Erin Dougherty ('04)

Erin, a mathematics-music double major at W&L, currently works for Sony/ATV Music Publishing. "Basically, I work with songwriter contracts and track the advances, new song deliveries and calculate applicable mechanical rates to assist in predicting how much income Sony/ATV will collect."

Sony/ATV Music Publishing owns or administers more than 750,000 copyrights by such artists as The Beatles, Beck, Brooks & Dunn, Leonard Cohen, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Fall Out Boy, Jimi Hendrix, John Mayer, Sarah McLachlan, Joni Mitchell, Graham Nash, Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison, Linda Perry, Richie Sambora, Shakira, Diane Warren and Hank Williams, among others. The company currently has under contract artists such as Akon, Sara Bareilles, the Jonas Brothers, Kenny Chesney, Flo Rida, Lady GaGa, Rascal Flatts, and Taylor Swift. Sony/ATV Music Publishing was established in 1995 as a joint venture between Sony and trusts formed by Michael Jackson.

Erin is also a student in the MBA program at Fordham University's Graduate School of Business. Her mathematics background has facilitated her work toward an MBA in a number of ways. First, Fordham requires applicants to take the GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test), an exam on which mathematics majors typically outperform social science majors (e.g., those in economics or business). Second, Fordham waived one of the MBA course requirements for Erin owing to her mathematics background. Finally, her mathematics training, especially that in statistics, is helping her in her coursework