Island Records is relaunching its 4th & Broadway record label with LaTrice Burnette as president, Island president/CEO Darcus Beese announced today (Nov. 17).
Based in New York, Burnette will also continue her role as executive vp of Island Records. The veteran music executive, who is chair of the programming and curation committee of Universal Music Group’s Task Force for Meaningful Change, has developed creative strategies for artists like Shawn Mendes, Jessie Reyez, Toni Braxton, Demi Lovato and Skip Marley.
“LaTrice has reinforced my belief that a record company’s success is measured as much by its staff as by its artist roster,” Beese said. “There is an exciting new generation of executives who are leading the way, leaving their mark on the entire industry. LaTrice has set the standard for the future and I’m excited to relaunch the legendary 4th & Broadway, the label that helped kickstart my own career, with her at the helm.”
Originally established as an imprint of Island Records in 1984, 4th & Broadway — named after Island’s former location in New York’s East Village neighborhood — focused on hip-hop and dance music by acts like Eric B. & Rakim. It was shut down in 1998, as Island was absorbed into the merger between PolyGram and Seagram’s MCA Records that ultimately became Universal Music Group. It was briefly reactivated in 2013 as a dance-oriented imprint.
According to the announcement, the revamped 4th & Broadway and its newly-appointed staff will also form a strategic alliance with Island and Republic Records.
“LaTrice brings a strong vision and skill to the legendary label and further enhances our strategic alliance with Darcus and Island Records,” shared Republic founder/CEO Monte Lipman.
A Brooklyn native, Burnette began her career in music at Roc-A-Fella Records in 1999, and later worked in digital marketing at Atlantic Records. Prior to joining Island in 2018, she spent eight years at Epic Records, where she rose the ranks to senior vp of marketing and played an instrumental role in the album release strategy that led Future to a historic two back-to-back No. 1 album debuts on the Billboard 200 albums chart. At Epic, the Billboard Women in Music and 40 Under 40 alumna led marketing campaigns for DJ Khaled, Travis Scott, Yo Gotti, Bobby Shmurda, Ciara, Diddy and more.
“It’s an honor to continue my leadership at Island Records while heading up 4th & Broadway, a label that shaped my musical collection as a youth with artists like Eric B. & Rakim,” Burnette said. “As someone who is from and grew up in Brooklyn, it’s an absolute thrill to be able to help shape the future of such a herald New York label. I spent most of my teenage years at that exact intersection in lower Manhattan digging through CDs and vinyl at the legendary Tower Records. Thank you to Darcus and Monte for their support and belief in my vision for Island and 4th & Broadway.”