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Joel Klaiman

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Joel Klaiman
Alma materSyracuse University
OccupationMusic industry executive
Years active1994-present
Employer(s)ASCEND4M
Tunespotter
TitleCEO
Board member ofTJ Martell Foundation
Awards
  • Billboard Power 100 (2015-2018)
  • Variety Hitmakers 20 (2017-2020)

Joel Klaiman is an American music industry executive. He is the founder and CEO of ASCEND4M entertainment agency, and the CEO of Tunespotter.[1] Klaiman is a former president of Hitco Entertainment;[2][3] previously, he was a senior executive at Columbia Records, Epic Records and Universal Republic Records. Over the course of his career, he has worked with artists including Adele, Beyoncé, John Legend, Harry Styles and Taylor Swift.[4][5][6] He is credited with designing the promotional campaigns that resulted in the crossover success of singles by artists such as Swift, Pharrell, and Daft Punk.[4][7][8]

Early life and education

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Klaiman was born in Sharon, Massachusetts. He attended Lawrence Academy and Syracuse University.[9]

Career

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1994–2006: Frank DiLeo Management, Elektra Entertainment, Epic Records

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Following graduation, Klaiman moved to New York City, where he worked for Frank DiLeo Management. He was hired as senior director of national alternative promotion for Elektra Entertainment Group in 1994, shifting his focus from management to radio promotion. At Elektra, Klaiman had mainstream success with alternative records by artists including Bjork, The Cure, Moby, Metallica, Tracy Chapman and Ween.[10]

In 1999, Klaiman was appointed senior vice president of promotion at Epic Records. There, he had #1 records with Jennifer Lopez, Celine Dion and Shakira, among others. He was promoted to executive vice president of promotion in 2004.[7]

2006–present: Republic Records, Columbia Records, Hitco

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Klaiman's role expanded from promotion to include artist development in 2006, when he was appointed senior vice president of promotion and artist development for Republic Records, a division of Universal Music Group. He was promoted to executive vice president in 2009. At Republic, Klaiman worked with artists early in their careers, helping to break Nicki Minaj, Drake, and Swift. He began working with her in 2008, and was noted for the success of her crossover single, "Love Story, which Rolling Stone described as a "pop smash", writing that it "lived a double life: The original version targeted a country audience with acoustic instrumentation while the mix for mainstream pop listeners accentuated electric guitars."[11] He continued to work with Swift through the release of Speak Now and Red, which together went on to sell more than 12 million albums worldwide.[11][12]

In December 2012, Klaiman was named executive vice president and general manager of Columbia Records, where he oversaw the label's marketing, digital, promotion, licensing and branding .[13] Columbia was the #1 overall label in 2014, based in part on the success of the two top-selling singles of the year: John Legend's "All of Me" and Pharrell's "Happy.".[14][15][16][17] Columbia released Adele's 25 in association with XL Recordings in 2015; the lead track from the album, "Hello," was the first ever single to sell more than a million singles digitally in 7 days. The album set sales records with 3.3 million units sold during its initial release week. [18][19]

In 2018, Klaiman was named president of Hitco Entertainment,[2] where he has worked with artists including Lopez, Big Boi, and Saint Jhn; Variety reported that Saint Jhn's single "Roses" was "all but inescapable" during the summer it was released, "dominating the upper echelons of U.S. radio and streaming charts."[20]

In August 2023, Klaiman launched Ascend4m, a music and entertainment marketing and consulting agency with talent management, of which he is the CEO.[1]

Recognition

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Klaiman was named to the Variety Hitmaker 20 in 2017 and 2020. He appeared on the Billboard list of the 100 most powerful executives in the music industry in 2015, 2016 2017, and 2018.[13][18][21][22] He is a member of the Clio Music Jury, a voting member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and a member of the board of directors for the T.J. Martell Foundation.[23][24]

References

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  1. ^ a b Schneider, Marc (1 September 2023). "Executive Turntable: Former Asylum Co-President Joins Hitmaker; Joel Klaiman Launches ASCEND4M". Billboard. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Former Columbia GM Joel Klaiman Named President of Hitco Entertainment". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-10-03.
  3. ^ Halperin, Shirley (October 27, 2016). "Columbia's Joel Klaiman Looks Ahead to Sony's Future". Billboard. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  4. ^ a b Christman, Ed (November 12, 2012). "Joel Klaiman Named Columbia Records Executive VP/General Manager". Billboard. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  5. ^ Schoenberger, John (February 9, 2007). "Order: Your Future is What You Make of It" (PDF). American Radio History. Radio and Records. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  6. ^ Morris, Chris (December 11, 2012). "Joel Klaiman joins Columbia as GM". Variety. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  7. ^ a b "Klaiman: One more step in Epic Career". Hits. August 23, 2004. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  8. ^ Bonan, Christian (February 14, 2014). "Pharrell Wanted to Release His New Album Right Away". XXL. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  9. ^ "Syracuse Alumni Journal". Syracuse University Magazine. Syracuse University. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  10. ^ Deane, Fred (September 30, 2011). "Joel Klaiman, Universal Republic, EVP of Promotion & Artist Development". FMQB. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  11. ^ a b Harris, Keith (September 9, 2014). "Trace Taylor Swift's Country-to-Pop Transformation in 5 Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  12. ^ "Up in the Airplay". Hits Daily Double. Daily Double. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  13. ^ a b Billboard Staff (February 5, 2015). "Joel Klaiman: Power 100". Billboard. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  14. ^ Mitchell, Gail (June 10, 2014). "Anatomy of a Hit". Billboard. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  15. ^ Gall, Phil (February 19, 2014). "Strategy For Pharrell's 'G I R L' Album Banks on Oscars, Red Bull Ad and Europe (Exclusive)". Yahoo! Music. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  16. ^ Lavinthal, Dennis (as I Be Bad) (December 17, 2014). "I.B. BAD ON THE YEAR IN THE MUSIC BIZ". Hits. Retrieved 12 November 2015. The Irish artist benefited from an intricately calibrated long-term campaign orchestrated by EVP/GM Joel Klaiman, a major breakout executive who rose to further prominence this year in an expanded role
  17. ^ Trust, Gary (April 24, 2014). "Pharrell Williams' 'Happy' & More: The 20 Biggest Crossover Hits". Billboard. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  18. ^ a b Billboard Staff (February 12, 2016). "Power 100 2016". Billboard. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  19. ^ Tsiocals, Anastasia (January 7, 2016). "2015 In Album Sales: Adele, Adele, Adele". NPR. NPR. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  20. ^ Halperin, Shirley (2022-08-11). "L.A. Reid's HitCo, Label Home to Jennifer Lopez and Saint Jhn, Sold to Concord (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2022-09-19.
  21. ^ "Billboard Power 100 2017". February 9, 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  22. ^ "No. 82: Joel Klaiman | Power 100". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-10-03.
  23. ^ "At the TJ Martell Foundation's 35th Annual Awards Gala in NYC". FMQB. Archived from the original on 23 February 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  24. ^ "Joel Klaiman: Music Jury". Clio Music Awards. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
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