Sony BMG Music Entertainment has appointed Bruce Tyler executive VP, promotion/market strategy of Sony Music Label Group. Reporting to SMLG president Michele Anthony and based in New York, Tyler will partner with the heads of Columbia Records, Epic Records and Sony Urban Music in overseeing promotion strategies and initiatives.
Tyler joined SMLG last summer in a senior executive promotion capacity. Best known for a double-decade stretch with Active Industry Research, Tyler joined AIR as office manager at its 1983 inception, before climbing the ladder to VP/GM and president.
Used by major record labels to augment promotional efforts to radio, AIR had participating programmers compete for cars and cash prizes by attempting to predict peak airplay chart positions of new songs in their format. The company shut its doors in August.
Working in tandem with label management, Tyler is tasked with managing SMLG’s promotion departments and developing innovative marketing and promotion strategies to maximize the impact of the group’s artists.
“Bruce is one of the most respected and forward thinking executives in his field,” Anthony said in a memo to employees. “He will provide guidance to all of our labels and divisions and put us in a position to roll out cohesive, long term strategies. Bruce has the right blend of skills and talents to fully integrate the Group’s efforts and implement a marketing and promotion model that will quickly become an industry standard.”
