Benny Tarantini

"It is great to be re-united with Benny again," noted Klaiman. "He has always been a forward thinking and creative executive whose passion and hard work have elevated the profile of Columbia and its artists."

"Benny has played an important role in the success of many Columbia artist projects over the years, he and his staff have a clear understanding of the artist development process vital to our continued success," commented Columbia Chairman/CEO Rob Stringer. "He now has a great opportunity to contribute even more to the future success of Columbia in his new position."

"I want to thank Rob and Joel for their support and leadership, I am honored to take on this new role," commented Tarantini. "The Columbia team’s tenacious spirit and track record, coupled with some great music on the horizon, makes this a really exciting time."

During his tenure at Columbia, Tarantini has spearheaded press campaigns for Adele, AC/DC, One Direction, Foster The People, Glee and MGMT, among others. Prior to joining Columbia Records, he was a Senior Director of Publicity at Jive Records. Tarantini started his career in 1996 at Epic Records Group, working with the 550 Music label.