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Erik has over ten years of experience managing independent labels, most recently as co-founder of Coup d'Etat Entertainment, and is one of the founding members of A2IM, the US independent label trade body. Erik currently serves as co-chair of A2IM's music publishing committee. In 1999, Erik co-founded and served as President of the label 75 Ark Entertainment. Under his guidance and with a roster of established artists that included Dan the Automator (producer of multi-platinum act Gorillaz), 75 Ark Entertainment achieved recognition as an innovative and groundbreaking label, quickly becoming one of the most important independent hip-hop labels in America: the label was named one of the "top five labels to watch" by Spin Magazine in early 2001. Erik was early in identifying the marketing potential of file sharing on the Internet and 75 Ark Entertainment subsequently became the first label to establish a working relationship with Napster. ZDNet recognized 75 Ark's 2000 Internet campaign for the album Deltron 3030 by Dan the Automator as the most innovative of the year. Concurrently, he served as the VP/General Manager for the San Francisco based Internet company nicheMusic.com and its property World Entertainment Network. Prior to 75 Ark Entertainment, Erik served as General Manager of the New York-based independent label Asphodel Records, signing and working with artists as diverse as The X-ecutioners (now signed to Sony), Mix Master Mike (The Beastie Boys' DJ), DJ Spooky, Diamanda Galas and Ryuichi Sakamoto. Rolling Stone Magazine named Asphodel one of the "Top 15 independent record labels in the world" in 1998. Erik began his career in the entertainment industry in 1984, when he became the legal beneficiary to some 300 published compositions written by Joseph George Gilbert. These included numerous songs from the 1920's and 1930's, many co-written with composer Lawrence Wright; many of these compositions were number one pop hits in England. Erik managed the worldwide administration of these compositions, securing covers and negotiating sundry publishing deals, and remains involved in a number of publishing concerns to this day. Erik has extensive experience in music publishing, digital music, A&R, international marketing and distribution, contractual and business affairs. | 