Berry Gordy Music Industry Center - The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music

The Berry Gordy

Music Industry Center

Honoring a Legend

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.

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A Message from the Inaugural Dean
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), Director Of The Berry Gordy Music Industry Center
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...
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Music Industry Forum:
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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School of Music Students Win Library Prize for Undergraduate Research
Three School of Music students were honored with UCLA Library prizes in undergraduate research: Pavan Radhakrishnan (Musicology, ’26), Eden Ulrigg (Ethnomusicology, ’27) and Will Bollini (Music Industry minor, ’26). Each...
In Purpose and Triumph: Meet Kiran Gandhi, 2026 Commencement Speaker
by Robert Baker It is somewhat cliché to speak of the unconventional path of an indie artist—their rocky childhood or that serendipitous encounter that led to their big break or...
Understanding the New Michael Jackson Biopic
From the LA Times: the new biopic of Michael Jackson is set to break records. Director of undergraduate music industry programs Tiffany Naiman helped explain.