As Billboard Magazine noted, Howie Klein was an ‘influential and forward-thinking record executive and political activist whose artist-first philosophy helped bring alternative music into the mainstream...Widely respected for championing creative freedom and resisting censorship, Klein left his mark on the music business through influential roles at Sire Records and Reprise Records, as well as earlier work in radio and indie labels.’ In 1987 Howie joined Seymour Stein’s Sire Records, a division of Warner Bros. Records, as VP/General Manager, working closely with artists including Lou Reed, the Ramones, Talking Heads, Depeche Mode and Morrissey. In 1997 he was promoted to President of Warner’s Reprise label, overseeing a roster that included Green Day, Alanis Morissette, Neil Young, Joni Mi.
