The Recording Industry Association of America has promoted longtime employees Erin D. D. Burr to SVP, Media Relations, Gold & Platinum Program, and Matthew Bass to VP, Research and Gold & Platinum Operations.

Burr will continue to lead the RIAA’s press outreach and work as a communications strategist for initiatives celebrating Gold & Platinum certifications, as well as supporting the Human Artistry CampAIgn, a global coalition of 180+ organizations formed to address developments in AI and influence legislation related to it.

Previously, she worked for more than a decade at Big Machine Label Group in Nashville, where she handled high-profile releases for Reba, Carly Pearce and The Mavericks, among others. She was nominated for the Country Music Association Touring Awards Publicist of the Year in 2018 and last year was a HITS Noisemaker (in no way as prestigious as that CMATA nod). Burr also serves on the advisory board of the nonprofit Musicians on Call.

"Connection through people, stories and music has always been instinctive to me—and has served as the basis of my entire career," she said. "I’m grateful for this amplified role and the RIAA’s culture of community and passion advocating for creative talent across the industry.”

For his part, Bass worked for the U.S. government in the field of renewable energy before joining the RIAA. He’s used his noggin power at the org to create annual reports guiding policy discussions to protect copyright. He also manages the association's definitive data holdings and has played a role in modernization efforts in the Gold & Platinum Program.

Bass said, “I feel privileged to have spent the last 11 years at the RIAA, where I’m able to combine two of my passions—music and data—and call it work. I’m proud to produce our annual revenue reports, work with esteemed researchers and economists, and uncover trends in the industry or new milestones in our Gold & Platinum program.”

Meanwhile, our most recent encounter with platinum was when we overpaid for KISS farewell-tour tickets.