Jim Lucchese

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 innovation. He began his career as an artist-side music attorney at Greenberg Traurig in New York, where he represented artists on matters ranging from recording and publishing deals to music production and new digital businesses.

In 2007, Lucchese became the CEO of The Echo Nest, a musician-founded company that aimed to improve music discovery. Under Lucchese's leadership, the platform supported over 35,000 independent developers and major music and media companies. In 2014, 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, which supports artists in understanding, growing, engaging, and monetizing their fan bases. Under his leadership, Spotify for Artists reached hundreds of thousands of artists monthly, and the Fans First program generated over $100 million in direct artist revenue from ticket and merchandise sales.

In 2017 and 2018, Lucchese was a fellow at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School, where he focused on artists' rights to terminate exclusive grants of copyright. During this time, he also served as an advisor to music companies Splice, Sofar Sounds, and Superpowered.

In 2019, Lucchese was named the CEO of Sofar Sounds, a global live music community that has curated over 30,000 live performances across 78 countries. Shortly after joining Sofar, Lucchese launched a new artist services division, helping thousands of artists manage their fan relationships, own their fan data, and generate more revenue. During his tenure, Sofar Sounds paid artists over $40 million directly and facilitated an additional $600 million in ticket sales, merchandise, and other offers.

Lucchese holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston College and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University (magna cum laude). He has served on several Berklee advisory committees since 2009, including the Presidential Advisory Council, the Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship Advisory Board, and the Pre-College, Online, and Professional Programs Advisory Committee.

A drummer since high school, Lucchese is an active member of the Boston music scene and often collaborates with Berklee musicians. His relationship with Berklee began in 1989 when he participated in the school’s five-week summer performance program. When he’s not working, Lucchese enjoys spending time with his wife and three kids or sitting behind a drum set trying to figure out what Tony Williams is playing on Miles Davis records.