BMI’s Byron Wright Talks Career & Shares Industry Tips

Who is Byron Wright? The answer is simple; he’s one of the few people who hold the keys to the music industry kingdom in Atlanta.

As the Director of Writer/Publisher Relations at BMI he has been responsible for signing some of the hottest artist in Hip-Hop; from August Alsina, Travis Porter, and Future to Young Thug and hit-producer Bangladesh. With a gift for recognizing and fostering artist potential and a passion for educating people with a desire to enter the industry, it’s no wonder he made Billboards “30 Under 30” list by 2011.

When did your journey with music and the industry begin?

Being from a city like Atlanta you naturally get to be a part of, what is probably one of the biggest music cities in the game. When you think of the history of Atlanta and all the great artist and talents that come out of here, it’s definitely a place to be for anyone aspiring to be in the music business. I was born and raised here in Atlanta and had the opportunity to be a part of the culture and a part of witnessing artists take off from an early age. I was in high school and Jermaine Dupri was big. And of course you had the Bad Boy movement, the Cash Money movement, and they’re not based in Atlanta, but we had Outkast. But, Hip-Hop in general was making a lot of money. The music business on the urban side was just thriving and it was just fascinating to me. And at the time I was in the business program at North Atlanta High School and we had Bobby Valentino, Jasmine Guy, and a lot of other talent come out of North Atlanta. So, it really started when I was a senior in high school. I got my first internship at So So Def with Jermaine Dupri in the marketing department. And I was a part of the marketing of the first Scream Tour and that was my first inside music job. I had done other internships before, but those were more towards marketing and branding. With So So Def it was like I was in it, seeing tour schedules, and albums coming out; just getting to be in the mix of everything that was going on with Jermaine Dupri, who was probably in his prime with So So while I was there.

I went on to start a campus organization at West Georgia (University), and I brought entertainment professionals to speak to students who, like myself, wanted to make it in the music industry. And that kind of got me a little further in the know of the “movers and shakers” in the business. I got another internship in college with Lil Jon and BME when crunk music was running it. Lil Jon had so many hits when I was there, it was crazy. And that’s how I learned about BMI (Broadcast Music Inc.) and other PRO’s (performance rights organizations). And through that I got my first taste of what music publishing was. And that was cool. So, I graduated from college and ended up meeting my boss, Catherine Brewton, at a music conference and it kinda worked out. And it all sounds easier than what it was, because it’s so hard to get into the music business. But, everything I had done, from interning to throwing parties, and just being on the scene really prepared me to do what I’m doing now.

What is a company like BMI’s role in the music and industry and how does it differ from a publishing company?

Well, BMI is one of, pretty much three PRO’s in the United States. And if you’re a songwriter you enlist BMI or the other two guys who do what we do (*the other two being ASCAP and SESAC). But, hopefully you choose BMI to go out and represent you and track your performances to let you get paid. BMI isn’t a publishing company though. A lot of people get confused with the distinction, but BMI is known as PRO. A publishing company essentially goes out and exploits the copyright. So, let’s say you’re a songwriter, they would go and get your music in a movie or get certain artist to perform your music. They come on and help with things like that and own part of your publishing. Like you might hear of someone getting a publishing deal? They are basically assigning part of their publishing rights to an outside company to go out and exploit the copyright and help them make money. And publishing is forever. Like you hear of songs getting sampled? If you sample a song you have to pay the original owner of the copyright or whoever owns the publishing, so they also deal with clearing samples.

So, as Director of Writer/Publisher Relations at BMI what is your role in the company?

Well, like I said, I have a marketing degree so, I do a lot of events here at BMI. I have co-produced the BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards. I’m also involved with the Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards. We also had the BMI Beat Summit not too long ago that I was a part of producing. We had that event with Mannie Fresh, DJ Toomp, and KLC. And that was a major event in Atlanta, we had a lot of folks come out, it was crazy. I’ve been here, really out of college, so I’ve been at BMI for 8 years now and I’ve been promoted and have been climbing the ladder here. Which has all definitely been a blessing to be able to come to work and be in a position to help change people’s lives. Like I meet artists from when they are just trying to get on to when they blow up. Like I signed Future and just to see his rise over time in the game has been absolutely amazing. It’s amazing to witness and be a part of the growth and development of a songwriter and a producer; and to see them get their first number one record, go on their first tour, get their first endorsement, or first BMI Award is incredible. So, I’ve been responsible for signing Future, Rich Homie Quan, Young Thug, Bangladesh, Kane Beatz, Travis Porter, and so many others. I signed Que, who’s out here in Atlanta. He’s actually really dope, just trying to help him get to the next level. Over the years there are a lot of people I’ve been involved with.

But, day-to-day I deal with publishing accounts; like the publishing for people like Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Kanye West. I assist my boss on a lot of major artists we have here at BMI. There are bunches of artist we are involved with on a day-to-day basis; making sure they get the money that is due to them from their music being performed. There’s a huge importance in publishing for songwriters and making sure we are able to track their music being played on TV or other platforms and their performances while they tour across the world, and make sure they are being properly compensated for their work.

You seem to have this uncanny gift to see potential in artist and pick out sounds that can make it big in the industry. What is it that makes you gravitate towards a particular artist?

Man, it plays out several different ways. I go out a lot. I go to a lot of different shows. I can’t go to all the unsigned showcases and all the talent shows, but I do try to make my way to those every now and then. And you know, social media puts you to a lot of folks as well. That’s become very important today because of just how influential social media has become in getting information to people. But, just going out and witnessing artists perform, I can pretty much gauge whether I feel like they can be a star or not. It’s in the way they walk, the way they dress, the way they are able to captivate a crowd. It’s a certain … like Future’s a star, he’s a bonafide star. I met him 2010 or 2011, but I ended up putting him in one of our showcases and he opened up for Rick Ross. At the time he had a couple records on the radio and after that he just took off, just blew up all the way. But, yeah music is like … you just have to feel it. That’s the best way I can explain how I fall for a writer, producer, or artist. Just like how you might not know what it is about your best friend that makes you connect with them and there are certain things you can’t describe? That’s how music is for me.

How important is a presence on social media for anyone who wants to be in the industry? And how has it played a role in your career?

There were a few producers that I signed through finding and connecting with them on Myspace. That says a lot right there. I’m on Instagram, I’m on Facebook, I’m on Twitter, I was on Vine for a bit. I mean if they come out with another app my phone is going to be full, there’s just so much, but for an artist it’s like free promotion. I mean you have to do it, because people are on their phones 24/7. Everything is on your mobile devices now and you would be surprised how many people you can actually reach by just being on those platforms. Everyone’s accessible now and that’s definitely changed the game. It’s put anyone you want to get in contact with a click away, whereas before you had to hope to bump into somebody or hope they read your letter with your demo package. It’s crazy. But, if you use social media and make it work for you the possibilities are endless. You even have people who do campaigns to raise money to record their album now. India Shawn, who is a singer/songwriter we work with here, you could buy her album at whatever price you wanted to pay, just to support the artist. Which is awesome. And you might have heard of the Nipsey Hussle’s $100 album project. The possibilities are endless; you just have to be creative. Anything is possible; that has always been my philosophy. Man, I’ve had people tell me, “Why do you want to work in the music industry? It’s so hard and it’s tough to get in”… Everybody wants to be in the music, especially in Atlanta, but I knew that I was focused and I knew what I wanted. So, you can’t let people tell you what you can and can’t do. You just have to believe in yourself, work hard, and take advantage of the resources you have. Like Soulja Boy … I always tell people if Soulja Boy made it out of Batesville, Mississippi just based off of Myspace and Youtube videos than come on man, you can’t use where you live as an excuse. There are no excuses. But, for me I use social media to get the word out on projects that I’m doing and what we are doing here at BMI.

What is a pitfall you would say a lot of people in this industry fall into?

People work with people that they like. I think that’s been huge for me, because I feel like I get along with people and I love meeting new people. So, if people genuinely like you they will want to work with you. And that’s outside of you being able to deliver and be talented. People like people who have great attitudes. People will start to say, “Hey I like so and so. Call him up, he was nice”, and if you’re good at what you do you’re in there. But, if you have an attitude than people will be like, “He’s good, but I don’t wanna deal with that”. Same thing with music; whether it’s an artist, writer, or producer. I hear stories all the time like, “He’s dope, but I ain’t feeling that, just don’t wanna deal with him”.

So, would you say networking is a big part of how you’ve gotten to this stage in your career and how you manage to stay in the industry?

Yeah, man. I mean, you can’t be shy. I literally approached my boss after she spoke on a music panel and said, “Hey, this is who I am. I just graduated. Here’s my resume.”. And preparation is important; I had my resume on me. And the rest is history. There wasn’t even a position available for me when that happened, but I stayed in contact and the cards aligned and I was blessed and fortunate to have been in the right place, at the right time. I also had a mentor. Mentorship is definitely important, because my mentor is an entertainment attorney and just being able to say, “Hey you need to go check this out” or “So and so is doing this”…because the music business is small. But, once you’re in it there are other realms to it. I’m still always trying to grow. I’ve been here 8 years, but the music business has so many levels that I stay networking and going to events to come up with new ideas and build new relationships. I mean I know a lot of people, but I still feel there are more I can build with and help add to what they are doing, as they add to what I’m doing here at BMI.

And not only has mentoring played a big part in your success, but you have made the effort to give back and mentor others. What kind of mentoring projects have you been working with?

Absolutely, I’m actually a mentor for the INROADS program. You should check it out. I’m heading to Jacksonville, Florida in a couple weeks to speak to some high school students, down there, that are a part of this leadership and business program. But, simply showing up and saying, “Hey, this is what I do. This is how I made it”, does a whole lot for somebody who’s a senior in high school or a freshman in college. So, I try to do that as often as I can. I can’t do it all the time, but I’ve gone back to my high school and judged the talent show that Dallas Austin put together. And that was awesome to be able to go back to my school and walk the halls to judge a talent show. I remember when I did that it was like that, man…because I remember I was that kid trying to get on, trying to make it, trying to figure out how I was going to find out how I was going to find a way when people said there wasn’t a way or it’s too hard. Just to be able to be that person to tell someone else that, “Yes, you can” is a blessing, because people will tell, “No, you can’t” all the time.

What keeps you dedicated to keep working and progressing music in such a difficult industry?

I just love seeing people work and collaborate from a genuine love for music and that’s why I’m here. I’m not here to buy a nice car or to do any of these other things that come along with this industry. There are a lot of perks that come along with this business. But, at the end of the day the reason why I’m here is because I was a kid in high school who loved music and business. I wanted to merge the two and have a career that I would be able to provide for my family and myself, and be able to go to work everyday and say, “Hey, I love what I do”. And at the same time I’m making a difference in someone’s life. Like, I’m in a position where I can literally change someone’s life and that’s why I don’t take it for granted and I take it seriously. Music is people’s livelihood in a lot of cases; whether you play the guitar, whether you’re a songwriter, or a producer that’s how you eat and feed your kids. So, people take it so seriously. That’s why people email me and say, “Hey, did you listen to my music?” and I might not be able to do it right away, but that’s the passion behind it. It’s like, “Hey, I’m pouring out my soul into this CD. Did you listen to it?” and I get it man. Some people … this is all they have. Some people truly believe that they are put on this earth to do music, so they didn’t go to college; there is no backup plan. So, that’s why it’s that serious. And I encourage people to go to college, but if you find something that you can do well than it’s whatever works for you. But, education is important to me because my parents were educators. There were both teachers, so they always stressed the importance of having an education and it has stuck with me, and plays a huge part in what I do here at BMI.

These days you can find Mr. Byron Wright hard at work in his BMI office in Downtown Atlanta, maintaining his dedication to music education by continuing his brainchild, BMI Music 101 Workshops. He is far from done putting his print on the industry.

Twitter: @thawrightway

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