MPCA :: Our Team

• JOHN HECKER • CHAIRMAN/CEO
• JOHN TITTA • PRESIDENT/CCO
• BARBARA PARAS • DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION
• BILL PORRICELLI • EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF MUSIC OPERATIONS

JOHN HECKER • CHAIRMAN/CEO

John Hecker is an entrepreneur and well respected “taste maker” in the music industry. He is the Founder, President & CEO of Hi Fi Recordings, Fi Hi Music Publishing and Merch, LLC. Prior to these, he was a founding partner in a number of successful restaurants and nightclubs in New York City and Los Angeles.

Hi Fi Recordings and Fi Hi Music Publishing were both established in 1995 as joint ventures with major record labels and publishing companies. The recording joint ventures have been with Elektra Records, Arista Records, and Virgin Records. Hi Fi Recordings has enjoyed hit singles and albums with several artists including Spacehog, Marvelous 3, Isyss and Avril Lavigne (who thus far has had combined sales of over 32,000,000 units on her first 3 albums).

Fi Hi Music Publishing was initially a joint venture with Warner/Chappell Music Inc. and that's where Hecker met John Titta, his current business partner in Music Publishing Company of America (MPCA.) Fi Hi has a roster of writers who have had hit songs themselves or had hits with artists such as Spacehog, Marvelous 3, Primitive Radio Gods, SR 71, Bowling For Soup, Avril Lavigne, Pink, Tommy Lee, Lindsay Lohan, Fall Out Boy, Pete Yorn, Lit, Simple Plan and The Donnas.

Hecker started Merch, LLC in 2004. The focus of the company is the re-issue of vintage rock merchandise for mass retail. Merch has achieved retail sales of approximately $30,000,000 since its launch.

Today, Hi Fi Recordings operates as the record label affiliated with MPCA. Hecker and Titta opted to revitalize the HiFi Recording moniker and begin releasing new albums by a roster of artists including Marie Osmond, Donny Osmond, Donny & Marie, Melinda Doolittle, Dionne Warwick, Todd Rundgren and Smashmouth, as well as one-off projects by collaborating artists and compilation projects commissioned by retailers and distributors. HiFi are actively signing artists with whom the label will work moving forward.

JOHN TITTA • President/CCO

John Titta began his publishing career with Screen Gems/EMI Music as Professional Manager, signing such acts as Surface and The Smithereens. He worked with legendary songwriters Carole King and Lou Reed, and had songs covered by Tina Turner, Grover Washington Jr., Alice Cooper, Joan Jett and Dave Edmunds.

Titta then moved to PolyGram Music Publishing as Vice President of A & R, signing artists Bon Jovi, Pearl Jam, Brian McKnight, k.d. lang and songwriter Jimmy Webb. He was also responsible for individual hit songs including "Save The Best For Last" by Vanessa Williams and "The Folks That Live On The Hill" by Tony Bennett. Titta was credited for his A&R work on the compilation album "Two Rooms, A Tribute To Elton John and Bernie Taupin" and multiple movie soundtracks, such as "Young Guns II: Blaze of Glory."

From 1993 - 2005, Titta served as Senior Vice President / General Manager of Warner Chappell Music, Inc. in New York, where he signed such acts as Fat Joe, Missy Elliott, Kid Rock, Collective Soul, India.Arie, Cassandra Wilson, Semisonic, Uncle Kracker, Shaggy, Simple Plan and Bruce Hornsby. He also scored success with individual hits such as the Grammy Award-winning "Smooth" by Santana, "Cry Me A River" by Justin Timberlake, "Lean Back" by Terror Squad," "Waiting For Tonight" by Jennifer Lopez, "One Of Us" by Joan Osborne, "I Love You Always Forever" by Donna Lewis, "Pon De Replay" by Rihanna and many more, including songs recorded by Celine Dion, Ricky Martin, Patty Loveless and Marc Antony.

BARBARA PARAS • DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION

Barbara Paras was tapped for the role of Director of Administration at MPCA based on her extensive experience and deep expertise on the financial, legal and contractual intricacies inherent in the publishing realm. Ms. Paras is simultaneously responsible for ensuring MPCA's participation in publishing earnings accurately reflects the contracts and binding legal agreements of the songwriters/copyright-owners, but also oversees that MPCA's clients' are correctly compensated and credited for their works. Ms. Paras is also responsible for the intricate accounting system that enables this precise calculation and was helpful in the design of the custom computer program that addresses the unique needs a publishing entity requires to fulfill it's administrative and financial roles.

Ms. Paras' career began with a decade in A&R Administration at PolyGram Records (where she oversaw talent contracts and forecast label and artist budgets), followed by another ten years as the Supervisor of Finance Administration & Copyright at Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. (where she oversaw all the fiduciary and contractual obligations of the music publishing house.)

Ms. Paras' skills were recruited by Universal Music Group where for two years she was Supervisor of Special Markets and Custom Products/Royalties. Her expertise were harnessed to direct the financial analysis, reconciliation and projections for royalty accounting and artist revenue.

When MPCA was created, Ms. Paras was solicited to utilize her detailed eye and extensive background so that MPCA could ensure the company and its clients' needs were carefully addressed financially, contractually and legally.

BILL PORRICELLI • EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF MUSIC OPERATIONS

Following stints at several record companies (Atlantic, RSO, Casablanca and Columbia) and in publishing (BMI, ASCAP and Harry Fox/NMPA) Porricelli made his biggest mark as Paul McCartney's longtime Senior Vice President of Promotion & New Product Development for MPL Communications, McCartney's management, publishing and production company. In that time he was responsible for promoting and marketing one of the largest privately owned music publishing companies in the world. In addition, he was responsible for placing MPL owned music in hundreds of films, television shows and commercials over his 33-year career. Porricelli also served as product manager for most of McCartney's CD and DVD releases from 1995 - 2006. During that time, he also conceived and executive produced all of McCartney's radio specials..