Executive Turntable: Sunset Blvd. Has Devine Intervention; Republic and Wasserman Music Add New VPs
Written by djfrosty on June 23, 2023
Sunset Blvd. Records hired Tim Devine as the label’s new head of A&R. He’s already signed a trifecta of ’90s alt-rockers to the imprint: Everclear, Fastball and Butthole Surfers. Devine is perhaps best known for his integral role in reviving Bonnie Raitt’s career at Capitol Records — read about their Nick of Time triumph here — and for A&R’ing Brandi Carlile at the dawn of her career, as well as his work with Blind Melon, Katy Perry and Train. He began his career in product management at Warner Bros. Records before taking on an artist development role at MCA Records and later as vp of A&R at Capitol, where he signed Raitt and worked albums by the Beastie Boys and Paul McCartney, among others. He recently served as West Coast GM of Columbia Records. “Everyone is taking my calls,” Devine says of his new role, “and this position fits my skill set like a glove. I look forward to building the next chapter of SBR’s success.”
Valérie Bernard joined Deezer earlier this year as its chief human resources & sustainability officer. In her Paris-based role, the HR veteran is tasked with all things talent acquisition, employee development and performance management, along with developing initiatives to match the company’s environmental, social and governance goals. She arrived at the streaming service from Richemont Group, and earlier was human resources director of Canal+ International. Bernard reports directly to Deezer CEO Jeronimo Folgueira, who says she’ll “be a key player in continuing to build an open, inclusive and vibrant culture at Deezer.”
SiriusXM and Pandora have promoted Rachael Spangler to head of music talent relations and Azu Olvera to head of Latin music talent booking. Spangler and her team of eight are in charge of booking artists for interviews, live performances and other various programming and events for the satellite radio giant. She began her career at Epic Records. Olvera recently installed a massive feather in her cap for her role in opening the new SXM Miami studio and office, and the launch of the ‘Hits Uno’ channel. “We’re not thinking of Latin as a backseat but as a driver of success and engagement,” she told Billboard of the launch, which included an intimate performance by Carlos Vives, an interview with Pitbull and a Becky G town hall-style conversation.
Warner Chappell Music upped Wallace Joseph to senior vp of A&R and Jon Chen to vp of A&R. Joseph is best known for his work with some of R&B and hip-hop’s biggest talents, including Summer Walker, Wale, Ari Lennox, JetsonMade and Tay Keith. Chen has fostered a diverse roster of boundary-pushing music makers, including Ian Kirkpatrick, Benson Boone, BEAM, Sir Nolan and Ashnikko. The two will continue to report to Ryan Press, president of North America, to continue to expand WCM’s roster. –Kristin Robinson
Jan Fischer was promoted to CEO of EMP, the European specialty music and entertainment merchandise e-tailer acquired by Warner Music in 2018. Fischer has been helping to lead the company, where he has been both CFO and COO, since the departure of Ernst Trapp last month. Fischer has been part of the EMP team since 2013 and is based out of Lingen, Germany, reporting to Karl Walsh, executive vp and head of global commerce for WMG. In recent years, the standalone unit has worked with acts including Panic! At the Disco, Metallica and Guns N’ Roses, along with major brands like Disney and Marvel, to launch a network of merch websites that serve millions of customers.
Veteran music and tech PR executive Jason Roth is Wasserman Music‘s new vp of communications, overseeing the fast-expanding talent agency’s comms strategy and industry relations, among other duties. Roth has held senior roles at a who’s-who of media and tech companies, including SiriusXM, Pandora, Hewlett-Packard, Apple and Capitol Records. At the Cupertino outfit, Roth led global communications during a major expansion of iTunes and the launch of the App Store. His work at Capitol included publicity wins for The Beatles, LCD Soundsystem and Liz Phair, among others. He’s also a writer, with clippings from numerous publications including Spin, The Chicago Tribune and NPR Music, where he profiled the J. Geils Band’s signature hit.
Marguerite Jones was named vp of A&R at Republic Records, where she will oversee the overall direction of A&R strategy and work on projects for artists across hip-hop, R&B and pop. Based in Los Angeles, Jones joins the UMG powerhouse after a productive four years at Sony Music’s RCA Records, where she rose from intern to manager of A&R and singed Latto in the process. “MJ has established herself as one of the industry’s most prescient and forward-thinking A&R executives,” said label co-president Wendy Goldstein. “She has been instrumental to culture-defining breakout talent, and her ability to spot greatness is already proven.”
Also this week… Sony Music hired BPI’s Geoff Taylor for a first-of-its-kind AI role, TikTok COO V. Pappas stepped down and Tina Davis was named president of EMPIRE.
CAA has promoted Yasi Agahnia, Logan Binstock, Abe Coelho, Ryan Quint and Karen Schillinger to agent roles across various division, and Erik Toral to executive in global client strategy. In terms of disciplines, Agahnia (Los Angeles) works in the music touring area’s private events division; Binstock (LA) works with high-profile agent Christian Carino to create new business opportunities for their clients; Coelho (LA) is in the media finance department, specializing in independently financed films; Quint (LA) works in the comedy touring department and reps Craig Ferguson, Ron White and Nurse Blake, among others; and Schillinger (Nashville) is in the music touring division. As for the LA-based Toral, he will work on creating cohesive brand strategies and launching talent-led business endeavors for CAA talent. All six of the newly promoted team members come from CAA Elevate, the agency’s overhauled agent trainee program.
Anna Lisle joined Alternate Side Management, the US-based full-service management company that’s home to leading LGBTQ+ artists Meet Me @ The Altar and Cavetown. Lisle arrives from 7DS Management and brings artist Summer Salt to ASM and will take on Madds Buckley and co-manage Roekapara and Daisy Grenade. Alternate Side also recently hired John Helps, a day-to-day manager based in London and a member of post-rock band Maybeshewill. Helps works under artist manager Cory Hajde.
Michael Sherman was promoted to vp of business development at music marketing firm feature.fm, where he’ll zero in on emerging trends, conduct market research and lead negotiations with potential partners. In his previous role as director of biz dev, Sherman “spearheaded strategic initiatives to drive the company’s growth and expand its reach in the music industry,” the company said. Sherman is based in Los Angeles.
DICE appointed music industry veteran Caron Veazey to its board of directors. Veazey founded Something In Common, a management and consulting agency specializing in music, film, art and culture. Previously, she managed Pharrell Williams for nearly a decade.
Nashville Bites: Grace Watson joined Black River as senior director of streaming and revenue. She arrives from Universal Music Group’s Nashville-based Capitol Christian Music Group, where she served as manager of commercial partnerships … Warner Chappell Nashville A&R manager Bethany Mako returns to the company, where she formerly interned. Mako was working as Songs & Daughters A&R manager … Shore Fire Media promoted Nashville-based Nick Jurich to junior account executive from publicity assistant. The division’s current clients include LANCO, Dillon Carmichael and Chase Matthew … Nashville-based Gibson Brands promoted Beth Rasnick to chief of staff to the CEO. Her previous roles in the company include director of strategy and projects. –Tom Roland