Alex Luke is a music executive and former disc jockey known for his contributions to the digital music business in the early 2000s. He has held executive positions with Apple and Amazon.[1]
Alex Luke | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Alma mater | Texas A&M |
| Occupation | Music executive |
| Website | www |
Early life and education
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Luke was born in South Carolina but later moved to Dallas, Texas where he graduated from Berkner High School. He attended Texas A&M and while in school became an intern for George Gimarc on the radio show The Rock and Roll Alternative.[2]
Career
editLuke worked as an assistant at KNON-FM beginning in 1986[2] and in 1989 became a full-time DJ for KDGE 94.5 FM in Dallas, Texas. During his time at KDGE, he launched and was the original host of Edgeclub 94[3] and The Adventure Club, a radio show that played newly released music[4] and was credited for bringing exposure to local bands such as Toadies, Course of Empire, and Funland.[5] He left KDGE in 1994 to become a morning drive DJ and the Assistant Program Director at KPNT in St. Louis, Missouri.[5] During his time at the station, he produced the Pointfest concert series and introduced the Pointessential CD series.[6][7] Luke left KPNT in 1997 to become the program director at Q101 in Chicago.[6]
Luke went on to work as the VP of Music Programming at PressPlay in 2001, an online music service launched by Universal Music Group and Sony Music that would later become Napster.[8] In 2003 he began working for Apple where he was in charge of music programming and label relations globally for iTunes and where he is credited with launching programs such as the iTunes Single of the Week, iTunes Essentials, and iTunes Originals.[9] He left Apple in 2011 to become Executive Vice President of A&R for EMI.[9][10]
Luke became a venture capitalist and worked at The Valley Fund[11] until leaving in 2017. He then joined Amazon as the Global Head of Programming and Content Strategy for Amazon Music.[12] He subsequently became the Senior VP of Digital Content for both SiriusXM and Pandora.[13]
References
edit- ^ Shah, Neil (15 November 2017). "The Music Industry's New Gatekeepers". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ^ a b Mayhew, Malcolm (25 November 1993). "Adventure Club sharpens the Edge". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ^ Freedman, Pete (12 November 2010). "After Nearly Two Decades On The Air, "Edgeclub" Has Been Removed From KDGE-102.1 FM The Edge's Schedule". Dallas Observer. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
- ^ Mayhew, Malcolm (20 November 1993). "Edge of Night - For disc jockey Alex Luke, working at KDGE isn't just a job it's an adventure". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ^ a b "People Watch - Radio". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 14 May 1994. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ^ a b "Missing the Point". St Louis Post-Dispatch. 24 July 1997. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ^ "Industrial Rockers Breaking Through to the Mainstream". Billboard. 27 April 1996. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
- ^ Garrity, Brian (1 September 2001). "Sites and Sounds". Billboard. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ^ a b "APPLE'S LUKE BRINGS COOL HAND TO CAPITOL & VIRGIN". Hits Daily Double. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ^ Knopper, Steve (7 October 2011). "Steve Jobs' Music Vision". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ^ Oreskovic, Alexei (14 May 2023). "Google searches for right note in online music business". Reuters. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ^ Schneider, Marc (14 February 2017). "Amazon Music Hires Alex Luke as Global Head of Programming, Content". Billboard. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ^ "SiriusXM Names Alex Luke Senior VP of Digital Content". Variety. 5 November 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
External links
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