Raffaella Braun and Annie Ortmeier Make Triple Tigers A Groundbreaker For Country Executives
Categoria: Musica
In this week's Country Update lead story, Braun was recently named co-president of the country label alongside Ortmeier after Kevin Herring announced he was stepping down.
Por Billboard | 21/07/2026
When Triple Tigers co-president Kevin Herring announced he was stepping down from the position on July 6, he set up a new dynamic for the country music business. Raffaella Braun took over the position after serving as vp of radio promotion. She teams with Annie Ortmeier to form the first all-female co-president tandem at a country label of significance. That development came, coincidentally, as women owned each of the top 5 slots on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs for what’s now stretched to five consecutive weeks. It’s the fifth time since 1980 that women have sewed up the top 5 on the list, but the first time that they’ve maintained the accomplishment past two weeks. Related The Academy of Country Music Names Andy Schuon New CEO: ‘Country Music is Having a Global Moment’ Desiigner Arrested on Domestic Violence Charge in South Carolina DJ Quik Says His Son 'Made a Mistake' Following Murder Conviction, Pleads With Fans to Stop Asking About It “I remember 10 years ago thinking that ‘with so many women in these executive roles, where are the women on the artist side?’” Ortmeier recalls. “Now, with Ella [Langley] , who we represent from the radio side, and Megan [Moroney] , and Taylor Swift making a comeback into country, and Lainey [Wilson] having blazed a trail, it feels like that’s catching up.” Setting a precedent for women in Nashville’s female ranks isn’t a development that Braun saw coming. The former Montclair, N.J., resident relocated to Music City to study at Vanderbilt University in 1998 and was surprised at how quickly she adapted. “I said I would come to a Southern school, but I would never listen to country music, ever, and I would never join a sorority,” Braun says. “I broke both of those within the first five months in Nashville.” The quality of country’s songwriting won her over, and Braun immersed herself in the city’s club scene. After school, she spent nine years at CAA before transitioning into country radio promotion, first at Warner Music Nashville, then at Triple Tigers. In both companies, she reported to Herring. “His mentoring is like nobody else,” Braun notes. “He guides with a steady hand, in terms of suggestions and motivation tactics, and he’s just very good with people. And I feel like he’s been my big brother for a long time.” Braun’s promotion may break new gender-related ground, but it provides job-related continuity. When Herring and Ortmeier were selected to run the label’s daily operations as co-presidents by Triple Tigers managing partner George Couri , the move matched two executives with complementary backgrounds. Herring had history in radio programming as well as promotion, while Ortmeier had risen through cable TV and digital marketing. Though the staff could consult with either leader, their fields of expertise provided obvious structural hierarchy. With Braun in place, Triple Tigers retains a promotion pro at the top of the management pyramid. It’s a sign of “how important radio s