Executive Turntable: Spotify’s UK Boss Departs; TuneCore and 10K Add to C-Suite
Written by djfrosty on December 8, 2023
If it’s Friday, you know it’s time for another spin around the Executive Turntable, Billboard’s comprehensive(ish) compendium of promotions, hirings, exits and firings — and all things in between — across the global music industry.
Tom Connaughton is out as Spotify’s managing director in the UK and Ireland, he announced this week on social media. The British-born executive joined the streaming giant in March of 2018 as head of artist and label marketing before getting a quick promotion three months later to his most recent role, which centered on driving content strategy and artist partnerships in the two powerful markets. He came to Spotify after seven years at Vevo, including two as senior vp of creative content & programming. In that role, he had responsibility for artist and label relationships across the U.S., U.K. and eleven different international markets and was based in New York at the time.
Earlier this week, Spotify chief Daniel Ek outlined an aggressive round of job cuts at the company, however a spokesperson for the company declined to comment when asked if Connaughton’s exit was related in any way. He has spent a good chunk of the last year on paternity leave, a perk that was the subject of a recent Fortune profile, and in his LinkedIn announcement, which was gracious and positive in tone, said he’s looking forward to “taking some time out to spend with my young family.” He added in his note: “The UK and Ireland is a massive market for Spotify, and the business today is unrecognisable to what it was when I first joined. That’s all been made possible by the incredible people that I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside. They all care so deeply about giving a platform to artists and creators, and to providing an amazing user experience for all of us to enjoy.”
As Music Business Worldwide noted in their coverage, Connaughton is the second market honcho to exit following last week’s departure of Jenny Hermanson as MD of the Nordics.
Warner Chappell Music tapped Jessica Entner to be its first vice president of creative sync strategy, a multi-faceted role focused on business development, partnerships and working directly with agencies and brands to realize WCM writers’ creative goals. Based in Los Angeles, she reports to Keith D’Arcy, WCM’s senior vp of sync and creative services. Entner arrives with roughly 24 years of industry experience under her belt, dating back to stints at Maverick Publishing, FM Rocks, Elias Arts and Massive Music, among others. Since 2016, she has helmed JEM, a music company focused on guiding creative strategy and production for advertising agencies and brands. “The media landscape is changing, and the creative needs of our clients in advertising, branding, and promotion are changing with it,” notes evp of global synchronization Rich Robinson. “Jessica is the perfect person to work with both our music partners and our songwriters to navigate these shifts and deepen the strategic relationship between music creators and brands.”
Elliot Grainge’s 10K Projects, which recently became a standalone label under Warner Music, named Max Gore to chief financial officer and promoted Blake Brown-Grakal to general counsel and Samuel Cohen to general manager. All three execs are LA-based. Gore swivels over from WMG, where he most recently served as vp of finance and operations at WMX. Brown-Grakal, a former drum tech for Ringo Starr’s band, joined 10K in 2020 as an associate director of business and legal affairs. Cohen has been with the label since 2017 and has worked across A&R, marketing and biz dev. “As we look forward to a new phase of growth at 10K, reinforcing our core executive team is crucial,” said Grainge. “Max brings with him well over a decade of finance experience, the majority within the Warner system. Blake’s facility in communicating with artists and their teams on business matters has been a game-changer for us over these past three years. And Sam has been at 10K since the very beginning, helping to guide every chapter of our development at the label.”
300 Entertainment promoted Lallie Jones to vp of marketing and Josh D’Amore to senior vp of digital and streaming. Jones — who was 300 Entertainment’s first employee, starting in 2015 as co-founder Lyor Cohen’s executive assistant — has overseen marketing campaigns for artists like PinkPantheress, $NOT and Phony Ppl, while D’Amore manages the commerce, digital strategy and streaming operation for the label. “Lallie and Josh are both incredibly valuable members of the 300 Entertainment team,” 300 co-presidents Selim Bouab and Rayna Bass said. “They have been a vital part of some of our biggest success stories, and will undoubtedly play crucial roles in many more to come.” –Dan Rys
Indie distributor TuneCore appointed Brian Miller as the company’s new chief revenue officer — a role last filled by the company’s now-CEO Andreea Gleeson. As CRO, Miller’s M.O. will be to spearhead revenue growth strategies, securing strategic partnerships and developing innovative ways to expand-and-retain TuneCore’s roster of artists and labels. Miller arrives from Angi (formerly Angie’s List), where for nearly three years he was chief growth officer at the popular DIY home services platform. Before that he spent six years in various executive roles at handyman-finding site Handy HQ, which was acquired by Angi in 2018. “Brian’s hands-on experience scaling SaaS businesses, forging dynamic partnerships and leading growth strategies—along with his passion for developing independent artists—make him an invaluable addition to our senior management team as we innovate to drive artist growth,” said Gleeson.
BMI promoted Tim Pattison to senior director of creative, effective immediately. In this New York City-based role, Pattison scouts and signs new songwriters and publishers, plus acts as point-person for various writer-focused showcases including the monthly Acoustic Lounge, the funnily titled Speed Dating for Songwriters, and showcases at Austin City Limits, SXSW and others. Since joining BMI in 2015, Pattison has handled writer/publisher relations for a slew of BMI stars, namely Doja Cat, Ice Spice and Yung Gravy, among others. Prior to BMI, the Ohio University and NYU alum held positions at Spirit Music Group and Fat Possum Records.
All in the Family: Penske Media’s venerable Dick Clark Productions hired veteran executive Sara Kantathavorn as senior vice president of talent strategy and promoted Jeremy Lowe to vp of talent and partnerships. Kantathavorn arrives after a five-year stretch at Apple Music, where she rose to head of global talent development and managed and developed the streaming service’s roster of hosts worldwide. Prior to Apple, she served in vp-level roles at Viacom Digital Studios and Revolt TV. Lowe’s roots run deep at DCP, where he started as an intern in 2009 and was most recently an executive director of marketing and talent partnerships. He and Kantathavorn will work closely together to help shape the DCP talent strategy across its events, which include The Billboard Music Awards, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest and the Academy of Country Music Awards. “Sara’s experience leading talent teams and strategy coupled with Jeremy’s enthusiasm and passion for artist discovery make for a winning combination,” said Jay Penske, CEO, chairman and founder of Penske Media. “Talent will always be at the core of everything we do at DCP.”
London-based booking agency One Fiinix Live added veteran agent John Pantle to the team, effective immediately. Pantle joins after a five-year stretch at Sound Talent Group, where he was partner and handled a coming-with-him roster that includes Hatsune Miku, Julieta Venegas and Radwimps, among others. Prior to STG, he spent nine years at APA and three at UTA. “This business was built on creative ideas, entrepreneurship and personalities and John has all these attributes,” said One Fiinix Live founder and CEO Jon Ollier, who personally books the company’s biggest client (rhymes with Ned Beeran). Pantle will be based in Los Angeles but work London hours.
ICYMI:
Paul Vogel (pictured) will step down as Spotify’s chief financial officer on March 31, 2024 … Daniel McCartney and Brandon Frankel joined 33 & West, the L.A.-based booking agency … Luis Fernández is the new chairman of NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises … and Paul Hitchman was promoted to COO at AWAL.
Shane McAnally’s publishing, management and artist development company SMACK backed Molly Bouchon to be its director of marketing & artist development, effective immediately. Bouchon joined SMACK in 2019 as director of digital. In her new role, Bouchon will continue her digital work across SMACK and add SMACKRecords to her list of responsibilities. Bouchon will now oversee label marketing and social strategy, press/partner pitching and distribution for SMACKRecords artists. “Molly has made herself an integral piece of everything we do at SMACK. She has a unique role that interfaces with all the divisions here and works with them all at a high level. This promotion reflects her high quality of work within those roles and expands it with the addition of SMACKRecords,” say Robert Carlton, president of SMACK.
Musicians On Call, the non-profit bringing live music to hospitals, announced the inaugural members of its national Music Industry Advisory Board. The members of MOC’s Music Industry Advisory Board are: Jessica Abel (G7 Entertainment Marketing), Adrienne Assip (Epic Records), Erin Burr (RIAA), Alex Ciasnocha (Warner Music Nashville), Hayden Coplen (Wasserman Music Los Angeles), Stephanie DeMarco (Spotify), Laura Fuller (FlyteVu), Kristen Reed (Universal Music Group), Rachel Inglesino (Jonas Group Entertainment), Sydni Joseph (Big Plan Holdings), Derek Roberge (Sony Music Entertainment), Torianne Valdez (Musicians On Call), Liliana Villarreal (iHeartRadio).
Radio, Radio: Cumulus Media is elevating Collin Jones to president of Westwood One, starting New Year’s Day, taking over for a departing Suzanne Grimes. Jones joined Cumulus in 2011 and later helped with the acquisition of Westwood One before eventually becoming evp of corporate strategy and development. Grimes has overseen Westwood One’s vast network of radio stations since 2015 and was integral in pushing the company into podcasting. She has the dual title as evp of corporate marketing at Cumulus … iHeartMedia restructured its Markets Group to introduce five new division presidents overseeing the company’s region, metro and community divisions. At metro will be Kristin Foley, Chris Soechtig and DJ Hodge. Over in the region division, Bernie Weiss and Paul Corvino will lead … Then, iHeart announced two other division presidents would be departing: markets group president Scott Hopeck and division president Kim Guthrie … Warner Music Nashville‘s national director of radio, Chris Fabiani, is leaving the label in the new year. He joined WMG in 2020 following a decade with UMG.