Hilary Rosen is a Democratic political strategist, CNN political commentator, and a former recording industry lobbyist. As a music industry executive from the late 1990s to the early 2000s, Rosen played a pivotal role in the ultimate dissolution of Napster and other file-sharing platforms that had previously gone unregulated. [1] [2]
Since 2010, Rosen has been a managing director of SKDKnickerbocker, a liberal public affairs firm based in Washington, D.C. [3] [4]
Background
Hilary Rosen was born on October 22, 1958 in West Orange, New Jersey. Rosen graduated from George Washington University in 1981, earning a bachelor’s degree in international business. [5] [6] Well-known in left-progressive circles, her clients have included some of the biggest names in the Democratic Party. [7]
Rosen is openly gay, has two adopted children, and currently lives in Washington, D.C. [8]
Career
Rosen has held a variety of jobs in the political world throughout her career. In college, a family friend found Rosen a job at the D.C. office of former New Jersey Governor Brendan Byrne (D). [9] Later, she went to Capitol Hill, working in the offices of former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley (D-N.J.) and U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). While the Huffington Post was in its infancy, she worked as the liberal news outlet’s political director and senior Washington editor. [10]
Recording Industry Association of America
In 1987, Rosen was hired as a lobbyist for the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). [11] A trade group representing American recording companies, the RIAA’s members include heavyweights like Sony Music Entertainment Inc. and BMG Entertainment. [12] Rosen was appointed RIAA president and chief executive officer on July 8, 1997, during the rise of internet file-sharing platforms that provided cost-free music downloads to the consumer. [13] During the campaign against internet file-sharing, Rosen spearheaded the takedown of Napster and other file-sharing websites. [14] [15]
She left the RIAA in 2003, citing a desire to spend more time with her then-partner, LGBT activist Elizabeth Birch, and their two adopted children. [16] Michael Anthony, speaking as the executive vice president of Sony Music Entertainment, said that Rosen had become “one of [the music] industry’s greatest assets.” [17]
Democratic Strategist
Rosen is also well-known known for her work as a Democratic political consultant, assisting a laundry list of left-progressive campaigns and organizations. Some of her most notable clients have included Hillary Clinton, the Democratic National Committee, and the Human Rights Campaign. [18] [19] Since 2010, Rosen has been a managing director of the powerful left-progressive public relations consultancy SKDKnickerbocker. [20] [21]
CNN Political Commentator
Aside from her political consulting career, Rosen is a CNN political commentator. [22] Prior to joining the network in 2008, she served as a political commentator for CNBC and MSNBC. [23]
Supported Causes
Rosen is currently involved with several liberal nonprofit organizations and lobbying and advocacy groups. [24] She sits on the board of directors at the Center for American Progress Action Fund (CAPAF), the Creative Coalition, and the LPAC (Lesbian Political Action Committee). [25] [26] [27] Rosen is also co-founder of TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund, a project of the National Women’s Law Center Fund. [28]