Andre Howard (Music Industry Vet, Filmmaker)

Andre Howard has built a career as an innovator and disruptor in the music industry for two plus decades. He dropped a ton of knowledge in this interview about being relentless, pushing through innovation, how artists need to connect with fans in 2023, and why being an adjunct professor of music business at NYU has him so excited about what the next generation of music business professionals are going to accomplish. Hope you enjoy it!

 

Andre Howard

Andre Howard kick started his career at Def Jam's A&R department before moving into artist management with Family Tree Entertainment and Violator, collaborating with notable figures like Fantasia, Missy Elliott, Pharoahe Monch, and Busta Rhymes. He founded his own agency, The Media Music Inc., focusing on aiding artist management and marketing teams. This phase saw collaborations with Shady/Aftermath, Reebok/RBK, ESPN Games, HBO, seeking product placements, sync/licensing opportunities, and music production and distribution.

 

After rejoining Universal Music, he ventured into eCommerce and artist management. He later moved to Republic Records, making a substantial impact as an in-house Metadata Manager, notably contributing to Jack Johnson's innovative "From Here To Now To You" visual album as well as The Weeknd’s “Kiss Land”, Drake, Lil Wayne and other projects.

 

During his time at eOne/MNRK Music, Andre spearheaded digital and commerce initiatives across diverse projects. Notably, he played a pivotal role in the success of Brandy's "b7," which secured the top spot on Billboard's Indie charts. Additionally, he led the global re-release of Dr. Dre's groundbreaking album "The Chronic" on digital streaming platforms, successfully launched on April 20th, 2021.

 

At Warner/ADA, he managed commercial endeavors for artists such as Central Cee ("Doja" - platinum single), YoungBoy Never Broke Again ("From The Bayou" - Gold album / "Blackball" - Platinum single), Bonnie Raitt, Papa Roach, Sada Baby, Dylan Conrique, and Saint JHN ("Roses" - 3x platinum single), among others.

 

Currently the Head of Commerce at UnitedMasters, Andre guides partner artists in shaping their commerce narratives, driving fan acquisition, engagement, and streaming. He collaborates closely with UnitedMasters' Brand, Sync, and Product teams to establish the company as a leader in pop culture.

 

In addition, Andre serves as an Adjunct Professor at NYU's Tisch School of Arts and The Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. He was also recognized as one of Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players in 2021.

 

Follow Dre Online:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drehoward/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/drehow

And check out the trailer for "Risk Takers",  his upcoming documentary on the business of Hip Hop - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XvQ9q0u59Y

 

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Episode Hosted by Rich Nardo

Intro contains music from the track "Plan A" by Dmytro Somov as provided through motionarray.com.