The Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA) has appointed former Columbia A&R director Ronnie Gurr as its chief executive officer. Beginning work with immediate effect, he will lead the SMIA’s executive team and work with the company’s board to support Scotland’s music industry in its post-COVID recovery.
A former music journalist and consultant, Ronnie brings five decades of experience to the post. As a teenager, he produced the punk fanzine Hanging Around, going on to write for NME and Record Mirror. He joined Virgin Records as a press officer in 1982, and orchestrated the launch of Boy George and Culture Club. On returning to Scotland, Gurr became involved in artist and event management and television and radio production. He was then appointed A&R director of Columbia Records, where he signed Kula Shaker, before Sir Richard Branson re-recruited him to oversee the formation of his V2 record label.
Ronnie Gurr has sat on the Scottish Arts Council's Performing Arts Committee, The British Council’s Creative Industries Advisory Committee and the Scottish Parliament's Cross Party Group on Contemporary Music and was a member of Creative Scotland's Music Reference Group. He has also organised and coordinated the presence and showcase concerts of Scottish artists at the South By Southwest music conference in Austin, Texas, Folk Alliance in Memphis and Kansas City and more recently at Canada’s East Coast Music Week over a number of years on behalf of Showcase Scotland Expo.
Speaking of the new appointment, Sharon Mair, Vice Chair of the Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA), said: ‘We are delighted to welcome Ronnie Gurr as Chief Executive Officer of the SMIA. Ronnie brings a wealth of experience along with a strong passion for Scotland’s music sector. We look forward to him working with our membership and partners on strengthening, empowering and uniting our industry, to drive recovery and growth in a post-covid landscape.’
Ronnie Gurr, newly appointed Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA) chief executive officer, said: ‘I’m delighted and honoured to be asked to lead the Scottish Music Industry Association. I look forward to helping shape our future activities and to working with both artists and colleagues across all of Scotland’s music businesses to assist collective progress and growth in challenging times.’
