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avatar for Lou Plaia

Lou Plaia

Sentric Music
A&R Director, North America
Massapequa, New York
In early 2022, Lou Plaia joined Sentric Music Group, a global, award-winning independent music publisher, as its A&R Director, North America. Plaia's main role is to add to Sentric’s roster via new signings, business opportunities, partnerships and acquisitions. Sentric offers rights management services to over 400,000 songwriters and represents more than 3.8 million works globally either directly or via partners, including music publishers, independent labels, management companies and distributors that benefit from Sentric’s publishing administration, co-publishing, creative services, and sync licensing. Sentric proudly represents songwriters ranging from those writing their first ever songs to RIAA Platinum certified artists. Plaia also launched Hot Rats Entertainment in January 2022. Hot Rats Entertainment consists of Hot Rats Records, Hot Rats Management, and Hot Rats Presents. Plaia is also an Adjunct Professor at Five Towns College in New York where he teaches classes on Artist Management and Concert Production & Promotion. In 2006, Plaia co-founded ReverbNation and "disrupted" the music business by equaling the playing field when they began to offer ALL artists the promotional tools, distribution, publishing administration, and opportunities previously only available to artists who were signed to record labels. Within a few years it became the largest DIY Artist Services Platform for musicians in the world, with more than 5 million artists/bands using the platform. Plaia and his partners sold the company in November 2021. From 2002-2005, Plaia was the Head of Marketing and Artist Development for Atlantic Records imprint, Lava Records. And from 1990-2002, Plaia was VP of Strategic Marketing at Atlantic Records. In those roles, he worked in some capacity with Kid Rock, Jewel, Hootie & the Blowfish, Stone Temple Pilots, Simple Plan, Brandy, Lil’ Kim, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, O.A.R., Blue Man Group, Nonpoint, Skindred, Collective Soul, George Carlin, Mike Stern and many others. Plaia has been a guest speaker at SXSW, Canadian Music Week, Music Biz (f/k/a NARM), Americana Music Conference, Launch Music Conference, The Future of Music Summit, New Music Seminar, Dubai Sound City, East Coast Music Conference, CMJ, and dozens of other music conferences throughout the world.