Tim DuBois

With two degrees in accounting, Tim DuBois’ successful career in the recording industry might surprise some. His career has included recognition as a song-writer, manager, record executive, and producer. Today, he is the president of Artist Management Partners, an artist management and publishing firm with offices in Nashville and Dallas.

After receiving a BS (’71) and MS (’72) in accounting from Oklahoma State University, shortly thereafter earning his CPA, DuBois worked as a public accountant in Dallas for Arthur Andersen and the Federal Reserve Bank. In 1974, he became an instructor of accounting at the University of Tulsa. He taught accounting at OSU, the University of Tennessee, and Vanderbilt University, while also working as a staff songwriter. The first three of his five No. 1 records were written while he was still teaching. In 1986, he entered the music industry full time, becoming a partner at Fitzgerald/Harley Co. in Nashville. He opened a Nashville division of Arista Records in 1989, and country singer Vince Gill soon joined as their inaugural client. DuBois served as president of Gaylord Entertainment’s Creative Content Group in 2001, and went on to head Universal South Records with Tony Brown from 2002–06. In 2007, DuBois began the development of music business courses for Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management.

Tapped to open a Nashville division of Arista Records in 1989, DuBois discovered and signed Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Brad Paisley, BlackHawk, Pam Tillis, and Diamond Rio. He quickly turned the new label into one of the most successful in country music history, selling more than 100 million records worldwide in just 11 years.

DuBois has led both Arista Records and Universal South Records. His songs have received numerous awards, including two Grammy Award nominations. As a producer, his accolades have included more than 20 No. 1 and Top 5 singles and more than a dozen gold, platinum, and double-platinum albums.

DuBois sits on the boards of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music. He has served on the boards of the Country Music Foundation, Nashville Songwriters Association International, Leadership Music, and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. He is an adjunct professor of management at Vanderbilt’s Owen School of Management and longtime member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), and served as vice president and managing executive for ASCAP. He is a cofounder and board member of MyWerx LLC, former chair of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau, and a board member of Sun Trust Bank in Nashville.

He was named the most powerful person in the music industry by Business Nashville in 1996, Record Executive of the Year in 1992 by Pollstar, and made Entertainment Weekly’s 101 Most Powerful People in Entertainment in 1994 and 1995.

In 2014, the Oklahoma State University Spears School of Business named DuBois as one of its 100 most influential alumni over the 100-year life of the school.