Michael I. Koch

Founder and CEO KOCH Entertainment

Michael Koch is the founder and CEO of KOCH Entertainment, one of America’s leading independent record and music distribution companies.

Born in 1962 in Innsbruck, Austria, Michael Koch graduated from the Leopold Franzens University in Innsbruck, Austria, with a Doctorate in Law and a Diploma in Business Administration in 1984.

In 1987, Koch immigrated to the United States to found KOCH Entertainment. The company expanded rapidly and was named #315 on Inc. magazine’s 1992 list of America’s 500 fastest-growing private companies. Koch was one of 30 Inc. 500 CEOs age 30 or younger and won the Entrepreneur of the Year award for New York in 1995.

Koch revolutionized independent music distribution in America by becoming the first national independent music distributor in 1991. Today, KOCH Entertainment is one of the largest independent music companies in the U.S., encompassing record labels and music and video distribution companies in the U.S. and Canada.

Michael Koch serves on the board of the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) and The American Austrian Foundation. His other personal affiliations include Amnesty International and The Nature Conservancy. He lives in New York City with his wife Laura Giadorou-Koch, an attorney, and two sons.

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