Tracy Maddux
CEO, AVL Digital Group

Maddux oversaw AVL’s sale in 2019 to Downtown Music Holdings. Early this year, AVL acquired the Dutch distributor FUGA, bringing “some exceptional music industry executives and technologists” into its fold, he says. With the combination of FUGA’s European presence and AVL’s U.S.-focused distribution flagship, CD Baby, the company’s independent artists released 30,000 titles in April — “an unprecedented pace,” says Maddux.

How He Works Now: “I used to travel internationally all the time. I haven’t been out of the country since February. Working to communicate and lead a global music organization from Portland, Ore., is a new challenge. But since we’re all using the same technologies globally — Zoom, Slack — it really feels that we haven’t missed a beat.”