NEW YORK - (Business Wire) SpiralFrog, Inc. (
www.spiralfrog.com), the free ad-supported Web-based music experience, today announced the appointment of Russ Rieger to the newly created position of vice president of strategic initiatives. In this role, Rieger will be responsible for securing and maintaining strategic partnerships within the music, media and advertising industries. Rieger brings 25 years of expertise in entertainment marketing and artist management. His deep knowledge of all aspects of the music business will further SpiralFrog
’s ability to create a community for brand marketers to connect with music enthusiasts in a meaningful way.
“Russ’ impressive history of building successful brands through marketing and interactive strategies is a significant asset to SpiralFrog,” said Mel Schrieberg, CEO of SpiralFrog. “He brings the talent, results and focus to help achieve our next level of growth and cement our leadership in this rapidly evolving industry.”
"It is my distinct pleasure to join the SpiralFrog team and contribute to the company’s next stage of growth,” said Rieger. "SpiralFrog is the clear alternative to the illegal file sharing practices that have dominated the music world to date. The company offers an exciting opportunity to engage the online music community in a positive and rewarding way. SpiralFrog’s growth will both support and showcase the music community and provide innovation and revenue for media, brand and advertising companies looking to target the elusive 13-34 year-old audience."
Rieger comes to SpiralFrog from Pipeline, the entertainment marketing firm he founded to help major brands take advantage of new media platforms. While at Pipeline, Rieger oversaw a range of services, including e-commerce, promotion, event marketing, licensing, merchandising and artist relations, for FORTUNE 100 companies such as American Media Inc., American Mortgage Group, CORBIS, DDB Worldwide and GAP.
Prior to founding Pipeline, Rieger was general manager of Maverick Recording Company, where he led the expansion of the company into a freestanding record label. He was responsible for operating units of the company including: marketing, promotion, sales, international, new media, artist development, video, advertising and publicity. While at Maverick, he designed and oversaw the promotional and marketing campaigns for such luminary artists as Prodigy, Alanis Morissette, Michelle Branch, the Deftones as well as “The Wedding Singer,” “Austin Powers” and “Matrix” soundtracks.
He later became executive vice president of Artists and Repertoire and was responsible for all creative aspects of the company. During his tenure he executive produced and oversaw the multi-platinum, platinum and gold records for “The Matrix” soundtrack, Michelle Branch, Tantric, “Rugrats” soundtrack and Lillix. Rieger was nominated for a Grammy for his work on “The Matrix” soundtrack.
Rieger also served as vice president and general manager with London / FFRR Records, where he designed and oversaw marketing and promotion campaigns for multi-platinum, platinum and gold artists Consolidated, Orbital, Paul Weller, Salt N’ Pepa, Portishead and the Meat Puppets.
He began his career with Side One Marketing and Management and went on to start High Noon Entertainment, a management company that at the time represented Cyndi Lauper, Del Fuegos, the Replacements, Prong and Juluka.
About SpiralFrog™
Headquartered in New York, SpiralFrog™ (www.spiralfrog.com) is a Web-based advertising-supported music experience that combines music discovery tools with free and legal downloads of audio and video content licensed directly from the catalogs of the world’s leading music owners. SpiralFrog offers music-lovers a compelling alternative to illicit file-sharing and pirate sites, with a secure environment for them to satisfy their unyielding passion and thirst for music and entertainment information at no cost.
Gravitas Communications
Jocelyn Johnson, 212-924-9500
jjohnson@gravitas-pr.com
or
Brian Posnanski, 314-968-7712
bposnanski@gravitas-pr.com
