Berry Gordy blazed a trail through the music industry. The music he produced at Motown Records were not just a string of top hits and records, but the soundtrack for generation of Americans. His generous $5 million gift to establish the UCLA Berry Gordy Music Industry Center in The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music will help inspire the next generation of trendsetters and changemakers in the industry.
The Berry Gordy
Music Industry Center
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Universal Music Group and The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music Establish the Berry Gordy Music Industry Scholarship to Honor the Legacy of a Music Pioneer
The endowed scholarship builds on UMG’s Sounds of the Future initiative and The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of music industry leaders LOS
A Message from the Inaugural Dean
“This center will position The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music to become the leading music industry program in the world. It will help empower us to recruit and attract the best faculty and students, and to conduct research in cutting-edge fields. Thanks to Mr. Gordy’s gift our program will be the leading force in shaping the twenty-first century music industry.”
– Inaugural Dean, EILEEN L. STREMPEL
Meet the Director
Professor and Chair – Music Industry, Professor - Musicology And Humanities (History and Analysis of Popular Music, Internships And Industry Partnerships)
Robert Fink Robert Fink is Professor of Musicology and Music Industry, and the director of the Berry Gordy Music Industry Center. Trained as a music theorist and musicologist, his primary areas of interest include musical analysis, avant-garde and minimal music, popular music...
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Music Industry Forum:
What Made Motown Hitsville U.S.A.
What Made Motown Hitsville U.S.A.
Berry Gordy was a champion of talent, embracing it in all its forms. Three executives he mentored—Brenda Boyce, director of creative services at Motown Records; Carol Perrin, CEO of Berry Gordy Enterprises; and Suzanne de Passe, president of Motown Productions and a 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee—participated in a panel discussion on how Gordy fostered a powerful culture of inclusive leadership, empowering women and people of color to reach extraordinary heights.
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Tiffany Naiman Breaks Down the World Cup Halftime Entertainment Show
The 2026 World Cup brought a renewed focus on entertainment. Tiffany Naiman, director of the Berry Gordy Music Industry Center, explores why music has become central to FIFA’s global strategy
Remembering Clive Davis
The music icon helped to transform the music industry, working with the likes of Whitney Houston, Bruce Springsteen, Alecia Keys and many more. Musicologist Robert Fink helps explain his rise,
"In Practice 2026" Features School of Music Graduates
The Chancellor’s Council on the Arts featured four members of The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music’s class of 2026 in its magazine celebrating UCLA arts graduates.