Minardi: Two Labels, No Waiting
Well regarded A&R exec Johnny Minardi has been named Senior Director of A&R for both Fueled By Ramen and Roadrunner Records. This move marks Minardi’s welcome return to Fueled By Ramen (FBR), where he originally signed The Academy Is, A Rocket To The Moon, This Providence, Forgive Durden, The Swellers and The Friday Night Boys.
In making the announcement, Fueled By Ramen and Roadrunner President Mike Easterlin said, “I’m very happy to have Johnny back in the FBR family and at the same time welcome him to the Roadrunner team. He has great ears and outstanding A&R instincts, and was instrumental in putting FBR on the map with a string of fantastic signings. I know he will be hugely influential in the continued evolution of both labels. Welcome home, Johnny!”
Minardi began his music career at the tender age of 13, when he joined a series of street teams. At 18, he started his own label, LLR Recordings and discovered four bands that went on to sign with prominent indie labels, including Fueled By Ramen’s The Academy Is and August Premier. In 2004, he joined FBR to handle retail, marketing and A&R, working alongside label founder John Janick as the company’s only other A&R rep. More recently, Minardi was doing A&R for Equal Vision Records, where he signed Sleep On It and nothing,nowhere., the latter in partnership with Pete Wentz‘s DCD2 label.
