Advisory Board Member: 10th annual LA Music Awards
In a significant restructuring of its top executive level, Elektra/ Asylum Records has promoted five Vice Presidents in recognition of their expanded responsibilities. VP /Director Of Marketing Vic Faraci becomes Executive VP/ Marketing, while Kenny Buttice moves to Sr. VP /A &R, Keith Holz- man to Sr. VP /Production, Jack Reinstein to Sr. VP /Financial, and Jerry Sharell to Sr. VP /Creative Services. E/A Chairman Joe Smith, com- menting on Faraci’s promotion, said, “Vic has demonstrated his ability to reorganize and direct the many facets of the marketing area. His terrific administrative ability makes him vastly qualified to direct the sophisticated and complex strategy now required by a progressive record company such as ours.” Vice Chairman Mel Posner stated, “Some of our Vice Presi- dents’ responsibilities have ex- panded beyond what’s implied by their titles. Kenny, Keith, Jack, and Jerry have lengthy tenures with E/A and have made major contributions to the label’s growth.
In September of 1982, an independent publicist named Wayne Rosso told me that Elektra Records was going to be looking for a new head of A&R, since Kenny Buttice was departing the label. Elektra was a prestigious label with an impressive roster of fine artists, including Queen, Judy Collins, Paul Butterfield, The Doors, the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt. The problem was that they had no current hits, and most of their big stars had seen better days. Joe Smith, who had been one of my favorite radio deejays when I was growing up in Boston, was now the head of the label, which had its headquarters in a modest white building on La Cienega Boulevard, just south of Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood.