About
Serona Elton is an experienced music industry professional and educator. She is a full professor, Interim Vice Dean, and Director/Chair of the Music Industry Program/Department at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. She is also a Yamaha Master Educator.
Additionally, she serves as Head of Educational Partnerships for The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC). In this role, Elton directs The MLC’s efforts to engage future members of the music industry currently studying music business and related subjects at colleges and universities across the country and around the world.
Previously, Elton worked for Warner Music Group where she held the position of Vice President, Product Management, and EMI Recorded Music North America where she was Vice President, Mechanical Licensing and Repertoire Data Services. She has also provided consulting services to Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, Zumba Fitness, and other music-related companies.
A respected expert, Elton has written numerous articles and book chapters about the music industry and is a co-author of the book Music Business Handbook and Career Guide (13th edition). She is recognized by many for her extensive insight into licensing, royalties, and music industry processes and structures, and has contributed to news stories for NPR’s Marketplace, CNN.com, Billboard, and other outlets. She was awarded the first-ever Music Business Educator of the Year Bizzy Award by the Music Business Association in 2023.
Elton is a speaker in the U.S. Department of State Speaker Program. She is also a member of the Promoting Peace, Education, and Cultural Exchange (PEACE) Through Music Award Committee, which is part of the U.S. Department of State Global Music Diplomacy Initiative. Elton also serves as a council member on the College Music Society's Council on Music Business-Industry and serves as a Director-at-Large on the American Musicological Society Board of Directors. Previously, she has served as president of the Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association (MEIEA), a trustee of the Copyright Society, chair of the Florida Bar Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Section, and a governor on the Recording Academy, Florida Chapter, Board of Governors. She is also an alumnus of the Nashville-based Leadership Music program, and a licensed attorney in New York and Florida.
Elton holds a B.S.B.A. in Finance from the University of Florida, an M.M. in Music Industry from the University of Miami, and a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School. She also holds a Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt certification. Elton resides in South Florida.
Featured Work
Music Business Handbook and Career Guide (13th edition)
The Thirteenth Edition of this powerhouse best-selling text maintains its tradition as the most comprehensive, up-to-date guide to the music industry in all of its diversity. Readers new to the music business and seasoned professionals alike will find David Baskerville, Tim Baskerville, and Serona Elton's handbook the go-to source, regardless of their specialty within the music field. Music Business Handbook and Career Guide is ideal for introductory courses such as Introduction to the Music Business, Music and Media, and other survey courses as well as more specialized courses such as the Record Industry, Music Careers, Artist Management, and more.
The fully updated Thirteenth Edition includes a comprehensive discussion of the streaming revolution, where this predominant form of music consumption stands today and is heading in the future. Rapid changes in music licensing are addressed and how they impact creators, musical work performance licensing, compulsory and negotiated mechanicals, and sound recording licenses. The new edition also analyzes the changing picture of music video and shows how music video has been upended by on-demand streaming. Lastly, there is all-new coverage of COVID-19and how the concert industry has been impacted as well as digital advances that have been made.
