Breaking Through The Business with Tony Girakhoo
By Abby Garcia, Office & Operations Associate
In this edition of Breaking Through the Business, we sat down with Tony Girakhoo, Vydia’s Vice President of Label & Artist Relations, to discuss his journey through the music industry. What began as an aspiration to become a producer in high school evolved, through relentless networking, hands-on experience, and learning by doing, into a career in A&R. Today, Tony leads artist and label partnerships at Vydia, signing and supporting talent while helping teams turn creative vision into sustainable success.
Q: What is your current title, and what are some of your responsibilities at Vydia?
My current title is Vice President of Label & Artist Relations. My primary role is closing deals with artists, songwriters, labels, and publishers, and connecting them with Vydia’s distribution and publishing services. I also serve as the main point of contact for my clients, supporting them across all aspects of their partnership with us.
Q: How did you break into the music industry, and what led you to pursue it?
While I was in college, I had the opportunity to interview for an internship for 50 Cent at G-Unit Records. So, I saved up some money and moved to New York City. I started as an A&R intern. That ultimately shaped my career and trajectory of what I wanted to do in music. It gave me an understanding of how the music industry actually works and the different roles that were available. I was in the process of earning a business administration degree, but I dropped out during my freshman year to pursue this opportunity. I figured I’d take some time off to do it and then return to my studies, but I never went back.
Q: Relationship-building is essential in A&R. How did you build your network, and how do you maintain meaningful connections over time?
Networking was crucial early on. I attended a lot of showcases, seminars, and industry events to meet as many industry professionals as possible. I would look up other A&Rs to see what showcases they might be doing in the city and show up. In this industry, everybody knows each other, so you have to be consistent, build trust, and have a strong reputation to keep meeting new people. Once somebody who’s well-connected has a good impression of you, they’ll introduce you to the next person, and that person will introduce you to the next person. It’s a snowball effect. Maintaining those connections comes down to consistency, trust, and having a strong reputation and rapport with your peers.
Q: When evaluating potential artists or deals, what qualities stand out to you the most?
Obviously, numbers play a big role, especially in distribution, because when money is involved, a lot of deals rely heavily on analytics.
It has its ups and downs. It can eliminate the guessing game of how an artist’s average release performs, and it becomes a less speculative business. It also allows for any artist from any genre to build leverage for themselves, regardless of whether I love the music or not.
Being an A&R in this industry can be difficult when you want to support an artist early in their career, before the data exists to justify a lucrative deal, even when the excitement is there. In these situations, I still choose to invest my time, offer guidance, and provide additional support. Just because a deal doesn’t happen in those moments doesn’t mean it never will; it simply means the timing isn’t right yet, and the artist needs to continue building their momentum.
Aside from numbers, there is still a big human factor. It matters how much the music moves and excites me, and how other people feel and react to it.
Very importantly, as well, who am I doing business with? We do a lot of deals with label partners. You want somebody that’s consistently releasing music, or artists that have great managers and great teams around them, because the reality is, most of the time when an artist starts becoming successful, it’s not because we gave them some magic formula and they blew up overnight. It’s because their teams have figured something out and have a good ecosystem running. That’s what we want to support. I’m focused on elevating existing groundwork rather than trying to create something from nothing each time.
Q: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned as you’ve stepped into your current role at Vydia?
Success requires a strong team on both sides. From the distribution and label side to the artist and client side. It’s never a one-man band. It takes people with different backgrounds and expertise working together to build something meaningful. And of course, a little luck never hurts.
Q: What continues to excite you about your role, even on the toughest days?
Love for the music industry and music. Music constantly changes, and therefore the industry is changing, so there’s always a sense of discovery and being part of something new and exciting that keeps it fun and young. Some things can seem redundant and can get boring at times, but overall, it’s a fun industry.
Q: You’re based in New York City, a major hub for the music industry. How has being in NYC shaped your approach to A&R and your career in general?
New York is the city of all cities. There are people from all parts of the world, and they all come here with the same goal: to make it in the city. While they’re doing that, they’re sharing their culture, they’re sharing their experiences, they’re sharing their taste, their color, their influence, whatever might be. NYC is at the forefront of pop culture, fashion, and music; even if it doesn’t originate here, you get a taste of it because somebody brought it here. Living in New York City feels like having a front row seat to what’s happening in the world.
Q: What has been the most exciting project you’ve gotten to work on during your career?
It’s hard to choose just one, but some of the early projects I worked on with 50 Cent will always hold a special place for me. They were the first major releases I was involved in and had an enormous global reach. Knowing that millions of people were able to enjoy music you played even a small role in is an incredible feeling.
Q: Are there any platforms or media outlets you’d recommend following for someone who is just embarking on their career in the music industry?
When I started out, I used to do a lot of research on who’s who. I would look at album credits, or go on Wikipedia and think, “Okay, I like Rihanna, how do I get close to Rihanna?” Figure out who the producers are, who the lawyers are, the A&Rs, and the managers are, and so on. Once you find all these things out, you can follow them on social media, learn what they do, see how they move, and then figure out how you can add value to their life.
Once you do figure out what your value is, hit them up on social media, and try to go to events and panels that they’re speaking at. Whenever possible, a face-to-face connection and a handshake will go a long way.
Q: Lastly, if you had to choose one song to be the soundtrack to your journey, what would it be and why?
“Beautiful” by Snoop Dogg and Pharrell Williams. While the lyrics don’t reflect my journey per se, it was a song that inspired me to pursue a life in the music industry and helped shape my career path. Early on, I wanted to become a producer like Pharrell, which eventually led me into A&R.
About Tony:Tony Girakhoo began his music career at 50 Cent’s G-Unit Records, where he rose from intern to Head of A&R. He later worked in artist and producer management, helping develop and guide creative talent. He ultimately transitioned into music distribution at Vydia, where he was recently promoted to Vice President of Label & Artist Relations, partnering with artists and labels to support growth and long-term success.
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