Adrienne Muhammad: Writer’s Block
For over 13 years, Adrienne Muhammad has been an instrumental force in some of the music industry’s biggest stars. From Young Jeezy to Rihanna, Usher and UGK, Muhammad’s positions as the general manager of Compound Entertainment, director of A&R administration at Jive Records and as an A&R administrator at Island Def Jam has made her among the most respected in the business. Now, as the associate director of creative, Atlanta for ASCAP, she hopes to continue her legacy.
“The best part of my job is watching artists from the very beginning, until they turn into superstars,” the Atlanta native and West George graduate says.
Responsible for helping ASCAP members with various concerns and signing songwriters, Muhammad has her hands full in her position, but she takes it all in stride. Right now, her primary challenge is staying on top of ever-evolving industry trends.
“The rate that the industry is changing at is a little difficult,” she says. “It’s difficult to keep up because trends are changing not even by the year sometimes, but by the months. Everything is digital now, so the laws are very new and we’re learning them.”
Industry trends aside, she says that the key for anybody in the business is to be know their craft.
“Study,” she says simply. “I think it’s a privilege to be in this business and in order to be in it, you have to know your craft.” -jh
