Kent Anderson
A musician, producer, published author, (It’s All About The Music Marketing Stupid), consultant, lecturer and adjunct professor Kent Anderson has held key positions within the industry at Virgin Records, GRP Records, N2K, Inc. and as President of A440 Music Group. He is an Adjunct Faculty member of the Columbia College Chicago Business & Entrepreneurship Department where he instructs the Business of Music, Entertainment Marketing, and Decision Making: Music Business.
During his tenure at GRP the company was named the #1 Jazz Label in the world for five consecutive years, received more than 30 Grammy nominations and achieved annual domestic sales in excess of 25 million dollars. Sharing in the vision of the integration of music and technology, Anderson served as Vice President under the tutelage of Phil Ramone at N2K, Inc. (NASDAQ). The company demonstrated the future of the distribution of music via the internet through the creation of the first digital download in the history of recorded music with David Bowie, built communities around genre related websites, operated one of the first e-commerce stores, developed perhaps the first online music delivery mp3 player and produced the first 5.1 surround sound DVD. While at Virgin, Anderson was responsible for all sales and marketing under the aegis of Virgin Associated Labels including: Narada, Real World, Luaka Bop and Higher Octave. In conjunction with the Music Business Association (formerly NARM), Anderson has produced four consecutive #1 Billboard Jazz & Blues chart compilation recordings.
As President and Executive Producer of more than twenty recordings, A440 was recognized with numerous accolades in the press, (Top 10 Jazz Album of the Year – Chicago Tribune, Best Female Jazz Vocalist of the Year – L.A. Times, Jazz Album of the Year – Swing Journal, Japan), a Grammy nomination and Best 5.1 Surround Sound Mix award. Anderson is a voting member of The Recording Academy [the Grammys] and is an Eagle Boy Scout. He resides in Chicago, is the founder of C Sharp Consulting, and continues to enjoy practicing and playing gigs on both upright and electric bass.