American Association of Independent Music Names Richard Bengloff New President

Press release
Source: Ken Sunshine Consultants

The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) announced today that Richard Bengloff, a music industry veteran with indie label, major label, music distribution, and non-profit management experience, has left his post as Vice President of Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer of WNYC Radio to become the permanent President of A2IM. Bengloff is based in Manhattan and assumes office on Wednesday, January 10, 2007. The announcement fulfills the indie org’s promise made last September to open a New York home office and conclude their search for an NYC-based leader by early ‘07. Bengloff steps into the office currently held by Peter Gordon, president of Thirsty Ear Recordings and founding board member of A2IM, who served as Interim President since October. Gordon will continue to serve as an A2IM board member.

“As A2IM continues to mature as a robust advocate for the Independent community, Richard Bengloff’s wealth of experience in the music industry will serve A2IM well. The challenges are many but our resolve is unwavering as we push into domestic and international issues,” says exiting Interim President, Peter Gordon. “We are very fortunate to have Richard on board as his expertise in the non-profit world will prove essential in guiding A2IM internally and making sure all voices are heard.”

“As President of A2IM, I look forward to building consensus from the constituency,” says incoming President Richard Bengloff. “I want to ensure the priorities of our members are the priorities of our organization so that we are representing our members to the best of our ability. As the independent labels emerge as the leaders of the ‘new music business,’ we will work to utilize and capitalize on the wealth of ingenuity, creativity, and collective accomplishments that exists in the indie sector.”

"On behalf of the entire Board of A2IM, I'd like to thank our fellow Board member Peter Gordon for assuming the role of Acting President and steering the organization for the past four months," states A2IM Board Chair and Definitive Jux co-founder Amaechi Uzoigwe. "Peter has kept A2IM's operations running, our mission statement initiatives moving forward, including significant progress with the FCC, and has been integral in the planning of A2IM's second year at MIDEM 2007 in Cannes, France from January 21-25.

A2IM now counts over 200 members and has made great strides in establishing itself as a respected presence in the music industry and in Washington DC. Under A2IM’s umbrella, seven committees have been organized to specifically address matters of interest ranging from International, Radio, Retail, Publishing, Digital, Legislative and Membership. The upcoming year’s agenda includes representing the independent labels’ interests on a global level in regards to wireless downloads, video-on-demand, and satellite radio recording devices.

Since its formation in June 2005, A2IM has:

* Challenged and redefined the perception that the indie sector comprises 18% of the music industry. The actual market-share figures from 2006, based on retail sales, is a whopping 29% - larger than any one of the major record companies individually.

*Six weeks after A2IM launched, Apple increased iTunes per-download-pay rate by 7.5% - going from 65 cents to 70 cents paid to indie labels per song.

* A2IM called for fair and uniform change in the relationships between radio and record labels, and is consulting with the FCC on a proposed set of universal guidelines.

* Established the A2IM American Independent Pavilion at MIDEM 2006 and will return for MIDEM 2007 with doubled membership attendance, allowing many indie labels to attend the premiere international music convention for the first time ever.

ABOUT A2IM
A2IM seeks to serve the indie music community as a unified voice representing a sector that comprises over 29% of the music industry's market share in the US. The organization will represent the Indies’ interests in the marketplace, in the media, on Capitol Hill, and as part of the global music community. A2IM will be headquartered in New York, and seeks to establish a legislative presence in Washington, DC. The organization’s board of directors is comprise of the following: Concord Music Group President Glen Barros; The Beggars Group CEO Lesley Bleakley; Thirsty Ear President Peter Gordon; TVT Records president Steve Gottlieb; Roadrunner Records Executive Vice President Doug Keogh; Bar/None owner Glenn Morrow; Lookout Records co-owner Molly Neuman; Tommy Boy Records owner Tom Silverman; Amaechi Uzoigwe co-founder Definitive Jux.

ABOUT RICHARD BENGLOFF
Richard Bengloff has spent much of his career in the music and entertainment industry, having served in various capacities at SONY Corporation of America. As Vice President of Columbia Pictures Entertainment; as Vice President, Finance and Administration at Relativity Records/R.E.D. Distribution; and as Vice President, Distribution Operations for Sony Music Distribution between 1989-1998. He then joined Elektra Entertainment Group to become Senior Vice President/CFO, where in addition to the traditional financial role, his responsibilities over the six years spent with the company included pricing strategies, management of marketing spending priorities, and management of new technology implementation. In 2005, he became the WNYC Radio’s Vice President of Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer.

After earning a BA degree from SUNY–New Paltz and an MBA from Columbia University, Mr. Bengloff began his career holding positions at Avon Products, Telemundo, and Deloitte & Touche.  He currently holds Board positions at the SUNY New Paltz Foundation and the Union Settlement Association. Mr. Bengloff is also an adjunct co-teaching the music industry course in the Media and Entertainment Department of Fordham University’s MBA program.