Lou Plaia is the A&R Director, North America for Sentric Music, a global, award-winning independent music publisher. Plaia's main role is to add to Sentric’s roster via new signings, business opportunities, partnerships and acquisitions. Sentric offers rights management services to over 400,000 songwriters and represents more than 4 million works globally either directly or via partners, including music publishers, independent labels, management companies and distributors that benefit from Sentric’s publishing administration, co-publishing, creative services, and sync licensing.  

Plaia also launched Hot Rats Entertainment in January 2022 and manages the female-fronted metalcore band, Deadlands. 

Plaia is also an Adjunct Professor at Five Towns College in New York where he teaches classes on Artist Management and Concert Production & Promotion.

In 2006, Plaia co-founded ReverbNation and “disrupted” the music business by equaling the playing field when they began to offer ALL artists the promotional tools, distribution, publishing administration, and opportunities previously only available to artists who were signed to record labels. Within a few years it became the largest DIY Artist Services Platform for musicians in the world, with more than 5 million artists/bands using the platform. Plaia created alliances with dozens of record labels, publishing companies and managers to act as an A&R source resulting in hundreds of artists being signed to their respective companies. He also created partnerships with dozens of the largest festivals in the world whereby thousands of emerging ReverbNation artists were given the opportunity to perform in front of tens of millions of music fans. Festival partnerships included Warped Tour, Firefly, Bonnaroo, Summerfest, Louder Than Life, Rockahoma, Sturgis Buffalo Chip, Carolina Country Music Fest, as well as hundreds of other small and large events. Plaia also created partnerships with dozens of Music Conferences whereby thousands of ReverbNation artists showcased for industry representatives. Conference partnerships included SXSW, Canadian Music Week, CMJ, Launch Music Conference, The Great Escape, MONDOnyc and many others. Plaia and his partners sold ReverbNation in November 2021.

Prior to ReverbNation, from 2002-2005, Plaia was the Head of Marketing and Artist Development for Atlantic Records imprint, Lava Records. At Lava, Plaia oversaw all aspects of Marketing and Artist Development for the label and this included creating and implementing marketing campaigns for such artists as Kid Rock, Matchbox 20, Simple Plan, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, O.A.R., Uncle Kracker, Blue Man Group, Nonpoint, Skindred, and many others.

From 1990-2002, Plaia worked at Atlantic Records where his last role was VP of Strategic Marketing. Reporting directly to the President of Atlantic Records led him to play a key role in the strategic development, financial growth, and increased worldwide presence of the company. Plaia worked in some capacity with artists such as Stone Temple Pilots, Jewel, Hootie & the Blowfish, Collective Soul, George Carlin, Brandy, Lil’ Kim, and hundreds of others. He was also responsible for negotiating strategic partnerships such as Nascar's Chevy Rock n Roll 400, Schick's Intuition Tour, Disney's Grad Night and many other sponsorship deals.