Beginning his career at A&M Records in radio promotion, Ritch Esra moved into A&R at Arista Records, where he signed the Thompson Twins and worked with Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick and Whitney Houston. Since forming the Music Business Registry in the early 90s, he publishes directories (A&R, Publishers, Attorneys, Producers/Engineers, and Film/TV Music) that are widely regarded as the best, most up-to-date and accurate in the record industry.