WASHINGTON, D.C. (MuseWire) – Last week, SoundExchange announced the appointment of three new members to its Board of Directors: Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, Ray Hair and Paul Robinson will bring their collective knowledge and fresh perspectives garnered from their work across and within the music industry to the SoundExchange board.

Crabtree-Ireland, Hair and Robinson will fill the positions previously held by Kim Roberts Hedgpeth, national executive director, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA); Patricia Polach, of counsel, Bredhoff & Kaiser, P.L.L.C.; and Tucker McCrady, former vice president, Litigation, Warner Music Group, respectively. The SoundExchange Board of Directors is comprised of 18 individuals, split evenly between artists and label representatives, serving virtually all aspects of the recorded music industry.
“I am pleased to welcome these three new members to the SoundExchange Board of Directors, and would like to also thank the outgoing board members for their dedication to growing the digital music landscape,” said Michael Huppe, president, SoundExchange. “We look forward to working with these new board members on moving the music industry forward. I know they will bring energy as well as new perspectives to the unique challenges that SoundExchange faces every day.”

Duncan Crabtree-Ireland serves as the chief administrative office and general counsel of SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists). In his position, he is responsible for oversight of the organization’s legal, human resources, governance, foreign royalties and administrative functions. Additionally, he oversees the talent agency relations, contracts financial assurances departments and oversees legal aspects of collective bargaining and contract enforcement for the entertainment and commercials contracts. Mr. Crabtree-Ireland serves as a judge pro tem for the Los Angeles Superior Court and is an adjunct professor at USC Law School. He serves on the boards of the Conference of California Bar Associations, the Los Angeles County Bar Association, the Screen Actors Guild-Producers Pension and Health Plans, and the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and the UC Davis School of Law.

Ray Hair is the international president of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM). He was elected international president of the organization in June 2010 after serving on the AFM International Executive Board for 21 years. He is responsible for negotiating the Federation’s international agreements with the sound recording industry, the motion picture and television industries and other industry associations that employ professional musicians. He is a professional musician himself and has performed all styles of popular music for more than 45 years. Mr. Hair also pioneered the free-to-attend, continuous, multi-stage festival entertainment format in North Texas with Denton Jazzfest (now the Denton Arts and Jazz Festival) and has served as the music director for a number of outdoor music and arts festivals in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Paul Robinson is the executive vice president and general counsel for Warner Music Group. He was named to the position in 2006, and is responsible for Warner Music Group’s legal and public policy strategy worldwide. He has worked with Warner Music Group since 1995, and previously served as a partner in the New York City law firm Mayer, Katz, Baker, Leibowitz & Roberts. Robinson was a board member at the formation of SoundExchange and continued on the board until September 2008. He has a bachelor’s degree in English from Williams College and received his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law.

With the appointment of three new members to the Board of Directors, the collective group will continue to serve SoundExchange by overseeing the organization and its operation.