truly global music industry look like for all involved? And how can the industry help to support and strenghten the position of artists and creatives worldwide? Accomplished record label executive Tina Davis is at the forefront of change in the modern music industry. As president of EMPIRE, she helms over a business model that disrupted the traditional industry approach towards distribution, advocating for artists to obtain master rights and strengthening their position – a unique approach attracting a range of artists over the past years, from Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg and Migos to Larry June and Babyface Ray. EMPIRE also has a dedicated and successful global approach, with labels EMPIRE Latino and EMPIRE Africa gaining huge momentum in the past years. Tina Davis spearheaded the rise of EMPIRE Africa to become one of the premier forces in the genre, attracting major Nigerian talent like Olamide, Asake and Fireboy DML. Tina Davis has decades of unique experience breaking generational Hip-Hop and R&B talent, overseeing the careers of major stars including DMX, Method Man, Ne-Yo and Montell Jordan for Def Jam, and discovering a young Chris Brown. As a woman executive in a male-dominated industry, she often had to fight for her vision among skepticism and push backs. She serves as a dedicated mentor to women aspiring or starting out in the music industry.