Cary Sherman is the president of RIAA. As president Mr. Sherman represents the interests of the $14 billion U.S. sound recording industry -- the largest market for prerecorded music in the world. He coordinates the industry's legal, policy and business objectives and his responsibilities include technology, licensing, enforcement, and government affairs issues, among others. He also serves as the General Counsel of the organization. National Journal has described Mr. Sherman as an "intellectual property guru" and "one of the top copyright attorneys in the country."

Before joining the RIAA in 1997, Mr. Sherman was a senior partner at the Washington, D.C. firm of Arnold & Porter, where he was the head of the firm’s Intellectual Property and Technology Practice Group. One of his special areas of expertise during his 26 years at Arnold & Porter was reconciling developing technologies and intellectual property laws.

Mr. Sherman graduated from Cornell University in 1968, and Harvard Law School in 1971. An accomplished musician and songwriter, Mr. Sherman is an officer of the board of the Levine School of Music in Washington, D.C. He also serves on the boards of the Copyright Society and BNA’s Patent, Trademark and Copyright Journal, and has served on numerous other boards, including the Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts, The Computer Law Association, and The Computer Lawyer. He is also co-author of a two-volume treatise published by BNA Books, Computer Software Protection Law.