CHANGE FOR ORLEANS AT ADA

After 28 years at Warner Music Group’s ADA, President David Orleans is becoming Chairman Emeritus as of 1/1.

One of the first hires when the company was launched in 1993, Orleans has been “the heart and soul of the company,” ADA head Cat Kreidich wrote in a memo announcing the change.

“It’s impossible to overstate the central role that David has played in making ADA what it is today and what his passion and support has meant to the independent label community.”

The complete text of Kreidich’s memo:

Hi everyone,

Last Friday was a landmark in the history of ADA, as David Orleans celebrated his 28th anniversary with the company. As many of you know, David was one of the first hires when the company was launched in 1993, and you might even call him the godfather of ADA… He’s really the heart and soul of the company.

Over the next few months, David will be transitioning into a new role at ADA. As of January 1st, he’ll become Chairman Emeritus, continuing to be actively involved with the company and serving as an invaluable advisor as we chart our course into the future.

David helped build this company from the ground up. He started out as ADA’s West Coast Sales Manager and has played many different roles, rising through the ranks to become President. It’s impossible to overstate the central role that David has played in making ADA what it is today and what his passion and support has meant to the independent label community. He’s forged invaluable relationships, proving time and time again the value that a major music company can bring to launching and amplifying the careers of indie artists.

During my first stint at ADA more than a decade ago, David was very much a mentor to me and made me feel like my contributions were valuable to the larger organization. He’s an incredibly empathetic and calming person, inclusive and lovely, and humble to the core. David’s approach has always been, “Let’s do amazing things and have fun while we’re doing them.” It’s a work hard/play hard philosophy of life that has made him a real force in our business.

When everyone is back in the L.A. office, we’ll have a proper celebration for David. In the meantime, I hope you’ll join me in congratulating him on this achievement.

We’ll have more news about the leadership of ADA in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

Finally, I’d like to share a message from Andy Allen, who was head of ADA from 1994 to 2008 and the driving force behind the company’s rise to prominence:

“David has spent most of his adult working life at ADA. When I joined the company in the early ‘90s, he was already there. I was immediately impressed by his passion for indie music and his enthusiasm for our company’s future. Anchoring our West Coast office, he quickly developed relationships with both of our customer groups—the retail community and the music makers. David built a strong team around him and led by example, challenging his staff to work as hard as he did. I also need to mention that he’s one funny bastard, offsetting his intensity in the job with a wicked sense of humor. He has been a key contributor to ADA in every role he has held. His hard work and dedication to the indie music community has impacted the livelihood of countless labels and artists, and his vision has maintained ADA as an important partner as the role of music distribution and marketing has been redefined over the years. Congratulations, David.”

Cat