Interscope Geffen A&M (IGA) has promoted Gary Kelly to Executive Vice President/Chief Revenue Officer.
The exec moves up from his previous position of Head of Revenue & Digital at IGA, a Universal Music Group subsidiary.
In this new role, Kelly will lead a team comprised of the revenue, digital marketing, and production areas of Interscope Geffen A&M.
According to IGA, the move marks the first time an executive has held the title of Chief Revenue Officer at a record company.
Kelly’s team will also oversee all playlisting activities for IGA, including the newly-created position of Director of Playlisting.
That will mean IGA has both marketing and playlisting ambassadors who work across digital music service providers, including Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, Google Play Music, Tidal, and Pandora.
“Gary sees both the challenges and opportunities that lie in a transitional period in the industry, and I’m happy to announce this much-deserved promotion.”
IGA Chairman and CEO John Janick said: “Gary sees both the challenges and opportunities that lie in a transitional period in the industry, and I’m happy to announce this much-deserved promotion.”
Added IGA Vice Chairman Steve Berman: “Gary is at the forefront of the business both in terms of changing the way we approach releasing our music and understanding how the public consumes it.”
Said Kelly: “When I was growing up in the industry, I always admired Interscope’s penchant for not only having the best talent from an artist standpoint, but also an executive standpoint.
“It was always a dream of mine to join this company. I could not be more thrilled to be part of the amazing team that John has assembled. He is building something for long-term success.”
A Cleveland native, Kelly began his career as a college marketing rep in the Sony Music system (Sony Music Distribution and Epic Records) in his hometown, and has worked in various marketing and sales positions in the New York, mid-Atlantic, and Los Angeles regions.
He left Sony for a position at Universal Music Group and joined Interscope in April 2010 as Head of Sales. Kelly holds an MBA from the Marshall School of Business at USC.Music Business Worldwide
