Press Release
| NMPA's Israelite to Continue as Trade Organization's President and CEO Through 2014 |
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 14, 2009 WASHINGTON—The National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) Board of Directors today announced that David Israelite has accepted a contract extension to continue his role as the trade organization’s President and CEO through 2014. Israelite has served as President and CEO since February, 2005. Irwin Robinson, Chairman of the NMPA Board of Directors, said Israelite’s string of important successes on behalf of music publishers and songwriters merited the organization’s early commitment to retaining its CEO. “David has been exceptional in steering the publishing and songwriting industry through critical legal, business and regulatory challenges alike,” Robinson said. “In the process, music publishers and songwriters are seeing the benefits of his leadership in their bottom lines, whether through settlement fees or royalty rate increases. Further, he has been an effective public champion for the music industry, its cultural significance and its intellectual property rights. We are so pleased he has made this long-term commitment.” Israelite said, “It has been my privilege and passion to represent music publishers and songwriters. We have accomplished so much in recent years, but this remains a period of transition, opportunity and challenge for creators of music and I look forward to continuing this work.” As President and CEO, Israelite is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the NMPA’s operations, from legal strategy and implementation to government affairs and advocacy. His tenure to date has produced landmark legal successes on behalf of publishers, including a settlement in 2007 with Bertlesmann AG and Bertelsmann, Inc. arising out of claims relating to Bertelsmann’s relationship with Napster, and successful regulatory outcomes while representing the songwriting and publishing position in the Copyright Royalty Board’s royalty rate setting deliberations throughout 2008. He has worked to build bridges and reach consensus within the music industry as well, negotiating a breakthrough rate agreement with multiple industry trade groups on interactive streaming and limited downloads, and a recent settlement with the Recording Industry Association of America regarding late fee payments to publishers and songwriters. He has also sought to elevate the prominence of the songwriting community generally by establishing Gold and Platinum Note awards for songwriters. NMPA’s contributions to copyright industry legislative efforts have yielded passage of the PRO-IP Act, which was signed into law late last year and provides for more efficient and effective coordination of intellectual property enforcement across federal agencies. Prior to his role at the NMPA, Israelite served as the Deputy Chief of Staff and Counselor to the Attorney General of the United States for four years, helping to manage the Department of Justice’s 112,000 employees and $22 billion annual budget. He also chaired the Department’s Task Force on Intellectual Property. Israelite previously served as the youngest Administrative Assistant in the U.S. Senate for Senator Christopher Bond (MO) and practiced law in Kansas City, MO. About the NMPA Founded in 1917, the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) is the trade association representing American music publishers and their songwriting partners. The NMPA’s mandate is to protect and advance the interests of music publishers and songwriters in matters relating to the domestic and global protection of music copyrights. |
