BETTER NOISE MUSIC, the artist development company and the premier independent record label operating under BETTER NOISE ENTERTAINMENT, a content creation and marketing company that produces music, books, films, documentaries, TV shows, theatrical productions, and tours, is pleased to announce several key staff promotions and an addition for 2026.
Michael Lombardi has been promoted to Chief Creative Officer, while Nashville-based Erick Charles has been upped to Vice President of Marketing. Rounding out the marketing department is new hire Sarah Sigro, who will be based in Nashville, as well. Sigro stepped into her role earlier this week.
"We are incredibly fortunate to have Erick and Michael on the Better Noise team," states General Manager Paul Cormack. "Today, we celebrate each of these well-earned promotions recognizing strategic ability and commitment to artist development."
Lombardi's origin story begins as an actor, with a 100-episode series regular run on Emmy and Golden Globe–nominated FX series Rescue Me and notable appearances across a variety of television series and feature films. That body of work in film and television didn't just shape him as a performer — it trained him as a leader. Years on set taught Lombardi how to build and run a crew, guide a creative vision from concept to completion, and think like an entrepreneur. Approaching each project like a "helicopter, not a tank," he learned to see the full landscape, work from the endgame backward, and keep teams aligned around a shared, big-picture goal. Lombardi joined Better Noise Music's film division as a studio production executive in 2020. In 2021, he became Head of Production at Better Noise Music.
"I've always believed we're not just a record label," Lombardi states. "We're a storytelling company that thinks outside the box. We don't operate like an assembly line. We're an artist development company and we go deep with our artists, their lyrics, and the worlds they create—and that collaborative energy is what I'm most proud to further grow as Chief Creative Officer."
Charles, who joined Better Noise Music as Director of Marketing in February 2025, earns his VP stripes after having spent over two decades in the industry. His career launched in the label world at Fueled By Ramen and Roadrunner Records, working with a roster of platinum-selling and culture-dictating acts such as Paramore, Panic! At The Disco, twenty one pilots, Turnstile, Slipknot, and countless others.
Ever-evolving, Charles has also worked in the music tech and events space, overseeing marketing for livestream concerts, artist mobile apps, fan clubs, and VIP experiences. The Nashville-based Charles leads marketing efforts for a vast array of acts, including Five Finger Death Punch, Sabaton, Yellowcard, NOTHING MORE, The Funeral Portrait, and others.
"Over the past year, I've had the opportunity to build alongside an incredible team at Better Noise Music," Charles states. "Stepping into the role of Vice President of Marketing is an honor and I'm excited to continue helping our artists creatively connect with and grow their audiences."
ABOUT BETTER NOISE MUSIC:
Better Noise Music founded in 2006 by music industry veteran and independent pioneer Allen Kovac, focuses on artist development and has grown into a music industry independent powerhouse, with a roster including Five Finger Death Punch, Yellowcard, Sabaton, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Bad Wolves, Dirty Heads, The Rasmus, NOTHING MORE, The HU, From Ashes To New, Cory Marks, Eva Under Fire, and The Funeral Portrait. The company operates a global marketing and distribution platform with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, Austin, Miami, London, Berlin, Toronto, and Sydney. The label was named Billboard’s #1 Mainstream Rock Airplay Label and #1 Mainstream Rock Airplay Imprint of 2024, after its history-making run of 5 consecutive years as the #1 Mainstream Rock Airplay Imprint (2018-2022).
