Atlas Publishing Welcomes Cialdella as COO

Atlas Music Publishing has appointed Phil Cialdella as their chief operating officer.

Cialdella brings over 20 years of music publishing expertise to the Atlas team. Previously, as SVP of Administration and Licensing, Cialdella worked closely alongside Atlas Music founder and CEO Richard Stumpf at Cherry Lane Music Publishing, and helped usher in a high-water mark era of growth and commerce for the company.

“Phil joining Atlas feels like a homecoming. To be able to work with him again must be what it felt like for Messier and Gretzky when they reunited in NY,” enthuses Atlas Music Publishing founder and CEO Richard Stumpf. “To say Phil is the best publishing operator out there is simply speaking the truth. Atlas is very fortunate to have Phil on the team to help guide the ship as we continue to grow.”

Cialdella brings over two decades of publishing savvy and proven music publishing instincts to Atlas. In his role as SVP of Administration and Licensing for indie publishing pioneer Cherry Lane Music Publishing, Phil led an all-star staff in establishing and growing the company’s ‘back office’ into a market-leading global administration platform. Under his tenure, Cherry Lane rose to become a company with a best-in-class reputation for diligence, transparency, and innovation in the administration of music publishing copyrights. Through its prominent role, Cherry Lane attracted and retained a broad array of publishing clients over the years, including contemporary platinum-selling artists (Black Eyed Peas, will.i.am, John Legend), classic song catalogues (Elvis Presley, Quincy Jones, Ashford & Simpson), and film and television studio heavyweights (DreamWorks SKG, Lionsgate, Weinstein Co., Marvel, World Wrestling Entertainment, NFL Films, 4Kids/Pokémon). After 11 years with Cherry Lane, Cialdella founded the independent boutique music publishing company Wonderlous Music. Currently, Cialdella serves on the board of directors of the Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP), chairs the Licensing & Publishing Committee for the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), and is actively involved with other industry trade groups including The Recording Academy, NARIP, NYC3, and others.

“I’ve had the pleasure and good fortune of working with great people throughout my career which is why this feels so right in so many ways,” Cialdella says. “In an industry of continual change and evolution, Rich has always been a fearless trailblazer. I couldn’t be more excited for us to be working together again. With Atlas, he’s built a great company with a fantastic roster, and an amazing team that truly feels like family. I am honored to be joining the group and to be able to contribute to its future success in a major way.”