George Clark

By Jordan Summers, music mentoring and youth development coordinator for Berklee City Music Boston

At 17 years old, City Music Mentoring Program student George Clark has become an entrepreneur by starting his own self-made record label, of which he is president and CEO. Launched in Boston in 2015, 4th Records is already becoming successful. Only a few months old, the label is already signing artists, licensing beat samples, and recording tracks from its headquarters in Clark's house. 

It all started on long car rides when Clark was a young teenager listening to the same songs on the radio. Tired of the Top 40, he was inspired to write music that suited his tastes. From there he became interested in recording and putting music out into the public. He transformed his room into a recording studio and began making connections with other musicians. "I reached out to a lot of kids at my school to see if they wanted to make music. I let them know that they could use me as an oppportunity to do that," he said. 

Recently, Clark was interviewed by Skylab, a nonprofit organization that provides cultural amenities and event venues for young Boston residents, about his journey as a young entrepreneur. His company is registered as an LLC in Massachusetts and he is in the process of trademarking his brand name and logo.

Clark came to Berklee City Music after a family friend and Berklee alumnus brought him to meet the City Music director. He applied, auditioned, and enrolled during middle school and has been coming back ever since. "I happened to be at the right place at the right time, but I know that not everyone has that opportunity. City Music helped my performance, and the people I've met through the program have given me good advice about college and music in general," he said.

Realizing the impact that City Music has had in his life, Clark hopes to positively affect others by starting a nonprofit organization that gives back to disadvantaged children. For now, he'll just focus on his label and on finishing 11th grade.