The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) has announced that longtime ASCAP executive and songwriter advocate Mike Sistad has been promoted to vice president and will lead its Nashville Membership team. Sistad has been an integral member of ASCAP’s Membership group for more than 18 years and has nurtured and signed some of the organization’s top talent, including Chris Stapleton, Kelsea Ballerini, Old Dominion, Brothers Osborne, Carly Pearce and more.
Concurrently, ASCAP’s Kele Currier has been upped to the position of assistant vice president, strategic services, membership, reporting to Sistad.
Executive Vice President of Membership John Titta stated, “Mike has been an essential member of our Membership team for many years, and his understanding of the needs of our valuable songwriter and publisher community in Nashville is unparalleled. His reputation as a fierce advocate for songwriters and his close bonds with our Nashville members make him the perfect choice to lead our talented team in Music City.” He continued, “Kele’s dedication to the livelihoods of our songwriter and publisher members is immense. She has consistently proven her excellence as a strategic resource while delivering exceptional service to our members.”
Originally from Minnesota, Sistad has worked on both the creative and business sides of the music industry. As a musician, he has performed across most of North America, including stops at the Houston Rodeo and Calgary Stampede, as well as radio and television performances including A Prairie Home Companion and the Grand Ole Opry. A Belmont University graduate, Sistad has held many roles, including a stint with legendary Muscle Shoals producer/musician Barry Beckett, an A&R executive position with Arista Records Nashville, and band member for two-time ASCAP Country Songwriter/Artist of the Year Phil Vassar. In 2001, he joined ASCAP’s Nashville Membership team as creative director. Sistad has previously served as both a Board Governor and Chapter Advisor for the Nashville Chapter of the Recording Academy, in addition to being a CMA and ACM member, and Leadership Music alumni.
Currier’s more than 20 years in the music business began with administration and licensing positions with publishers, which led to the title of audit manager at publishing administration company Integrated Copyright Group (ICG). While at ICG, Currier met ASCAP hit songwriter Craig Wiseman, who recruited her to assist in opening his Big Loud Bucks administration arm.
As executive vice president, she co-managed Wiseman’s catalogs along with the catalogs of Big Tractor Publishing, Extreme Writers Group, and the hit catalogs of Rodney Clawson, Chris Tompkins and various independent publishers. In 2010, Currier joined ole Music Publishing as director of administration, where she led the U.S administration presence for their Toronto-based offices and negotiated all synchronization deals for the company and their clients. In 2013, Currier came to ASCAP in the role of director of strategic services, membership, where she handled key distribution projects for the country and Christian music markets and assisted in resolving high-level membership issues.
