(CelebrityAccess MediaWire) —
Andy Karp has been promoted to the post of head of A&R for Atlantic Records. The announcement was made today by Atlantic Chairman/CEO Craig Kallman and President Julie Greenwald. Karp, who has been with Atlantic since 1989, was most recently senior vice president and head of A&R for the company's Lava Records division.
"What makes Andy such a fantastic A&R person is not only his great ears," says Craig Kallman, Atlantic chairman and CEO, "but the rare gift of being able to bring out the best in artists of very different styles and sensibilities. As an accomplished musician, he is also very tuned into both how artists think and how records are made. We are entering a musical renaissance at this label, and Andy is the perfect guy to spearhead our A&R mission in this exciting new era. It is an enormous responsibility, but I know Andy is up to the challenge, and I congratulate him on his new post."
"Andy is a super-talented A&R executive with both a passion for the music and a true understanding of the artists who create it," sad Atlantic President Julie Greenwald. "Atlantic is first and foremost an A&R-driven company, and Andy's proven ability to sign great artists and deliver great records makes him the right choice to lead our A&R team. We are thrilled to have him in this new role and are looking forward to the fantastic music which we know he and his department will be bringing us."
Karp joined Atlantic Records in 1989 as an assistant in the Promotion Department and was promoted to national promotional coordinator in 1992. Not long after the inception of the Lava label in 1995, he joined the fledgling label as an A&R representative. He was subsequently upped to director and senior director before being named vice president of A&R in 2000. Two years later, he was appointed Lava's senior vice president of A&R.
Among the artists that Karp personally signed and oversaw while at Lava are Kid Rock, Simple Plan, Uncle Kracker, Smile Empty Soul, Skindred and Porcupine Tree. He has also worked extensively as a drummer and bassist, and studied for three years with noted jazz bassist Percy Jones.
–Jane Cohen and Bob Grossweiner
