Drew Thurlow

Drew is the founder of Opening Ceremony Media, where he provides consultation for artists, music, & music tech companies. Previously, Drew was Senior Vice President of A&R at Sony Music, where he led a global team overseeing the Masterworks Division. Drew also spent six years as Director of Artist Partnerships & Industry Relations at Pandora, where he oversaw Pandora’s growing role in the music business. Before Pandora, he was Associate Director of A&R and marketing at Warner Records. His career started in music as a session musician, recording artist and producer signed to Atlantic Records. Drew is a member of ASCAP, the RIAA, a board member of both the Americana Music Association and TJ Martell Foundation, and guest lectures at NYU, Syracuse, Northeastern, and The New School. He has written for Billboard, CREEM, and other publications. His first book about music & AI will be released next year by Routledge.