Today we’d like to introduce you to Tarik Bradford.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up in West Covina and after attending Cal State LA, I started my career in the music industry making my way around different areas of the business including Radio, promotions and management before finding a home in the world of music licensing. During my 20 plus years in the industry, I’ve worked for several major labels and music publishers including Virgin Records, Warner Music Group, Universal Music and EMI Music Publishing before eventually starting my own third party licensing and publishing company, Dahomey Music Enterprises, where I represent a variety of artists, labels and publishers securing music placements in Film, TV, Video Games and Advertisements.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s definitely been a long and challenging road that I’ve had to endure during my career in the music business. Over the years working in the music industry has meant dealing with a lot of massive changes including company consolidations, layoffs and the transition from physical products to the current streaming model. In order to maintain, I’ve been challenged to consistently learn the new business models of the industry and adapt with the times not just with music but also with the technology around film and television and how those areas are consumed by the public. While that has been happening, I’ve also had to make the adjustment from being an employee at a major company with a large catalog of recognizable songs and artists to an entrepreneur running my own business and finding artists and catalogs to represent for licensing opportunities in the Film, TV and Ad world.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Dahomey Music Enterprises?
Dahomey Music is a third-party music licensing and publishing company that represents a variety of artists, labels, publishers and distributors securing music placements for songs in Film, TV, Video Games and Advertisements. My company represents a diverse mixture of genres including Hip Hop. R&B, Rock, Electronic, Folk and many other genres finding the right home for clients depending on the needs of the music supervisors and projects that I’m working with. One of the things that I’m most proud of about my company is that I’m able to help work with artists understanding what type of songs work well for licensing and helping them to earn money and grow the reach of their music.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Some of my favorite apps include Clubhouse and Soundcloud. Some of my favorite books include The Beautiful Struggle by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Born To Use Mics by Michael Eric Dyson. A few of my favorite podcasts include Film & TV Favorites and The Right Time With Bomani Jones.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@dahomeymusic.com
- Website: www.dahomeymusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dahomey_music/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dahomeymusic
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DahomeyMusic
Image Credits:
Michelle Bradford
