MPAA lobbyist to join National Music Publishers' Association

Christopher Cylke will join the National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA) next month as its senior vice president of government affairs, The Hill has confirmed.

Cylke will serve as the association's chief liaison to Capitol Hill and federal agencies, and oversee its legislative and regulatory policy affairs. He comes to the NMPA from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), where he has served as the film lobby's director of government affairs since July 2011, according to his LinkedIn profile. 

"Chris is a perfect fit. He has been working on intellectual property and copyright issues for a long time," said David Israelite, CEO of the NMPA. "He's well respected by both sides of the aisle, and as an avid guitar player, will bring his passion for music to the job." 

Cylke's first day at the NMPA will be Feb. 11.

NMPA represents U.S. music publishers and songwriters in Washington and is focused on protecting music copyrights, among other matters. Cylke joins the NMPA after Allison Halataei, who served as the group's vice president of government affairs, left the association to head back to the House Judiciary Committee earlier this month.

Prior to his work at the MPAA, Cylke was the director of congressional and public affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, where he helped lead a coalition of companies that pushed for the passage of the Pro-IP Act in 2008.

He has also held a series of leadership positions at the House Judiciary Committee, which oversees intellectual property issues such as online piracy and music royalties. Before Cylke left Judiciary to head to the U.S. Chamber in 2008, he had served as the senior legislative assistant and deputy parliamentarian at the committee.

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