HFA Names New Pres./CEO

Michael Simon

Irwin Z. Robinson, Chairman of the Boards of the Harry Fox Agency (HFA) and the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) has announced the promotion of Michael S. Simon to President and CEO for HFA. Simon was previously the organization’s Senior Vice President of Business Affairs, General Counsel and Chief Strategic Officer. Simon succeeds Gary L. Churgin.

“Since he joined HFA in 2001 to head the licensing division, Michael Simon has been a strong advocate to modernize HFA and move the company into new lines of business, progressively overseeing more of HFA and proving himself a leader and visionary within the organization,” said Robinson. “We are grateful to Gary Churgin for leading HFA though its technology transformation while also navigating some of the most radical changes to music licensing in the past fifty years.”

“I’m deeply honored that Irwin, the HFA, and NMPA Boards have put their trust in me to continue to transform an institution founded in the 20th century around the breakthrough technology of recorded music into the organization critical for the 21st century’s digital music business,” said Simon. “With our Slingshot service, which simplifies the licensing and royalty payment process for clients, we are delivering HFA’s expanded rights management expertise to all music distributors and music publishers, and I will be working with the team to grow that initiative aggressively. I am also committed to supporting HFA’s current music publishing and licensee base and delivering to them the support they need to run their businesses most effectively.”

Before joining HFA, Simon was the Executive Vice President of Business Affairs and General Counsel for Razorfish, Inc. His career also includes founding artist management and consulting firm Simon Ventures, Senior Director of Legal Affairs at Polygram Records, and time at law firms Levine Thall Plotkin & Menin and Rubin Baum Levin Constant & Friedman.