Alumni Update: Mikal Gonzales, Professional Sound and Business – Studio Production Major

After graduating from the Professional Sound and Business – Studio Production Major Program at Metalworks Institute in 2010, Mikal started his career with Entertainment Business Affairs (EBA). EBA is a full-service business affairs company, exclusively dedicated to supporting the administrative work required to maximize income for independent business owners and creators in the music industry. Mikal started his career at EBA in the grant funding department, where he played a vital role in project management for artists like The Weeknd, Fefe Dobson, and JRDN to name a few.

Over the years, Mikal has been instrumental in the development and expansion of EBA’s various services, including royalty collections, publishing administration, synchronization, master licensing, and most recently, mechanical royalty calculations/payouts. His time with EBA has been greatly rewarding and he was proud to announce to us that he was recently made Co-Owner and Director of Royalty Payment Solutions.

Mikal has always maintained his passion for producing and writing music, and has had the pleasure of working within the melting pot of Toronto’s creative spirits. From this passion, he started NVLG, which originally sprouted from the need for a support system for talented hip hop producers in the city to get their works placed with artists in Canada and on the international stage. As the world began to look heavily at Canada’s creative community, thanks to artists like Drake and Tory Lanez, this service proved to be essential.

Although still in its initial stages of development, NVLG has boasted partnerships with top caliber producers such as Chef Byer and S.L.M.N, who have placed beats with Ryan Leslie, OB Obrien of OVO, Andy Mineo, and Jennie Laws. Due to a recent partnership with EBA, NVLG is expanding its services to incorporate Musician Work Permit Administration, which will assist artists and musicians in acquiring the proper work permits to legally perform internationally.

According to Mikal, “The combination of the perpetually evolving music industry and a headstrong entrepreneurial spirit, has continued to provide the opportunities for me to marry the ideas of both commerce and music, successfully and confidently.”