A2IM Announces 2014 Board Of Directors Election Results

A2IM, the American Association of Independent Music, announces the results of their 2014 Board of Directors elections as voted by the A2IM label membership and elects Officers for the 2014-2015 year.

Newly elected A2IM Board of Directors (listed alphabetically):
Craig Balsam (President, Razor & Tie)
Dave Hansen (General Manager, Epitaph/Anti-)
Louis Posen (Owner, Hopeless Records)
Scott Robinson (CEO/Co-Founder, Dualtone Music Group)
Thomas Silverman (Owner/CEO, Tommy Boy)

A2IM President Rich Bengloff noted: "27 A2IM label members ran for the A2IM board this year, the most ever, and the quality of candidates confirmed that the A2IM leadership bench is deep. We thank them all for running and offering to serve their Indie music label community colleagues."

The board was elected by A2IM's membership of over 325 independent music labels, representing a diverse array of music genres, geographic locations and label sizes. Four of the five newly elected members will each serve a three-year term on the Board of Directors, and one new board member will finish out a one-year term to complete an unexpired three-year term.

A2IM also welcomes three representatives to the President's Advisory Committee, appointed by President Rich Bengloff, with board approval, to assist and lend their expertise to the organization while at the same time increasing the board's diversity and representativeness.

Newly appointed members of the A2IM President's Advisory Committee (listed alphabetically):
Josh Berman (US Label Manager, Warp Records)
Denny Stilwell (President, Mack Avenue Records)
Garry West (Co-Founder, Compass Records Group)

Additionally, Alan Galbraith (General Manager, Wind-Up Records) has been designated as a member of the WIN Council and the A2IM WIN representative.

The A2IM Board elected the following to be their 2014-2015 board officers:
President- Portia Sabin (Owner/President, Kill Rock Stars)
Treasurer-Glen Barros (President, Concord Music Group)
Secretary-Jim Selby (SVP, Digital, Ole)

The new board's term will begin on July 4, 2014 and the new board and advisory committee and officers will officially be introduced during the organization's 9th Anniversary during Indie Week in NYC June 17-19

Quotes from Incoming A2IM Board of Directors (listed alphabetically):

Craig Balsam (President, Razor & Tie): "I look forward to working with Rich, Jim and the Board of A2IM to ensure that independent music is properly represented within the entertainment industry."

Dave Hansen (General Manager, Epitaph/Anti-): "I look forward to returning to serve the independent community as a member of the A2IM board of directors. These are both exciting and challenging times and I am honored to work with this dedicated board of directors and the great A2IM staff."

Louis Posen (Owner, Hopeless Records): "It is a true honor to be elected by my peers to represent their interests as a board member of A2IM. I look forward to working alongside some of the brightest and most experienced independent music executives and entrepreneurs. As a new board member, I am committed to getting up to speed quickly and bringing a fresh perspective to achieve even greater results for the A2IM members and the independent music community.

Scott Robinson (CEO/Co-Founder, Dualtone Music Group): "It's an honor and privilege to be elected to serve on the A2IM board. I look forward to representing A2IM and their initiatives in these exciting but challenging times within our industry."

Thomas Silverman (Owner/CEO, Tommy Boy): "I am happy to be returning to the A2IM Board to help lead the independent charge to our streaming future. It is hard to imagine the independent ecosystem today without A2IM. The independent movement has never been stronger and it is growing fast, due largely to the efforts of A2IM."

Josh Berman (U.S. Label Manager, Warp Records), who has joined the Board advisory committee for the first time noted: "I am honored to have been selected to the A2IM board. As a long time label member I am looking forward to working with A2IM in this capacity, as well as with my esteemed colleagues in the independent music world, who are clearly as passionate and devoted to A2IM's mission as Warp is."
The remainder of the organization's board (all in the midst of three-year terms) is: Concord Records President Glenn Barros; Smithsonian Folkways Recordings Director of Marketing & Sales Richard James Burgess: Secretly Group Head of Domestic Sales and Marketing Cathy Bauer; Kill Rock Stars President Portia Sabin; Glassnote Records General Manager Chris Scully and Ole SVP Digital Jim Selby.

A2IM would like to express their gratitude to the five board members, who are stepping down, four of them due to term limits: Yep Roc Records Co-Owner Tor Hansen; Alligator Records Founder/CEO Bruce Iglauer; The Beggars Group Founder/CEO Martin Mills; Dead Oceans/Jagjaguwar/Secretly Canadian Founder/Co-Owner Darius Van Arman and Razor & Tie COO Victor Zaraya and the two advisory board members who are stepping down as well: Josh Norek- VP, Business Affairs & Digital Relations of Nacional Records and Cory Robbins- Owner and President, Robbins Entertainment
Quotes from Outgoing A2IM Board Members (listed alphabetically - four of whom are leaving the A2IM board due to term limits):

Tor Hansen (Yep Roc Records Co-Owner): "My service to the A2IM board has been a period of personal enlightenment with deep feeling of respect to the voices led by A2IM. I felt that I was part of an incredible surge of energy and progress pushing our independent voice up the hill. It was a great opportunity to work with incredibly successful and smart people who are organized and committed to the process to preserve the value of our music, chip away and fend off bureaucracy, and fight legislation that is detrimental or unfair to our community. My most auspicious moment came as a member of A2IM speaking on behalf of independent label owners at the U.S. Congressional hearing on Copyrights and Innovation. Thank you for that experience and the backing and tools to represent! Rich, Jim, Jen, and Sheryl are a tremendous team and I know the best years are ahead of us!

Bruce Iglauer (President, Alligator Records & 2014 Libera Awards Lifetime Achievement Honoree): "A2IM has become a terrific and extremely effective champion of America's independent labels. It has brought public and industry attention to the real size and power of the independent industry, and battled successfully for the rights of independent copyright owners. Its excellent staff, working hand in hand with an engaged and energized non-profit board, has done much to strengthen the market position of American indies, as well as to connect us to the independent recording industry worldwide. It's been one of the great honors of my career to serve on the Board of Directors of A2IM."

Martin Mills (Owner, Beggars Group): " It's been a privilege to have been part of the A2IM board as an overseas interloper - I am so impressed with the job that both the executives and the board do for our community, and love seeing it go from strength to strength. I shall be cheering the team on from the sidelines, and returning, I hope, after my interregnum."

Darius Van Arman (Dead Oceans/Jagjaguwar/Secretly Canadian Founder/Co-Owner Darius Van Arman): "It has been a true honor to have served on the A2IM board and to be a part of the collective voice of independent labels. I leave with great confidence that the new board will continue the fight for fair deals for music creators, for transparent structures and for a more conscientious music industry."

Victor Zaraya (COO, Razor & Tie): "I want to thank everyone who worked for and with the A2IM these past three years. It has been an absolute pleasure to work with Rich, Jim and the rest of the A2IM staff and board. The relevance of independent music has never been greater and I am confident that the A2IM team will be able to continue to further the cause of a vibrant and strong independent community."

A2IM's staff, board, and membership would like to thank all of the candidates who volunteered their time and effort to run for the board.

About A2IM:
A2IM is a not-for-profit trade organization serving the Independent music community as a unified voice representing a sector that, according to Billboard Magazine, comprises 34.6% of the music industry's market share in the United States (and almost 40% of SoundScan digital album sales). The organization represents the Independents' interests in the marketplace, in the media, on Capitol Hill, and as part of the global music community.

The organization's board of directors is composed of the following: Concord Records President Glenn Barros; Secretly Group Head of Domestic Sales and Marketing Cathy Bauer; Smithsonian Folkways Recordings Director of Marketing & Sales Richard James Burgess; Yep Roc Records Co-Owner Tor Hansen; Alligator Records Founder/CEO Bruce Iglauer; The Beggars Group Founder/CEO Martin Mills; Kill Rock Stars President Portia Sabin; Glassnote Records General Manager Chris Scully; Ole SVP Jim Selby; Dead Oceans/Jagjaguwar/Secretly Canadian Founder/Co-Owner Darius Van Arman; Razor & Tie COO Victor Zaraya.

For more information, or to become a member, please visit http://a2im.org/