Ryan Ruden has been appointed Executive Vice President of Experiential Marketing and Business Development for Capitol Music Group (CMG),

08 September 2021 - Press release

Highly regarded music executive Ryan Ruden has been appointed Executive Vice President of Experiential Marketing and Business Development for Capitol Music Group (CMG), it was announced today by President & COO Michelle Jubelirer, to whom Ruden reports. In this newly-created position, Ruden will draw upon his extensive background to pair strategic marketing initiatives with business partnerships while focusing on increasing revenues and fostering innovation in artist development. He will also be integral to CMG’s social and charitable endeavors. Ruden is based in New York. 

According to CMG Chairman & CEO Jeff Vaughn and Jubelirer, ”Ryan is that rare executive who merges his passion for music with innovative ideas and the development of new pathways for artists to connect with fans. He will be a tremendous asset to our company and our artists, and everyone at CMG joins us in welcoming Ryan to the team.“  

Ruden said, “"It is so exciting to be part of the amazing team of innovative leaders that Jeff Vaughn and Michelle Jubelierer have assembled. Not only is Capitol one of the most storied labels in music, but the entire team is uniquely situated to build the music company of the future. I am grateful for the opportunity to help bring CMG’s incredible artists directly to their fans in new and exciting ways” 

Prior to joining CMG, Ruden was most recently Senior Vice President of Experiential Marketing and Business Development for Columbia Records, having been named to that position in 2018. While there, he led and co-produced the first virtual concert on the Roblox platform (with artist Lil Nas X), helped lead the first live concert in Fortnite (with artist Dom Fike), and spearheaded groundbreaking multi-million-dollar partnerships with an array of companies that included Logitech (with Lil Nas X campaigns) and Discord (Grimes). Ruden also created original IP with noted kids brand and platform Jam Jr., and co-signed a girl-group and clothing collection with tween retailer Justice. 

Ruden led meaningful social good partnerships with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (Blink 182), the non-partisan voter activation organization Gamers.Vote (QuinnXCII) and mental-health advocacy organization Rise Against the Disorder (Lost Rings). 

Ruden’s many other successful endeavors in his previous position included incubating a women’s gaming label, Lost Rings, which focused on releasing music by and for the gaming community. He was chosen by Twitchcon to book all talent for the popular gaming festival in 2019. Ruden oversaw Columbia’s tour marketing and events team for the label’s frontline artists, and helped produce events for Beyoncé, AC/DC and others. He was integral to the company’s ticket-bundling initiatives which helped lead to multiple #1 albums for artists like The Chainsmokers and Harry Styles. 

He joined Columbia in 2012 as Vice President of Touring & Events after four years at Interscope Records as Director of Artist Development & Tour Marketing. Prior to joining Interscope, he began his career in 2003 as an artist representative at Shady Records and Goliath Artists, where he was integrally involved in the day-to-day operations for global superstar Eminem. 

Ruden was named to Billboard Magazine’s ‘Top Gaming Synch Players’ in 2020 and its ‘40 Under 40’ in 2017. He has been a guest lecturer at New York University’s Stern School of Business, Fordham’s Graduate School of Business and Mercy College, Manhattan.