The National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) has elected Ralph Peer II as Chair of its Board of Directors after serving 54 years on the group’s board.
Golnar Khosrowshahi, Founder and CEO of New York-headquartered Reservoir Media, was named Vice Chair.
The leadership change follows the retirement of former Chairman Irwin Z. Robinson.
The NMPA described Peer as “a life-long advocate for the protection and crediting of copyright and lyric rights.” Under Peer’s leadership, peermusic expanded into a global operation spanning 39 offices across 32 countries. The company controls rights to “over 1 million copyrights.”
Founded by Peer’s father, Ralph S. Peer, in 1928 as Southern Music Publishing Company, peermusic has since expanded its “multi-million dollar” proprietary copyright and royalty system IRIS into new markets and completed a number of repertoire purchases, most recently in South Korea, according to peermusic’s website.
The NMPA noted that Ralph Peer II was the first music publisher to receive the Lifetime Achievement Awards from the NMPA and the Music Publishers Association (MPA).
He was also the first recipient of the ICMP Award for outstanding contribution to global music publishing, and was awarded the Music Publishers Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame, “Music Maker of the Year” at MIDEM, and France’s top cultural honor “Officier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.”
The NMPA said Peer “has been involved in every issue facing the music publishing industry over the past half-century, delivering a consistent message of upholding the rights of creators to boards, committees, and governments throughout the world.”
Meanwhile, Golnar Khosrowshahi, the NMPA’s new Vice Chair, founded Reservoir in 2007.
The company became a publicly listed independent music firm in 2021 via a SPAC merger. Reservoir now has offices in Los Angeles, Nashville, Toronto, London, and Abu Dhabi, representing “over 150,000 copyrights and 36,000 master recordings,” according to its website.
Reservoir’s most recent deal was its acquisition of Miles Davis’ music publishing catalog.
The New York Times reported this week that the deal, which closed in August, includes 90% of Davis’ music publishing rights and of the estate’s income from his recordings.
The company’s catalog also includes music from Joni Mitchell, Sheryl Crow, Lady Gaga, Camila Cabello, Bruno Mars, Cardi B and more.
The NMPA described Reservoir as “the first female-founded and led publicly traded independent music company in the US.”
Khosrowshahi has consistently been a Billboard Power Player. In 2022, she was named as Billboard’s Women in Music Executive of the Year and subsequently joined the Hall of Fame. Music Week has also recognized her as International Woman of the Year in 2023.
Additionally, Khosrowshahi was named to Fast Company’s Most Creative People In Business, Forbes’ 50 Over 50, Inc.’s Female Founders 250, and Variety’s New Power of New York and Power of Women lists.
Khosrowshahi also serves on the NMPA’s S.O.N.G.S. Foundation. She previously chaired the Silkroad board founded by cellist Yo-Yo Ma and joined the New York Philharmonic‘s board of directors in 2022.
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