Jonathan Azu, a two-time Billboard magazine 40 Under 40 Power Player and former Red Light Management Executive Vice President & General Manager, has announced the launch of a new artist management company, Culture Collective.
With an initial focus on urban genre clients, Culture Collective and Azu represent underserved creatives who are redefining their culture while promoting and exemplifying newly diverse leadership in entertainment.
According to a Forbes 2017 article, the Hip-Hop and R&B genres are responsible for 25% of music consumption and over 29% of all on-demand streams across the country.
However, executives of color are still relatively scarce atop major music companies.
Culture Collective is positioned to represent artists’ interests at the highest level by maximizing strategic relationships that benefit team members while accelerating and nurturing the development of its clients.
“I created Culture Collective for reasons bigger than music. After years of driving success for some of the industry’s most iconic artists, brands and companies.”- Jonathan Azul, Culture Collective Founder
Prior to joining Red Light, Azu was Executive Vice President of Operations and Business Development for Superfly Presents, the co-founders of Outside Lands and Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, and was Vice President of Music Partnerships for CBS Radio. He is a graduate of Drake University, where he was the recipient of the Young Alumni Achievement Award, and currently serves as a Board Trustee.
At Culture Collective, Azu will continue to manage a roster of iconic, superstar clients including, Anita Baker, Emily King, Cory Henry, Luke James, Michelle Williams and more.
He will also continue to partner with companies that he has previously worked with to discover new business ventures that will complement Culture Collective’s mission.
“I am excited to leverage my knowledge and relationships to represent creatives who are redefining their culture while also exemplifying and promoting diverse leadership in entertainment,” Azu says.
In addition to his work as an artist manager, Azu advises and invests in many early-stage companies, including Artist Growth, and Tunespeak. He is a limited partner in multiple well-known investment funds.
