Capitol Records has announced two significant appointments to its A&R leadership team, naming Ian Holder and Tariq Stewart as Senior Vice Presidents of A&R, where they will jointly lead the label’s Urban A&R division. The appointments reflect Capitol’s strategic focus on strengthening its artist development infrastructure within the urban music sector, as the executives will oversee new artist signings and the development of the label’s expanding urban roster.
Holder joins Capitol Records after an eight-year tenure at Sony Music Publishing, where he served as Senior Vice President of Creative. During his time at Sony, he built an impressive track record of signing and mentoring breakthrough artists including Lil Durk, Jack Harlow, Polo G, and Pusha T. His career began in 2003 as an A&R intern at Columbia Records, followed by a position at BMI, where he honed his talent-spotting skills while collaborating with notable artists such as Post Malone, Frank Ocean, and Rae Sremmurd.
Holder’s eight-year Sony tenure yielded major signings like Lil Durk and Jack Harlow, following formative roles at Columbia and BMI.
Stewart brings complementary expertise to the co-leadership role, though specific details about his previous positions are less documented. His extensive background in artist development and production supervision is expected to create a powerful leadership dynamic alongside Holder’s proven abilities in talent acquisition and career nurturing. The announcement of these key appointments was made on September 22, 2025.
The dual appointment is part of a broader restructuring effort within Capitol Music Group under the leadership of President Lillia Parsa and Tom March. This initiative emphasizes an A&R-first culture that prioritizes long-term artist development over short-term successes, positioning Capitol to compete more effectively in the evolving music marketplace. The executives will have the opportunity to showcase their talent discoveries at MUSEXPO 2025, where breakthrough artists can gain industry exposure. Both leaders are expected to implement modern promotion strategies including editorial playlist submissions to maximize artist visibility across streaming platforms. They will also guide new signings through establishing a strong personal brand that differentiates them in today’s competitive music industry.
Concurrent with these changes, Capitol Christian Music Group has also announced executive promotions, elevating David Sylvester to General Manager and Kenny Rodgers to Senior Vice President. These leadership adjustments across Capitol’s divisions signal a thorough strategy to enhance operational efficiency and strengthen artist support systems.
The leadership changes at Capitol occur against a backdrop of similar restructuring at competitors including Sony and Universal, suggesting an industry-wide recalibration of A&R strategies as labels adapt to rapidly shifting music consumption patterns and discovery platforms.
