Nili Belkind
NILI MUSICA is a Latin and World music production and consulting company founded by Nili Belkind.
For the past many years Nili has been active in music production, A&R/artist development, marketing/product management, import and domestic distribution, public radio programming as well as curating and producing music concerts and programs for, and with, cultural organizations.
Born in Israel, Nili earned high honors in music and anthropology from the University of California at Santa Cruz. After helping Virgin Megastores US launch their world music departments, Nili Belkind headed the RykoLatino label, where she signed and guided the careers of an impressive roster, including José Alberto 'El Canario’, Plena Libre (their recent album Evolucion which she co-produced, received a Grammy nomination in 2006), Jimmy Bosch, and Alfredo De La Fé, among others.
Nili has since produced albums and created compilations various imprints and independent artists. Multi-lingual and with a deep knowledge and appreciation of diverse genres, she has worked with musicians from Latin America, Africa, the Middle East plus the French, English and Spanish Caribbean. Recently, she was invited to contribute to National Geographic Digital Media’s New world music website.
Over the past decade and half, Nili has been pursuing an academic career as an ethnomusicologist specializing in the Middle East and the Caribbean. She received her PhD from Columbia University in 2014, and has published on a wide range of topics, including music and social movements, diasporic imaginations, cultural policy and diplomacy, borders, the urban space and ethnonational conflict. She has also lectured widely and academic and non-academic settings, and has produced numerous events that combine scholarship with artistic performances.