Office of the President

Jim Lucchese, President

Jim Lucchese joined Berklee on January 1, 2025, as the institution's fifth president. Lucchese is a pioneering music industry executive who came to Berklee with over two decades of experience in artist advocacy and service innovation. Prior to joining Berklee, Lucchese was the CEO of Sofar Sounds, a global live music community that has curated over 30,000 live performances across 78 countries. Under his leadership, Sofar Sounds expanded its mission to connect artists and audiences through unique live music experiences, hosting performances in non-traditional spaces across 400 cities in 78 countries. Lucchese previously served as CEO of The Echo Nest, a musician-founded company that aimed to improve music discovery. After The Echo Nest was acquired by Spotify, Lucchese served as the founding global head of the Creator team, now known as Spotify for Artists. During his tenure, Spotify for Artists reached hundreds of thousands of artists monthly, and the Fans First program generated direct revenue from ticket and merchandise sales. Read his full bio.