Michele Ballantyne Promoted to COO and President of RIAA

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has upped Michele Ballantyne to President. She will also continue to serve as chief operating officer, running daily operations and managing the 56-employee team. Ballantyne serves on the executive leadership team alongside Chairman and CEO Mitch Glazier.

During her time with the company, Ballantyne has mobilized the RIAA and its companies to support police reform bills by guiding the implementation of social change commitments. Her efforts have fueled corporate engagement in civil rights. She’s also managing the most diverse RIAA Board of Directors in its history.

Ballantyne serves on the Anti-Defamation League’s Washington, D.C. Region Advisory Board in addition to her longstanding work on the advisory board of the Ron Brown Scholars — a program that supports low-income African-American high school seniors through scholarships, mentoring, leadership and service opportunities.  

“As a music fan whose also had a front row seat to the Washington policymaking, I’m grateful to spend my days connecting these communities – helping them understand and work with each other,” said Ballantyne. “This expanded role leading RIAA alongside Mitch will allow us to continue fighting for a diverse industry that innovates, creates and thrives. Music has always had the power to shift perspectives and drive culture forward. I look forward to what our label partners and talented artists dream up next – and we will be here to champion it!”

Glazier shared, “Michele and I have had the privilege of guiding RIAA and supporting our member companies through amazing celebrations and challenges in the industry. I am grateful for her remarkable leadership and genuine care for people. Our playlists may not always be in sync, but our determination for a thriving and equitable community for music creators is.”

+ Orville Peck has signed a new deal with Warner Records. The country star has also announced a new collaboration with Willie Nelson, set to be his first release under the label.

Nelson and Peck will duet on a cover of “Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other,” a song by Latin country artist Ned Sublette. Both artists have performed the song previously, with Peck having performed his rendition for SiriusXM in 2019.

+ Records — the joint venture co-founded by Barry Weiss and acquired by Sony Music Entertainment — has promoted two executives working for its Nashville labels: David Enriquez, who has been upped to executive VP, and Andrew Saltman, who moves to VP of marketing and digital strategies.

Enriquez, who was previously senior VP at Records, will continue his marketing responsibilities overseeing the entire roster for both labels in New York and Nashville. Enriquez has been with Barry Weiss’ indie label since its inception in 2015, marketing and developing label artists across various genres, including pop artists 24kGoldn and Noah Cyrus.

Saltman’s new position as VP of marketing and digital strategies will have him leading the marketing and digital efforts across both Records and Records Nashville. Saltman joined Records in 2017, most recently serving as senior director of marketing and digital and running the day-to-day marketing and digital operations for the full roster. Saltman helped spearhead the label’s breakout country artist George Birge’s debut single “Mind on You” hitting No. 1 on U.S. country radio. Saltman is also leading the marketing efforts for Birge’s next single “Cowboy Songs,” and its accompanying EP. He is also set to oversee highly anticipated upcoming releases from Lennon Stella and Noah Cyrus.