New York, NY (July 16, 2023) – A2IM (The American Association of Independent Music, Inc), the not-for-profit trade organization representing over 600 independent record labels, has today announced its 2024 Board of Directors, as well as its new Executive Committee and Advisory Board Members.
Leading this year’s newly elected board members are Steven Hill, Head of North American & Global Marketing at Warp Records, Terry McBride, CEO of Nettwerk Music Group, and Louis Posen, Founder & President of Hopeless Records. The returning Board Members include Tony Alexander, Co-Founder and President of Made in Memphis Entertainment, Nabil Ayers, President of Beggars Group, Dee Diaz, SVP Marketing & Digital at Reach Records, Wilson Fuller of Merge Records, Mary Jurey, Chief Business Officer at Blue Elan Records, Tony Kiewel, President of Sub Pop Records, Hays Rudolph, General Counsel and VP of Business and Legal Affairs at Secretly Group, and Zena White, COO of Partisan Records.
Leading the Executive Committee is Mary Jurey, Chief Business Officer at Blue Élan Records, as chair; Tony Alexander, Co-Founder and President of Made in Memphis Entertainment, as treasurer; Nabil Ayers, President of Beggars Group, as secretary.
Furthermore, A2IM proudly welcomes esteemed industry professionals to its Advisory Board Members, including Glen Barros, Managing Partner at Exceleration Music, Kristin Epstein, Operations Director of Screenwave Media, Jana Herzen, President of Motéma Music, and Jason Peterson, Chairman & CEO of GoDigital Media Group.
“We are thrilled to once again have an incredibly talented, diverse and dedicated group of individuals willing to serve on the 2024/25 Board of Directors for A2IM,” states Dr. Richard James Burgess MBE, President and CEO of A2IM. “Their expertise and passion for independent music will play a vital role in shaping the future of our organization and the industry. With these new Executive Committee and Advisory Board Members, we are confident in our ability to advocate for the needs and interests of independent artists and record labels. I am honored to work alongside this exceptional team to support and celebrate the power of independent music.”
“It is a true honor to have been selected by my peers to help represent our vital independent music community. I’m excited to contribute to A2IM’s mission and support an environment which enables successful artists at different scales to forge sustainable and healthy careers from their work.” – Steven Hill (Warp Records)
“I am honored to join the A2IM board and I look forward to the vibrant conversations at the board level over the advanced technologies that are reshaping the playing field.” – Terry McBride (Nettwerk Music Group)
“I believe we are in a time of significant opportunity and intense challenges in the music industry. There hasn’t been a more important time in history for A2IM to exist in order to keep our independent community working together towards our common goals. I am beyond honored that the A2IM membership has again trusted me to represent their interests on the board. It’s a privilege to work alongside such an amazing group of people to make a difference together.” – Louis Posen (Hopeless Records)
The Board of Directors plays a vital role in the governance of A2IM, advocating for the members at large and assisting in establishing the organization’s strategic priorities. Elected for three-year terms, members of the board of directors provide invaluable guidance to ensure the continued success of the independent music sector. A2IM’s Advisory Board members serve one-year terms in order to broaden the perspective of the board.
Read more information about the new board members’ backgrounds below.
NEW MEMBERS: BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Steven Hill, Head of North American & Global Marketing at Warp Records
I am Warp Records’ Head of North America, heading the LLC company. As part of this role I lead global multi-platform works alongside the label’s incredible team and in support of its community of boundary-breaking Artists and Label partners.
I originally started in film before moving into music in 2005 in promotions and International Product Management for the likes of Aphex Twin, Brian Eno, Flying Lotus and many more. Since that time I have continued to specialize in music and art adjacent technology and artist development. In 2014 I moved to the US to take my current role based in New York City, opening Warp’s first west coast operation and growing its bicoastal team. I continue to play a Global role, working directly with the teams in Recordings, Licensing, Sales & Marketing, A&R, Art/Video/Interactive commissions, Traditional and Emerging Distribution, Social Media, Events, D2C, Legal, HR and Finance.
I was honored to serve on the A2IM board between 2020-2023 and I’m eager to continue to build on my contribution in support of the independent community if trusted by the membership for a second term.
Terry McBride, CEO of Nettwerk Music Group
Co-founded Nettwerk in 1984 with my long time business partner Mark Jowett. Spent the first 20 years as an artist manager where I helped launch the careers of Coldplay, Sarah McLachlan, Avril Lavigne, Barenaked Ladies, Dido, Sum 41 and many others. In 1998 I helped co-found the “Lilith Fair” festival with Sarah McLachlan, Marty Diamond and Dan Fraser. Lilith Fair went on to be the largest ever Woman’s traveling festival for 3+ years and in the process donated millions of dollars back to local Woman’s shelters. As CEO of Nettwerk my focus the past 15 years has been to build the Record Label roster of over 275+ Artists with my team around musical communities. Key signings have included: Passenger, SYML, Vacations, Paper Kites, Hollow Coves and many others.
Recognition – At the 2003 Juno Awards McBride received the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award, recognizing an outstanding individual who has contributed to the growth and advancement of the Canadian music industrY. In 2003, Nettwerk Management was the recipient of Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur Of The Year award. McBride has also twice been awarded the Pollstar Industry Award for Personal Manager of the year for his work with Sarah McLachlan (1997) and Avril Lavigne / Coldplay (2002)
Louis Posen, Founder and President, Hopeless Records
I am Louis Posen. A human being that lives in Los Angeles with my wife and 16 year old daughter. I founded Hopeless Records 30 years ago as a dare from orange county punks “Guttermouth” while directing a music video for them. Hopeless is now one of the largest independent record labels and has sold more then 15 million albums from such artists as Avenged Sevenfold, All Time Low, The Wonder Years, Neck Deep, Scene Queen, and Destroy Boys to name a few. To celebrate our 30th year we have built a museum exhibit, which initially showcased at the Valley Relics Museum in Los Angeles and will be moving to A2IM Indie Week in June, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in August, and the Punk Rock Museum in October.
I am also the Executive Director of our non-profit 501C3 organization, the Hopeless Foundation, which runs the Sub City program and has raised over 3 million dollars for over 50 important charities. The independent music community has provided me, Hopeless and our artists the environment to get started, survive and thrive. For this reason, I have dedicated a significant portion of my time to strengthening the independent music community through volunteer board positions at Merlin, A2IM, WIN, Music Biz, and others. I hope to again have the opportunity to represent your voice and interests on the A2IM board.
NEW MEMBERS: ADVISORY BOARD
Glen Barros, Managing Partner at Exceleration Music Partners
Glen has spent the majority of his career as the CEO of Concord Music Group, having taken the helm shortly after managing the acquisition of the company from its founder in 1994. Over Glen’s 25 years at Concord, the company grew from a small but revered jazz label into one of the largest and most respected independent music companies in the world, working within numerous musical genres.
Kristin Epstein, Operations Director of Screenwave Media
I’m Kristin Epstein, and I’m Operations Director at Screenwave Media, a gaming focused label, distributor, and creator/artist management company based in the Philadelphia area. I’ve spent the majority of my career building resources for independent artists and rights holders in the gaming space and have a strong foundation in global royalty payments. I am also the Department Head of Guests at TooManyGames, one of the largest east coast gaming events.
Jana Herzen, President of Motéma Music
Internationally acclaimed singer, songwriter, guitarist and entrepreneur Jana Herzen hales from the San Francisco Bay Area and is the Founder and President of Motéma Music– a multi-GRAMMY®-winning tastemaker label, founded in 2003, and specializing in culturally trenchant jazz, world, soul, and other creative music. Prior to founding Motema, Herzen worked in the vibrant New York City Theater scene where she served as an initial founder and dramaturg for the influential MCC Theater now in its 38th year. Having spent a lifetime in the arts both in front of and behind the scenes, Herzen’s commitment to high artistry in multiple disciplines can be recognized on he
Jason Peterson, Chairman & CEO of GoDigital Music Group
Jason Peterson is currently an A2IM advisory board member. He is an experienced entrepreneur, attorney, and producer named as one of the ‘Top 50 Indie’ and ‘Top 40 under 40’ Power Players in music by Billboard. Jason is the founder and Chairman of GoDigital Media Group (godigitalmg.com) which operates Grammy winning label and distributor Cinq Music (cinqmusic.com) and music royalty finance firm Sound Royalties (soundroyalties.com). Artists signed by Jason include Daddy Yankee, Janet Jackson, Jason Derulo, Master P, and T.I..
Jason is an innovator who brings vision and a deep technical understanding of market dynamics to the A2IM board. Jason has written thought leadership for A2IM on:
-Internet Neutrality
-The Value Gap
-The Payment Gap
-The Confluence of Laws Governing Generative Artificial Intelligence
He has produced dozens of major music videos that have won “Video of the Year” at the Gospel Music Awards, MTV Latin Video Music Awards as well as “Best Directorial Debut” at the MVPA awards. He currently is a member of the Wall Street Journal CEO Council, The World Economic Forum, the Music, Film and Entertainment Board of Directors at City of Hope Hospital, the Advisory Board to the Music Business Association, the Board of Directors for OTT.x, the trade group for the $43B home entertainment industry, and the Advisory Board to the Business of Cinematic-Arts Program at the University of Southern California.