New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The
Music Business Association (Music Biz) will present its prestigious Presidential Award for Outstanding Executive Achievement to John Esposito, President and CEO of Warner
Music Nashville (WMN). The presentation will take place on Tuesday morning, May 17, during the
Music Biz 2016 convention's Awards Breakfast at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel in Nashville.
Esposito will join the ranks of past individual honorees who have been recognized for their exceptional vision, leadership, and commitment, including Dick Clark, Walter Yetnikoff, Ahmet and Nesuhi Ertegun, Jim Urie, Ted Cohen, Clive Davis, Don Cornelius, Casey Kasem, Sylvia Rhone, John Marmaduke, Bob Higgins, Paul Smith, Scott Borchetta, Akio Morito, Eric Paulson, Henry Droz, and Russ Solomon as well as organizations including the Country
Music Association (CMA), The Recording Academy (NARAS), and the Recording
Industry Association of
America (RIAA).
"John has devoted his considerable talents to our industry for more than 30 years to advance the growth and vitality of the music business," said
James Donio, President of
Music Biz. "His most recent work heading WMN and his leadership as President of the CMA Board have been critical to the explosive growth of Country music. As we return to
Music City for
Music Biz 2016, we are thrilled to honor him for his contributions to the industry-at-large, our organization, and our host city."
"It's a privilege to be counted among the music business royalty that have accepted this Award in the past, and I thank
Music Biz for this amazing recognition," said Esposito. "My goal has always been to spread the word about the music I love, and I'm happy to have had the opportunity to do so on such a grand scale."
In 2009, Esposito helped establish WMN, a division of the Warner
Music Group (WMG) dedicated to expanding the label's presence in
Music City. Fueled by a three-fold increase in share on the singles charts, WMN artists have amassed more than 40 weeks at #1 since his arrival, which has led to multiple Gold and Platinum sales certifications. Under his stewardship, the division has made history with artists taking home numerous awards in categories ranging from New Artist of the Year to Entertainer of the Year to an astonishing five-time Male Vocalist of the Year award for
Blake Shelton from the CMA Awards. The Academy of Country
Music (ACM), the American
Music Awards, CMT, and others have also awarded and recognized WMN artists. Current WMN artists include
Blake Shelton, Hunter Hayes, Ashley Monroe,
Brett Eldredge, Cole Swindell, Frankie Ballard, Charlie Worsham, Jana Kramer, Kenny Rogers, Randy Travis, and more.
Esposito previously served as President and CEO of WEA Corp., where he was responsible for U.S. sales and marketing activities, distribution, and global management and distribution of WMG's digital assets. Prior to that, he held the title of General Manager/Executive Vice President at the Island Def Jam
Music Group as well as a variety of executive positions at PolyGram, Inc. and Mitsubishi Electronics America. He also served as Chief Operating Officer of music and movies at The Wiz retail chain.
In addition to his position as President of the CMA Board of Directors, Esposito is also a Board Member of the T.J. Martell Foundation, Country
Radio Broadcasters (CRB), the Nashville Convention & Visitor's Corp., and the Nashville
Music Council. He also serves as Governor to the Nashville Chapter Board of The Recording Academy (NARAS) for 2015-2017.
A dedicated environmentalist, Esposito created WMG's environmental campaign, WMGreen, for which he was awarded the
Natural Resources Defense Council's (NRDC) "Forces for Nature" honor in 2006 as well as
Music Biz's (then NARM) inaugural Green Award for Environmental Responsibility. He serves on the NRDC's Global Leadership Council as well as the advisory boards for the Air Service Coalition, created by the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, and FLO {thinkery}.
Music Biz 2016, which will return to Nashville from May 16-18, is the music industry's premier event, giving the commerce and content sectors a place to meet with trading partners, network with new companies, and learn about new trends and products impacting the music business. Registration is open now, with early bird discounts available until March 11, 2016. For more information or to sign up for the conference, visit https://musicbiz.org/events/music-biz-2016.
About the
Music Business Association
The
Music Business Association (Music Biz) is a membership organization that advances and promotes music commerce — a community committed to the full spectrum of monetization models in the industry. It provides common ground by offering thought leadership, resources and unparalleled networking opportunities, all geared to the specific needs of its membership.
Music Biz brings a unique perspective and valuable insight into the trends and changes that innovation brings. Today, we put our collective experience to work across all delivery models: physical, digital, mobile, and more.
Music Biz and its members are committed to building the future of music commerce — together.
