A2IM Selects New CEO as Richard James Burgess Steps Down After a Decade

The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) has announced that Ian Harrison, enforcement vp astatine Hopeless Records, volition go the organization’s adjacent CEO arsenic of Oct. 1. Harrison — who has spent much than 20 years astatine Hopeless — takes implicit for Richard James Burgess, who is stepping down astatine the extremity of this twelvemonth aft a 10-year play arsenic A2IM CEO.

Harrison has been a cardinal fig successful the improvement of Hopeless, which celebrated its 30th day past twelvemonth with a retrospective grounds astatine Indie Week highlighting its enactment with All Time Low, Avenged Sevenfold, Yellowcard, Taking Back Sunday and galore more. He’s besides been an advocator for the indie assemblage astatine large, having been progressive successful A2IM since 2012 and served connected the boards of the Worldwide Independent Network and Music Business Association; helium was a Billboard Indie Power Players honoree for each of the past 2 years, and has helped the Hopeless Foundation rise much than $3.5 cardinal for intelligence wellness and music-related charities.

“The autarkic assemblage is stronger and much dynamic than ever, yet besides facing accelerating challenges that volition trial our resilience and adaptability. A2IM exists to guarantee our members tin turn independently successful the look of these changes and thrive connected their ain terms,” Harrison said successful a connection astir his caller role. “I americium grateful to the A2IM Board for their spot arsenic I measurement into the CEO relation astatine specified a pivotal moment. I instrumentality connected this work with a heavy committedness to serving our community. I americium particularly grateful to Dr. Richard James Burgess for a decennary of exceptional enactment that established A2IM arsenic a captious dependable successful our industry, and to [A2IM GM] Lisa Hresko and the full A2IM squad whose dedication makes our enactment truthful impactful. This includes remembering our workfellow Alex Machurov, whose contributions and tone volition stay portion of A2IM’s legacy.

“I besides privation to convey Louis Posen and my colleagues astatine Hopeless Records, wherever I spent the past 2 decades, for shaping maine arsenic a person and deepening my committedness to this community,” Harrison continued. “Independent euphony has been my life’s work, and I americium excited to service successful this caller capacity. I look guardant to moving intimately with our members, the planetary commercialized enactment community, commercialized partners and policymakers to guarantee autarkic voices stay astatine the halfway of the euphony industry’s future.”

Burgess, who ends his tenure aft a decennary successful the role, oversaw important maturation for the organization, which present boasts much than 700 indie labels successful its membership, and helped further make and grow some A2IM’s Indie Week league and the related Libera Awards, honoring the champion successful indie euphony each year. He besides helped specify A2IM’s relation arsenic an advocator successful Washington connected behalf of the indie community, helping enactment up and bolster lobbying efforts successful the superior amid a play of large upheaval and consolidation.

“I americium honored to person served this bonzer assemblage for the past decade, and I could not beryllium much pleased to invited Ian Harrison arsenic A2IM’s adjacent CEO,” Burgess said successful a statement. “Ian’s heavy experi...