NASHVILLE (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — The Country Music Association held the annual Board of Directors election meeting in Nashville this week. The new Board year does not begin until Nov. 8, the day after the CMA awards.
Taking over as President of the Board is Randy Goodman, President of Lyric Street Records.
"There’s never been a time in my professional experience in Country Music that I wasn’t aware of CMA or didn’t understand its importance," Goodman said. "I approach this role with a great deal of humility and a great sense of honor. I was waiting for a meeting to start the other morning, standing in the CMA lobby, and looking at that bronze list of all the people who have been chairmen and president, and thinking, ‘Wow, these are some amazing people, leaders of our community past and present.’ And it made me stop and think to myself that whatever I do, I want to do it to the best of my ability, so that years from now someone looking at that list can say, ‘You know, that time was a great time in the life of the CMA."
Goodman will be joined by former President and now Chairman Clarence Spalding, President of Spalding Entertainment LLC, in CMA’s top two leadership positions.
"I am very excited to have Randy as the President of the CMA Board," said Spalding. "He is intelligent, articulate and a natural leader. His insight and vision has been a great asset to the Board already and I look forward to a very productive year."
Goodman originally hails from Nashville having spent some of his younger years in Pennsylvania and another five while at RCA living in Manhattan and Stamford, CT, while working for RCA in New York City. He received a B.S. in Political Science and Economics from David Lipscomb University and also attended Belmont University’s Music Business College.
Post graduation, Goodman spent 18 months working as a road manager. In 1980 he was hired by Tandy Rice’s Top billing as the agency’s publicist. In 1981, he joined RCA Records as a publicist. Hired by his future mentor Joe Galante, Goodman quickly ascended through the company, working with such acts as Alabama, The Judds, Waylon Jennings, KT Oslin, Restless Heart, Clint Black, Martina McBride, and Kenny Chesney before leaving Nashville for New York after Galante became president of RCA North America in 1990.
Goodman returned to Nashville in 1995 as General Manager of RCA Label Group. In 1997, Goodman left RCA and launched Lyric Street Records. The company is now celebrating its 10th anniversary with current artist roster Rascal Flatts, SHeDAISY, Bucky Covington, Josh Gracin, Trent Tomlinson, Sarah Buxton, and Marcel. Goodman and his wife Jennifer live in Nashville with their two children, Ross, 13, and Rachel, 10.
An organized succession in CMA’s volunteer leadership was established in 2003. Four directors also serve as Officers of the Board, those being Chairman, President, President-Elect and Secretary/Treasurer. This move established a line of succession with the President-Elect moving to President and the President becoming Chairman.
Having a year as President-Elect to immerse himself in the issues facing CMA was a benefit to Goodman.
"Every time over the past year there has been any kind of meeting that was CMA related, I’ve been there," Goodman said. "It was just immersing myself in the business of CMA, from every aspect of every committee. It’s been about getting my hands dirty, but doing it in a way that’s a bit under the radar, because I don’t have to be the person making the decision. I’m there to hear the dialog and learn from that and where it is appropriate, offer my opinions."
The officers for the 2007-2008 term will be Chairman Clarence Spalding; President Randy Goodman; President-Elect Steve Moore, AEG Live; and Secretary/Treasurer Tim Wipperman, Chief Creative Officer Equity Music Group.
Other additions to the board: Dick Gary, The Gary Group; Jay DeMarcus, Rascal Flatts; Bob DiPiero, Love Monkey Music; Bruce Allen, Bruce Allen Talent, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Ron Sakamoto, Gold & Gold Productions, LTD., Alberta, Canada; Pat Higdon, Universal Music Publishing Group; Larry Fitzgerald, The Fitzgerald Hartley Company; Ben Reed, Cox Radio, Atlanta; Charlie Cook, Cumulus Media, Atlanta, Ga.; Mike Dungan, Capitol Nashville; Rick Shipp, William Morris Agency; Steve Moore, AEG Live; Ed Hardy, Great American Country (GAC); Charlie Anderson, Anderson Merchandisers Knoxville, Tenn. – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
