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Mike Easterlin Named President, Fueled By Ramen and Roadrunner Records

January 26, 2016

Mike Easterlin has been promoted to President of Fueled By Ramen (FBR) and Roadrunner Records. He has served as General Manager of both labels since 2012. In this role, Easterlin will oversee all areas of FBR and Roadrunner activities, expanding on the success of their existing artist rosters while continuing to sign and nurture new talent.

“I’ve worked with Mike for over 16 years. He has always been the most genuine, thoughtful, and passionate music executive,” said Julie Greenwald, Atlantic Records Chairman & COO. “His commitment to artists and artist development is unparalleled in our business. I know these two unbelievable labels are in the best hands for an incredible future.”

“Under Mike’s leadership, Fueled By Ramen and Roadrunner have evolved into modern powerhouses of pop and rock music, while maintaining their own special brands of cool, which is no small task,” said Craig Kallman, Atlantic Records Chairman & CEO. “I’m thrilled to have watched Mike develop into an exceptional senior executive over the past decade, and this new joint appointment is a richly deserved recognition of all he has accomplished. I look forward to watching him, and the music that he believes in so devotedly, continue to flourish in the coming years.”

Mike Easterlin said, “What our tight-knit, devoted teams at Fueled By Ramen and Roadrunner share is an unadulterated commitment to deliver music we love to our ever-growing fan communities. FBR and Roadrunner are in the privileged position of operating as indie labels within the extraordinary Atlantic family, so we can offer our amazing artists the best of both worlds — the resources of a major, while preserving and enhancing the close relationships and unique qualities that define each label. To say that I’m humbled to be appointed President of both of these iconic brands would be an understatement. I’m eternally grateful to Julie and Craig for their continued faith in me, as well as everyone at Atlantic for their fantastic support, and the amazing folks at FBR and Roadrunner for their unrelenting devotion to the cause.”

Since its inception two decades ago, FBR has become the nucleus for modern music’s best and brightest punk-inspired rock/pop bands, with a roster that includes Panic! At The Disco, who debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 this week with their fifth studio album, Death of a Bachelor; Paramore; fun.; and twenty one pilots — whose current album, Blurryface, also debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and remains in the Top 5 on the chart 36 weeks after its release. The roster also includes Nate Ruess, Young The Giant, The Front Bottoms, 3Oh!3, Gym Class Heroes, Travie McCoy, Against the Current, Chef’Special, Flor, and Vinyl Theatre. 

For the past 35 years, Roadrunner has defined authentic hard rock and metal music. Today, its roster boasts an impressively diverse array of artists, among them Theory of a Deadman, Killswitch Engage, Stone Sour, Dream Theater, Amity Affliction, Trivium, and Slipknot, who debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with their most recent album, .5: The Gray Chapter, which has been nominated for two Grammy Awards this year. The roster has also been home to such legendary groups as Sepultura, Machine Head, King Diamond, Life of Agony, and Type O Negative, among others.

An 11-year veteran of the Warner Music family, Easterlin originally joined Lava/Atlantic as SVP of Promotion in 2005 before moving to FBR and Roadrunner just over three years ago. He previously worked as National Director of Pop Promotion at Virgin Records and VP of Pop Promotion at Island Def Jam.