gamma. Inks Ridenour As EVP/Promotion
• gamma., the artist-first multimedia platform providing creative and business services across all artistic and commercial formats, announced the appointment of music promotion pioneer Lionel Ridenour as Executive Vice President, Promotion. In this role, Ridenour will spearhead gamma.’s radio promotion efforts across all formats and genres having already secured milestone results for gamma.’s artists across Top 40, Urban, Rhythm and R&B formats.
Known as a trailblazer in R&B and hip-hop promotion, Ridenour notably led the Urban music departments of Virgin Records and Malaco Records back in the day, following a decade with Clive Davis at Arista Records. He also led promotional efforts for L.A. Reid and Babyface‘s LaFace Records as well as Bad Boy and Rowdy Records. In 2013, Ridenour founded Anchor Promotions, the country’s only Black-owned label services and promotion company, where he served as CEO.
“Early into the formation of gamma., we oftentimes heard the critique that one of things we would be challenged to deliver on is radio promotion, for any artist at the highest level. So, we challenged ourselves to roll up our sleeves and debunk that theory,” said Larry Jackson gamma. Co-Founder & CEO. “And it’s because of Lionel, his staff, and our efficient spend in this area that we now have such an unbelievably strong radio market share for a company that’s only a year old.”
Jackson added, “Radio is still such an important mainstream access point to the heartland of so many countries, especially the U.S., and I’m so happy to be able to have Lionel leading the charge for us in that regard. It’s also incredibly noteworthy that he’s the first African-American head of promotion in forty years for any major music company (we’re not a label, of course) and I’m so proud to be able to be a part of this historic moment in the overall business.”
Ridenour remarked, “I’m thrilled to be joining gamma., and want to thank Larry and Ike for the opportunity to grow past the boundaries of industry norms and lead all promotion efforts on behalf of a wide variety of incredible talent. It’s gratifying to be a part of an intrepid company reshaping the manner in which careers can be magnified and propelled.”
