Warner Music Nashville announced today (2/24) that Chris Stacey has been named Senior Vice President and head of Radio Promotion. Stacey will oversee the division’s newly-created two-team radio promotion department and report directly to WMN President and CEO, John Esposito. The department will oversee country roster releases for all WMG labels with a Nashville presence, including Atlantic Nashville, Reprise and Warner Bros. Nashville.
The two-team structure represents a new approach that expands WMN’s resources and allows the radio promotion staff to specialize in individual artists, dedicate more time to individual releases, work singles deeper into their airplay cycles and offer WMG labels a broader range of in-house expertise to draw upon. WMN’s current radio promotion team will remain in place and continue to be overseen by Bob Reeves, Vice President of Promotion who, along with the head of the newly-created second team, will report directly to Stacey.
In making the announcement, Esposito said: “We have a wonderful roster of artists who deserve the most thoughtful yet aggressive approach to radio promotion possible. I have known Chris for more than 10 years and know that in him we will have the executive with the experience and talent who can help drive that effort forward. During his nearly two decades in the business, Chris has exhibited entrepreneurial initiative and brought an enormously creative approach to getting the music of so many great artists to their fans.”
“Throughout my career I have been lucky enough to work with many of the best artists and promotion people in the business, so when the opportunity presented itself to build out this organization and create a power house for breaking artists, I couldn’t resist,” said Stacey. “Being able to help Espo execute his vision for what a major label should be in 2010 is a true honor, and I look forward to contributing and helping to assure Warner Music remains one of the most innovative companies in the business.”
Throughout his career, Stacey has worked with some of the most accomplished artists in music, including Bob Dylan, Coldplay, Counting Crows, John Mayer, Joss Stone, Shania Twain, Toby Keith and Willie Nelson, among many others. He most recently served as head of the music division for Mozes, a mobile marketing and promotion company specializing in artist and fan connections.
In 2000, Stacey helped start up Lost Highway Records, a highly respected niche Country music label, where he served as Senior Vice President of Promotion and Artist Development. In 2003, Stacey formed Vector Promotions, a division of the successful Vector Management firm, and later founded Hurricane Interactive Promotions, a mobile marketing and promotion company that was eventually acquired by Mozes.
Stacey began his career in 1990 as an intern for MCA Records and landed his first paying job as a regional promoter for Mercury Records in 1993. Between 1993 and 2003, he held a number of increasingly important positions at Mercury, eventually becoming Senior Vice President of Promotion. He also is the founder of Rock The Ocean, a charitable foundation devoted to protecting the world’s oceans.
A music industry veteran and artist manager, he was formerly Senior Vice President of Promotion and Artist Development for Universal Music Group’s Mercury Nashville record label. Chris has worked artists including Shania Twain, Toby Keith and Terri Clark, among others. Later, he formed his own company Vector Promotions, a prominent independent radio promotion company representing many of today’s most successful artists including: Maroon 5, Dylan, David Gray, Stone, Los Lonely Boys, and many more. Vector Promotions was affiliated with Vector Management & Recordings which represent Lyle Lovett, Lynyrd Skynyrd, 38 Special, Michael McDonald, Jonny Lang, Trace Adkins, Bon Jovi, Kid Rock and Damien Rice to name a few.
