Charlie Walk is the music executive every aspiring entrepreneur can learn a lesson from. Luckily, Walk sat down with Forbes in order to give a very insightful Mastermind interview in which he discussed his journey as well as gave his advice to anyone keen on entering the music business. Walk’s knowledge is indispensable for both aspiring musicians and industry executives alike.
Drawing from his time as the President of both Epic Records and Republic Records, Walk has a wealth of knowledge and experience working in the music industry at the highest level. Walk is personally responsible for helping many famous musicians reach the level they are currently at. Walk has worked with Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Shawn Mendes, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, The Weeknd, Post Malone, Shakira, Nipsey Hussle, John Mayer, Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas, Hailee Steinfeld, and many more
Walk prides himself in his ability to recognize talent, nurture their skill, and propel them to stardom. His track record speaks for itself as he was responsible for breaking international popstars like Ariana Grande. Beyond his knack for breaking artists, Walk has the best ears in the business for identifying hits. He was not only singlehandedly responsible for the creation of “Hips Don’t Lie,” by Shakira and Wyclef Jean, but he also convinced John Mayer to release “Daughters” as the single for his “Heavier Things” album. “Hips Don’t Lie” quickly set a record for the most digital downloads in one week after it was released and is one of the biggest Latin crossover songs in the history of music. “Daughters” would go on to win the Grammy for Song of the Year as well as the Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal, where Mayer thanked Walk in his acceptance speech.
During the Mastermind, Walk discusses how, with the advent and rise of streaming services and social media, we currently live in the best time to become a musical artist and entrepreneur. Beyond giving advice about the current music business, Walk also describes his newest venture, Music Mastery. Music Mastery is a multi tiered Music & video distribution platform that also gives Walk the opportunity to teach the 40,000+ artists who upload music every day all that they need to know to make it in the business. Music Mastery includes masterclasses as well as live weekly Masterminds, podcast, record label and publishing. It’s the only newly formed distribution company that offers membership to help artists succeed in the complex world of content distribution.
Despite being one of the most coveted people in the music business to work with, Walk’s advice throughout this Mastermind does not only apply to people looking to join the music industry. The music executive and entrepreneur who has built his brand on identifying the best artists and making them chart-topping hits, drops gems of knowledge that will be useful to any aspiring entrepreneur looking to make a mark on their industry. Mr Walk continues to thrive as one of the world’s leading music executives and the Forbes Mastermind truly represents that.