Keith Naftaly
Encyclopedia
Keith Naftaly is a radio personality
, a music business professional and A&R executive for various major record labels including Arista, J, DreamWorks, Sony Music and presently Senior VP, A&R for RCA/Jive Label Group. He is often credited for the breaking of early hip hop through the San Francisco radio station KMEL
and collaboration with many renowned artists and has won many awards, most notably AIR’s "Best Ears In Radio" competition, as well as several important industry awards.
, who started their radio show "The Wake Up Show" on KMEL. In 1993, Naftaly was appointed Vice President of Programming for Los Angeles' station KKBT (92.3 The Beat), a sister station to KMEL.
In 1995, he left radio to work for the music mogul Clive Davis
at Arista Records
.
Then he moved on to other record labels with positions added:
In 2011, Naftaly is taking part in the judging panel of BravoTV's Platinum Hit
, an elimination competition series featuring 12 as yet undiscovered singer-songwriters, where talented newcomers battle through a series of innovative songwriting challenges to find out who's ready for the top of the pop charts.
Radio personality
A radio personality is a person with an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality can be someone who introduces and discusses various genres of music, hosts a talk radio show that may take calls from listeners, or someone whose primary responsibility is to give news, weather,...
, a music business professional and A&R executive for various major record labels including Arista, J, DreamWorks, Sony Music and presently Senior VP, A&R for RCA/Jive Label Group. He is often credited for the breaking of early hip hop through the San Francisco radio station KMEL
KMEL
KMEL is an Urban Contemporary-formatted radio station located in San Francisco, California, and owned by Clear Channel Communications....
and collaboration with many renowned artists and has won many awards, most notably AIR’s "Best Ears In Radio" competition, as well as several important industry awards.
Career
He got his start in San Francisco in 1984 as music director for radio station KMEL incorporating more R&B, dance and rap music into the station. As appointed Program Director for the station he actively supported local Bay Area-based artists like Sway & King TechSway & King Tech
Sway & King Tech is an American hip hop group composed of Bay Area rapper Sway and DJ King Tech. Also known as Flynamic Force or Sway & Tech, they are the hosts of the nationally syndicated show, The Wake Up Show...
, who started their radio show "The Wake Up Show" on KMEL. In 1993, Naftaly was appointed Vice President of Programming for Los Angeles' station KKBT (92.3 The Beat), a sister station to KMEL.
In 1995, he left radio to work for the music mogul Clive Davis
Clive Davis
Clive Davis is an American record producer and music industry executive. He has won five Grammy Awards and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer. From 1967 to 1973 he was the President of Columbia Records. He was the founder and president of Arista Records from 1975...
at Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
.
Then he moved on to other record labels with positions added:
- 1995: Arista RecordsArista RecordsArista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
- Vice President of A&R - ????: J RecordsJ RecordsJ Records was an American record label, owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment, and was distributed through the RCA Music Group.-Company history:...
- Senior vice president, A&R, - 2003: DreamWorks RecordsDreamWorks RecordsDreamWorks Records was an American record label. Founded in 1996 by David Geffen, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg as a subsidiary of DreamWorks SKG, the label operated until 2005 when it was shut down...
- Executive A&R Staff and later UniversalUniversal Music GroupUniversal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
(after DreamWorks Records was sold) - 2004: Sony Music - Senior Vice President of A&R
- 2009: RCA/Jive - Senior VP, A&R
In 2011, Naftaly is taking part in the judging panel of BravoTV's Platinum Hit
Platinum Hit
Platinum Hit is a reality competition series on Bravo launched in 2011 in which 12 singer-songwriters compete through innovative songwriting challenges that will test their creativity, patience and drive. The series was created and produced by Evan Bogart...
, an elimination competition series featuring 12 as yet undiscovered singer-songwriters, where talented newcomers battle through a series of innovative songwriting challenges to find out who's ready for the top of the pop charts.