Mitch Glazier Named RIAA President, Tapped To Become CEO In 2019, Replacing Cary Sherman

Mitch Glazier: RIAA President

MITCH GLAZER has been upped to President of THE RECORDING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA and will assume the role of Chairman/CEO in JANUARY 2019.  Current Chairman/CEO CARY SHERMAN will retire from the organization at the end of 2018 after a 40-year career as "one of the music industry's most respected and knowledgeable business and policy experts." 

GLAZIER, currently SVP, will become Chairman/CEO on JANUARY 1st, 2019, after 18-plus years with the organization. During that time, GLAZIER managed the organization’s public policy and industry relations teams, helping advance a variety of initiatives that helped the U.S. music business transition to a fully digital industry with a stronger set of basic property rights protections. Before joining the RIAA, he served as Chief Counsel for intellectual property to the JUDICIARY COMMITTEE of the U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. He also serves as Chairman of the Board of the charity MUSICIANS ON CALL, which brings the healing power of music to the bedsides of patients in hospitals and healthcare facilities across the nation.

Commented UMG General Counsel/EVP Business & Legal Affairs JEFFREY HARLESTON, “MITCH brings that rare combination of policy chops, political sophistication and a forward-looking view of the business that we need to succeed. A proven advocate who works well with those across the music community and our partners, MITCH is more than ready to take the next step in leadership. Needless to say, he has large shoes to fill. For more than 40 years, CARY has served as a selfless leader helping to steer the organization through a daunting series of legal and policy issues. We owe him enormously, thank him and wish him all the best; we are pleased that he will serve through this seamless transition.”

Since 1974 – first as outside counsel to RIAA at ARNOLD & PORTER, and then as General Counsel, President and ultimately Chairman/CEO of RIAA – SHERMAN has been deeply immersed in every legislative, regulatory and policy issue affecting the recorded music industry, from the comprehensive revision of U.S. copyright law in 1976 to the current debate about the effectiveness of laws which provide “safe harbors” for copyright infringement.

SHERMAN was instrumental in the enactment of the DIGITAL PERFORMANCE RIGHT IN SOUND RECORDINGS ACT in 1995, which along with his work on the DIGITAL MILLENNIUM COPYRIGHT ACT in 1998, established a new right for artists and labels to be compensated by digital music services. That right has since become the core legal foundation obligating streaming services to pay royalties for their subscription services – services that have become the primary catalyst for growth in the business.

Added THE RECORDING ACADEMY Pres./CEO NEIL PORTNOW, “This is an appropriate moment to recognize CARY. For the many years that I’ve known him, he has always listened, respected the views of the entire music community, and worked to develop a unified approach to complex issues. He is an industry thought leader with a deep knowledge of our business, and has played a key role in many of the industry’s strides and accomplishments over the past three decades. We are fortunate to have his highly respected and thoughtful leadership through the end of 2018, and offer our sincere congratulations and best wishes to Mitch on his promotion.”

NAB Pres./CEO GORDON SMITH offered the following words:

"I have tremendous respect for CARY SHERMAN as an effective advocate and a straight shooter. I appreciate the positive relationship we share despite our organizations’ sometimes divergent positions, and I wish him well in his transition to retirement.

We congratulate MITCH GLAZIER on his new position as President and look forward to finding common ground on issues of importance to our respective industries."

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