Phil Quartararo
Born	( 1956-01-07 ) January 7, 1956 Brooklyn, New York , U.S.
Died	November 22, 2023 (2023-11-22) (aged 67) Los Angeles , California , U.S.
Other names	Phil Q
Occupation	Music industry executive

Philip Michael Quartararo (January 7, 1956 ? November 22, 2023) was an American music industry executive. He was the president and chairman of The Hello Group, and held positions as CEO at Virgin Records , Warner Bros. Records , and EMI , and was involved in the careers of recording artists such as Linkin Park , Josh Groban , Spice Girls , U2 , and Yoshiki . ^[1] Quartararo was known as a defender of artist rights. ^[2] He spoke out on the fight against music piracy and restoring the value of music. ^[3] Quartararo was regarded as one of the most promotion-minded executives ^[4] in the music business and was regarded as a thought leader on the subject of partnership between brands and artists. ^[5]

Biography [ edit ]

Early life [ edit ]

Philip Michael Quartararo was born in Brooklyn, New York , on January 7, 1956. His work in the music business began at an early age, booking music acts out of his bedroom while he was still in high school. ^[6] He attended Chaminade High School in Mineola, New York , where he booked the sockhop bands. He attended Syracuse University where his college roommates were John Sykes and Rob Light. ^[7] Sykes went on to become co-founder of MTV and VH1 cable networks, as well as hold senior positions at record labels and radio broadcast networks . Light went on to become managing partner and head of music for CAA . Quartararo graduated from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in 1977. ^[8]

Quartararo began his career in the record industry as a local radio promotion manager for A&M Records from 1977 to 1981. He moved on to become a regional promotion manager for RCA Records from 1981 to 1983. His executive breakthrough came when he was hired as senior vice-president of promotion and marketing for Island Records from 1982 to 1986, where he was instrumental in introducing U2 in America. ^[9]

Virgin Records America [ edit ]

In 1986, Quartararo was recruited by Richard Branson as part of the team to launch Virgin Records America , along with executives Jordan Harris and Jeff Ayeroff . In 1992, he became president and CEO of Virgin Records America. ^[10] At Virgin he was influential in the recording careers of Smashing Pumpkins , Lenny Kravitz , Paula Abdul , After 7 , Rolling Stones , Janet Jackson , and Ben Harper . He is credited with the marketing blitz that launched the Spice Girls in the U.S., the success of which brought him the attention of Warner Bros. Records. ^{[11] [12]}

Warner Bros. Records [ edit ]

In 1997, Quartararo was recruited as president of Warner Bros. Records, which was ranked #1 out of world's largest record companies. ^[13] At Warner Bros., he worked with artists including Linkin Park , Josh Groban , Madonna , Stevie Nicks , Cher , Wilco , Eric Clapton , Red Hot Chili Peppers , Faith Hill , Goo Goo Dolls , and Green Day .

EMI Music [ edit ]

In 2002, Quartararo was hired to become executive vice-president of EMI Music and president of EMI marketing. Quartararo reorganized EMI, shifting its focus from sales and distribution to marketing. ^[14] He directed the marketing and launch of recordings of Coldplay , Norah Jones , Keith Urban , Blake Shelton , Trace Adkins , RBD , and Beach Boys , as well as marketing the estate catalogs of Frank Sinatra , Beatles , Les Paul , and Dean Martin .

Other endeavors [ edit ]

In late 2007, Quartararo left EMI to work with start-up companies focused on digital music distribution. ^[15] In 2009, he started his own firm, Tripod Partners, which has worked with various music industry companies such as Beta Records TV , global online talent search Avon Voices , the Shazam music discovery app, and the Guvera music streaming service. He was associated with the talent management firm The Collective, and was a principal at the consultancy QP2 Group. Quartararo also managed Yoshiki , singer-songwriter Brandon Howard , and heavy metal group XJapan . Quartararo was executive producer of the eight-hour PBS miniseries The Soundtrack of Our Lives . He also served as executive producer ^[16] of the double Grammy Award -winning album, Les Paul And Friends: A Tribute To A Legend . At the 2013 Midem conference, Quartararo was referenced by industry media for his observation, "The old record business didn't get killed. It committed suicide. The industry didn't listen to its consumers." ^[5]

Philanthropy [ edit ]

Quartararo sat on the boards of the Grammy Foundation , City of Hope , Cedar Sinai , Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), T J Martell Foundation , Pacific Science Center , State of California Board for Engineers and Surveyors, and Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications .

Quartararo was recognized for his philanthropic contributions with awards that included City of Hope's "Spirit of Life" Award, ^[17] Russell Simmons Award for Diversity and Equality, the Vincent Testaverde Award for Spinal Injury, Sons of Italy Award, and Syracuse University's 40 at 40 Award.

Illness and death [ edit ]

Phil Quartararo died from pancreatic cancer in Los Angeles on November 22, 2023, at the age of 67. ^{[18] [19]}

Music industry honors [ edit ]

Quartararo was named by Billboard magazine as Music Executive of the Year (2001), and received the NARAS Governors Award.

References [ edit ]

External links [ edit ]

• Phil Quartararo discography at Discogs
• Phil Quartararo at IMDb