RCA Names Keith Naftaly President of A&R

Keith Naftaly has been named president of A&R for RCA Records, the company was announced today. He was previously the label’s executive vice president/head of A&R; he will remain based in the company’s New York headquarters.

Over the past couple of years he has overseen the label’s pop and pop/urban A&R staff and helped drive the success of Pink’s “Beautiful Trauma,” Kesha’s “Rainbow” and G-Eazy’s “The Beautiful & Damned,” as well as the a cappella group Pentatonix, which has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide since joining the label in 2014, according to an announcement. In recent weeks he has been focusing on new albums for former One Direction member Zayn Malik and Elle King.

Naftaly previously held a variety of A&R roles at Sony and Sony-BMG and earlier worked in radio, notably as program director of San Francisco’s KMEL, where he helped bring hip-hop to a mainstream audience.

RCA chairman/CEO Peter Edge commented: “I have worked with Keith for many years and continue to be impressed by his musical instincts and understanding of pop culture. These talents, alongside his demonstrated ability to develop the next generation of A&R stars, make him an invaluable asset to RCA. His integrity and generous spirit as one of our key creative executives have also helped make RCA the number one destination for great music and true artistry.”

Naftaly said: “RCA is officially lit right now!  To be on the creative front lines of hit making during such a vibrant time for music is still an honor, privilege and stimulating challenge.  While old school behavior and barriers continue to crash and burn, I’m especially proud of our diverse, trailblazing roster and our innovative, passionate, intensely focused executive squad.”

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