Executive Turntable
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Concord Records and Fantasy Records have merged, their parent company Concord Label Group announced Tuesday (Sept. 10). The combined label will be called Concord Records.
The label will be headed up by co-presidents Margi Cheske, who was formerly president of Fantasy Records, and Mark Williams, who previously served as interim president of both Concord Records and Rounder Records (now led by Stephanie Hudacek). Both are based in L.A. and report to Concord Label Group CEO Tom Becci.
While leading Fantasy Records, Cheske built a roster that includes Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Allison Russell, James Taylor, Seether, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Lake Street Dive, Valerie June, Diiv, Lucius, LS Dunes, Taking Back Sunday, Marcus King Band, Grace Potter, Devon Gilfillian and Tanya Tucker. Prior to that, she was senior vp of marketing at Concord.
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In his prior role as interim president at both Concord and Rounder Records, Williams shepherded the release of music by artists including Sierra Ferrell, Billy Strings and The Revivalists and signed acts including Thirty Seconds To Mars, John Vincent III, Bella White, Amythyst Kiah, Daffo, Nitefire, Luke Tyler Shelton and Spacey Jane.
Cheske and Williams met while both were working at Virgin Records, where Cheske was The Smashing Pumpkins’ product manager and Williams was in A&R. Williams boasts a 44-year history in the business and previously founded Outpost Recordings before joining Interscope in 2001 and Columbia in 2010.
The new Concord label’s roster includes esperanza spalding, Lindsey Sterling, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Taking Back Sunday, Seether, The Offspring and Thirty Seconds To Mars, along with emerging acts like Russell, Vincent and Matt Berninger.
Along with the announcement comes the reveal of a new Concord Records logo.
“In a music landscape where radical change has become the norm, it is vital that labels position themselves to manage complex challenges deftly,” said Becci in a statement. “This merger allows Concord to best utilize our global platform while maintaining the boutique level of service artists have come to expect. I know Mark and Margi share this notion, and their combined resources, alongside their complementary skill sets, will be a real benefit to the artists we serve.”
Added Williams, “Both Concord and Fantasy Records have always pursued artists with a unique vision and story to tell; the combined Concord Records will have an environment where those creative visions will be nurtured and supported.”
“This merger will allow us to better maximize our resources in service of those visions,” said Cheske. “Ultimately, this means a much more global, interconnected approach—allowing us, in concert with our incredible roster of artists, to bring their music to audiences around the world.”
The merger of the Fantasy and Concord labels is just the latest among several recent changes at the label group. Becci, who joined as CEO in August 2023, has previously restructured parts of the company, including by naming Hudacek president at Rounder Records and making changes to executive leadership in operations, marketing, and data analysis and streaming.
In a previous interview with Billboard, Becci alluded to the merger by calling the appointments of Cheske and Williams “a formidable frontline duo that can deliver on both new and developing artists,” adding, “They were swimming in the same pond, and I think together they’re going to own the pond.”
Welcome to another edition of Executive Turntable, Billboard’s comprehensive(ish) compendium of promotions, hirings, exits and firings — and all things in between — across music. While you’re here, check out Billboard’s fresh list of top R&B and Hip-Hop executives leading the genres forward, plus our weekly interview series spotlighting a single executive and a regularly updated gallery honoring many of the industry figures we’ve lost throughout the year.
Erika Savage has joined the entertainment department of top music law firm King, Holmes, Paterno & Soriano, Billboard can announce. A multi–year honoree in our annual list of influential women in music, Savage was most recently senior vp of global music operations at United Talent Agency, where she oversaw all operational elements of UTA’s global touring division. The bulk of Savage’s roughly 25-year career, however, was spent at Universal Music Group, where she rose to senior vp of strategic development at Interscope Records, developing integrated artist brand strategies across music, brand partnerships, merchandise and touring. “We are delighted to supplement our deep bench of entertainment attorneys with someone at the top of her game,” said managing partner Howard King. Here, Savage expands on her big move from agency life to KHPS:
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Why join private practice at this point in your career? The idea of artist advocacy. Being an artist lawyer in the music industry is the greatest privilege because you are entrusted to protect your client’s rights and to bring value as a strategic advisor. After many incredible experiences gained working within a major label, building brands, and in global touring, I finally feel like I’m doing what I was meant to do – directly advocating for artists. I’m particularly inspired by the fact that more women artists, producers and songwriters are looking for women to be part of their team as lawyers, managers, agents and business managers. It’s exciting that our shared experiences as women in music will allow us to find ways to be entrepreneurial together.
What issue concerns you the most in music? When I started in business affairs at UMG, the major label deal was largely considered the path to superstar artist status. Now, while it’s great that there are fewer gate keepers and far more access points for artists to distribute their music, the legal landscape is far more complicated for developing artists. Navigating all these distributors and platforms can be really overwhelming for an artist just trying to break through. Being a TikTok artist is an incredible catalyst but career longevity requires a strategy beyond achieving 24 hours on the top of a For You page. We represent some incredible legacy artists. We want to make sure that our clients who are currently young and developing clients have similarly vibrant legacy careers in 20 years.
Meanwhile…
All My Friends, the event production company behind the floating dance festival FriendShip, hired industry veteran Randy Sosin as its first head of creative content. As AMF’s creative chief, Sosin will manage everything from ideation to delivery of all areas of creative branding and promotion for the company, founded by dance impresario Gary Richards. Sosin arrives to AMF following a six-year stretch as chief content officer at The X, a digital content agency not to be confused with the social network. He has also held senior roles at Insomniac Events, MTV, Gang of Fore and Interscope, where he spent the early aughts producing videos, short films and other visual goodies for artists including Eminem, 50 Cent, Enrique Iglesias and others. “I am so fortunate that I am able to come on board and help Gary and AMF grow and expand FriendShip (the greatest party in the world), but also be a part of an amazing team,” said Sosin. “Gary is an inspiration to me, and I look forward to helping show the world what I have known for years.”
Christoffer Lindh was promoted to head of A&R and Atena Banisaid to general manager of Sony Music Publishing Scandinavia. Both Stockholm-based execs will continue reporting to Johnny Tennander, managing director and svp of A&R international for SMPS. As his title implies, Lindh is now tasked with leading the company’s A&R-related endeavors across Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden and Denmark). In his 15 years at the publisher, Lindh has signed and/or worked with Yung Lean and Sad Boys, Scarlet Pleasure, Cashmere Cat and others. For Banisaid, her role as GM means growing the overall business and crafting forward-thinking initiatives. She’ll also continue lending a hand on Lindh’s A&R team, where she has worked with Benjamin Ingrosso, Giift and other artists. “It feels very good to elevate Christoffer and Atena to these key positions for Sony Music Publishing Scandinavia,” noted Tennander. “They have for a long time both proven to be incredibly important to our A&R team, but also to our wider team and company.”
Downtown Music promoted David Driessen to chief commercial officer, effective immediately. He’ll lead efforts to drive revenue across the company’s four divisions — publishing, distribution, artist/label services and financial services — and continue to report to CEO Pieter van Rijn. Driessen was previously CCO of FUGA, the Downtown-owned B2B music distributor, before sidling over to Downtown in early 2023 to become chief business officer.
PULSE Music Group promoted Tizita Makuria to senior vp of A&R for both PMG and PULSE Records. She’ll focus on signing and developing new talent, and then finding creative opportunities for them. Based in Los Angeles, Makuria holds bragging rights as the company’s first hire to PULSE Records, where she was part of the team that signed “Million Dollar Baby” phenom Tommy Richman to the PULSE/ISO Supremacy joint venture. Prior to joining PMG in 2022 as vp of A&R, Makuria held down the senior director of A&R role at Artist Publishing Group. “Tizita brings a positive energy to every meeting—she’s passionate about her writers and recording artists and she has a relentless drive to deliver good results for them,” said co-CEOs Scott Cutler and Josh Abraham, and president Ashley Calhoun. Earlier this summer, PMG upped Steven Gringer to svp of A&R.
Mike Harris announced his departure as executive vp and COO of Universal Music Group Nashville. According to Music Row, Harris is leaving the position at the end of the month for an as-yet unannounced opportunity. A source tells Billboard that a replacement will be announced soon. Harris joined UMGN in 2016 as COO following a three-year stint as evp/general manager of Caroline, UMG’s since-renamed label and artist services company. Harris’ previous work experience includes 15 years with EMI in a variety of roles, including evp/GM for label services, evp/finance director, global A&R operations for EMI’s new music division and evp/CFO for various labels and divisions within EMI.
NASHVILLE NOTES: The Core Entertainment added day-to-day managers Jackie Gomez and Brittani Johnson to the company’s artist management team in Nashville. Gomez most recently served as DtD manager of Charlie Puth while at Friends at Work, where she also A&R’d a number of up-and-coming artists. Johnson arrives from Big Loud, where as director of Southwest promotion she played a major role in boosting the signals of Morgan Wallen, HARDY, Ashley Cooke and others … Invasion Group expanded with the launch of a new Nashville office. Leading the Music City office is artist manager Courtney Oertel. Among the artists on Invasion Group’s roster are Ani DiFranco, John Driskell Hopkins, Rissi Palmer, The Righteous Babes, Blackstar Symphony and Ken Butler.
Jared Gibo was named CEO of specialty live entertainment company LiveCo’s new full-service, global faith-based promotion arm, TPR. TPR merges three promotion companies that LiveCo previously acquired—Transparent, Premier and Rush Concerts—into the newly-minted TPR. With the creation of TPR, Transparent Productions founder and CEO Tim Taber has been promoted to the LiveCo management team as chief strategy officer. Premier Productions CEO Michael Pugh was also promoted to LiveCo as chief operating officer. TPR works with artists including Anne Wilson, Cece Winans, Chris Tomlin, Forrest Frank, Gaither Vocal Band, Dude Perfect, Jeremy Camp, Josiah Queen, KB, MercyMe, Tauren Wells and more. –Jessica Nicholson
Music curation and licensing firm SoStereo elevated Lindsey Camerota to CEO, effective immediately. Camerota joined SoStereo in March, as chief marketing officer, following senior marketing roles at fintech startup Tomo, experiential tech company Superlogic, something called “Spotify” and fitness giant Equinox. Earlier in her career, Camerota served as a marketing manager at Republic Records. “Building a career in the music industry has been a lifelong dream,” she said. “I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to advance SoStereo’s mission of making brand narratives powerful, memorable experiences with accessible, high-quality music.”
ALL IN THE FAMILY: Amanda Smith is promoted from president to chief executive officer of Fairchild Media Group, overseeing a portfolio of brands that includes Women’s Wear Daily, WWD Weekend, Beauty Inc, Footwear News, Sourcing Journal, Rivet and Fairchild Live Events. Like Billboard, FMG is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Prior to joining Fairchild in September 2020, Smith served in senior positions at print powerhouses including Fast Company, The New York Times, Vogue and The Wall Street Journal, among others. She is based in NYC and reports to Celine Perrot-Johnson, executive vp of operations and finance at PMC.
Kerri Kolen is the new vp of PAVE Publishing House, the independent print and audiobook division of PAVE Studios. Kerri was previously vp and head of audiobooks at Pushkin Industries and a creative executive at Audible, and has worked with notable authors and celebrities, including Kelly Osbourne, Carrie Fisher, Kate Winslet and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, among others.
ICYMI:
Jackie Winkler
Recent executive of the week Jackie Winkler was promoted to senior vp and head of A&R at Island Records … Martijn Tel joined BMI as the performing rights organization’s new chief financial officer … Ultra Records veteran Eddie Spears joined Republic Records as its new evp of creative … and Rachelle Jean-Louis was named executive of the year in Billboard‘s 2024 R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players list.
Last Week’s Turntable: HYBE-Owned Label ADOR Replaces CEO
BMI named Martijn Tel to be its new chief financial officer on Wednesday, the performing rights organization said in a statement. Tel joins BMI from the global data & information services provider Gerson Lehrman Group, where he also served as CFO. He will report to BMI’s president and CEO Mike O’Neill. Since being acquired by the private […]
Republic Records has appointed Eddie Sears as its new executive vice president of creative, effective immediately. The announcement was made on Sept. 3 by Republic president and chief operating officer Jim Roppo.
In his new role, Sears will lead Republic’s creative team, working closely with the label’s entire roster. His responsibilities will include overseeing creative strategy, packaging design, visual storytelling, and immersive fan experiences for both superstar artists and emerging talent.
The department will also focus on short and long-form visuals, photo shoots, logo creation, and more.
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Roppo commented on the appointment, stating, “Eddie doesn’t just dig into the music; he completely entrenches himself within each artist’s vision. He studies every detail and proactively devises a creative strategy befitting of that vision. His spirit, energy, and creative expertise are unmatched, and I’m honored to welcome him to the Republic Records family.”
Sears, in turn, acknowledged the importance of creativity in the music industry. “Nothing is as powerful as an idea. On a daily basis, our team builds ideas for our artists, and we do so with an entrepreneurial mindset. Jim Roppo, Monte, and Avery Lipman know the importance of creative, and they’ve placed it at the forefront of Republic Records. Moreover, they’ve given us the latitude and support to really make an impact. It’s an honor to work with such an incredible team.”
Born in Italy, Sears has spent nearly a decade as the creative director at Ultra Records, where he worked with a diverse roster including Grammy Award-winning Black Coffee, Benny Benassi, Grammy Award-nominated Sofi Tukker, and Steve Aoki. Before that, he ran his own creative agency in Milan, serving clients across various industries. Sears is also known for his work as a singer, songwriter, and producer under the moniker Rocket Pengwin.
Sears will be based at Republic’s New York headquarters, where he will continue to bring his innovative vision and expertise to the label’s creative endeavors.
Welcome to another edition of Executive Turntable, Billboard’s comprehensive(ish) compendium of promotions, hirings, exits and firings — and all things in between — across music. While you’re here, we also have a weekly interview series spotlighting a single executive and a regularly updated gallery honoring many of the industry figures we’ve lost throughout the year.
HYBE-owned label ADOR appointed Kim Ju-young to replace founder Min Hee-jin as CEO of the imprint, home of K-pop girl group NewJeans. The decision was made on Tuesday (Aug. 27) by ADOR’s board of directors following a turbulent several months of legal disputes, allegations of defamation and an earlier attempt by HYBE to dismiss the exec, who co-founded ADOR in 2021. ADOR said Min, formerly a creative director at SM Entertainment, would continue to produce music for NewJeans. Additionally, ADOR said it will restructure in order to separate its management and production sectors. Kim most recently served as HYBE’s chief HR officer and was previously head of HR at South Korean video game publisher Krafton. The move is the second major leadership change in a month for HYBE, which recently promoted Jason Jaesang Lee to CEO, replacing Jiwon Park in the top spot ahead of what it has since dubbed its “HYBE 2.0” strategy.
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TikTok elevated Toyin Mustapha to head of music partnerships for the UK, Ireland and Sub-Saharan Africa. He joined the ByteDance-owned platform in late 2018 as music content and artist partnerships manager before shifting over to music promotions lead at SoundOn, TikTok’s DIY distribution service. “I’m really looking forward to helping the incredible team continue to build on all of their great work driving music discovery and making TikTok a true home for artists at every stage, as we support as much incredible homegrown talent as possible,” Mustapha said in announcing his move. Back at SoundOn, Nichal Sethi was upped to head of SoundOn for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). He joined the ByteDance family in 2022 from BMG, where he held a senior director-level position. Remarked Sethi: “I’ve been lucky to work with some amazing artists and teams so far and looking forward to working with many more in the future as we help more independent artists break through on TikTok and beyond.”
Universal Music Group Nashville appointed Derek Anderson as senior vp of commerce. Anderson has more than 15 years of industry and music distribution experience and in this new role, he oversees e-commerce, retail and streaming teams for the label group. Anderson’s career includes time at Sony Music’s RED Distribution, Kobalt/AWAL, The Orchard, Black River Entertainment and New West Records. “Having followed [UMGN’s] industry dominance from afar, I’m very much looking forward to building upon their great foundation and continuing to grow personally and collectively with the UMG team,” said Anderson. –Jessica Nicholson
Sony Music Publishing Australia hired Julian McGruther as senior A&R, a new position at the publisher. He’ll focus on boosting the company’s roster of local talent and report directly to Craig Hawker, Sony Music Publishing’s head of A&R/creative. McGruther joins from Mushroom Music, where in seven years he rose to creative director and worked with artist including Amy Shark, Nat Dunn and Mona Khoshoi, among others.
The Country Radio Broadcasters revealed its elected members for the organization’s 2024-2025 Board of Directors. Returning board officers for 2024-2025 are Kurt Johnson (Townsquare Media) as president, John Shomby (Country’s Radio Coach) as vice president, and Beverlee Brannigan (Beverlee Brannigan LLC Creative Coaching) as secretary. Elected/appointed members of the new board are Emily Cohen Belote (Amazon Music), Justin Chase (Beasley Media Group), Mike Harris (UMG Nashville), Debra Herman (Apple/Shazam), Jennifer Johnson (Riser House Records), Ashley Morrison (iHeartMedia/WFUS), Jordan Pettit (Opry Entertainment Group), Greg Strassell (Hubbard), Allison Warren (Cumulus Nashville) and Kristen Williams (Warner Music Nashville), while those continuing their terms are Chuck Aly (Country Aircheck), George Couri (Triple 8 Management), Gator Harrison (iHeart Country), Steve Hodges (Sony Music Nashville), Clay Hunnicut (BMLG), Kenny Jay (Albright & O’Malley & Brenner), Jon Loba (BMG North America), Mike McVay (McVay Media), RJ Meacham (Curb Records), Brent Michaels (KUZZ), Charlie Morgan (Apple Music), Rod Phillips (iHeart Country), Joel Raab (Joel Raab Country Radio & Media), Royce Risser (The Familie), Tim Roberts (Audacy/WYCD) and Matt Sunshine (The Center for Sales Strategy). –J.N.
BOARD SHORTS: Former Warner Music executive Linda Walker will be joining the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) as the UK org’s new chair, effective Sept. 1. She succeeds Ben Drury, who served for 18 months in the role. Walker spent nearly 20 years at WMG, rising from an account manager to senior vp of commercial for UK and Europe … Creator-run nonprofit Artist Rights Alliance added songwriter and voice actor Dan Navarro to its board of directors and beefed up its music council with the likes of Aerosmith, Creed, Wolfgang Van Halen, Lauren Daigle, Jerry Flowers, Myles Kennedy and Sevendust. Founded in 2013, the ARA’s mission is to provide “artists and their allies with resources, knowledge, and tools to navigate the complex music business landscape.” It launched its music council, along with an Artists’ Bill of Rights, in mid-2020 with names including Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow and Emmylou Harris. The board and council both provide advisory input and offer their oomph to advocating for legislation to benefit artists rights.
Creator-centric marketing company QYOU Media hired Karen Kehm as vp of communications. Kehm is tasked with overseeing all marketing and communications efforts, along with B2B initiatives, at the company. Prior to QYOU, she held senior communications roles at influencer marketing firm BENlabs and at AOL. “We’re thrilled to welcome Karen to the team to help continue QYOU’s forward trajectory as we head into 2025,” said Glenn Ginsburg, president of QYOU Media. “We are excited to continue to shed light on the innovative work we’re doing across the influencer marketing space, tapping into the cultural zeitgeist to connect our client partners with their target audiences, through socially relevant and authentic campaigns.”
Mike Lisanti recently departed Prodigy Artists to launch MLennial, a new artist management agency with clients including BARELY ALIVE, Kompany, MUZZ and SABAI. The Los Angeles-based manager previously served as chief operating officer at Prodigy, where he was credited with helping to revitalize the career of dubstep DJ/producer Crankdat.
ICYMI:
Celine Joshua
Former Universal Music executive and longtime music tech futurist Celine Joshua joined BMG for the newly created role of executive vp of global marketing … Dr. Kenji Kitatani is Warner Music Japan‘s first chairman in a decade … and Warner Music Brazil onboarded Tatiana Cantinho and Mariana Frensel to fortify its genre-focused strategies and strengthen its market presence.
Last Week’s Turntable: Warner Music Bolsters Global A&R Team
Warner Music Japan has appointed Dr. Kenji Kitatani to the resurrected role of chairman of the label division, effective immediately. Dr. Kitatani will work closely with WMJ’s longtime president and CEO, Kazuyuki “Kaz” Kobayashi, to boost the company’s presence in the globe’s No. 2 music market. Dr. Kitatani currently holds the title of chairman of […]
BMG has appointed Celine Joshua to the newly created role of executive vice president of global marketing, putting the industry veteran in charge of the company’s marketing strategy and operations across its 20 offices worldwide. The Los Angeles-based leader reports directly to BMG CEO Thomas Coesfeld, who late last year unveiled a “local where necessary, global where possible” strategy that shifted much of its recorded music division into global roles.
“These recent changes further enhance our ability to deliver top-tier service to our artists and songwriters on a global scale, and we’re excited to have Celine at the helm of our marketing team,” Coesfeld said in announcing Joshua’s hiring. “Her sharp digital acumen and artistic instincts will be invaluable in identifying innovative commercial opportunities for our artists, songwriters and music catalog.”
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Joshua started her career as a music-tech futurist — her first industry job was in Warner Music’s IT department before shifting to e-commerce roles in the company’s catalog division, Rhino Entertainment. From there, she was a top digital executive at Disney Music, where she worked across Hollywood Records and Walt Disney Records, and then on to Sony Music, where she was senior vp of digital for nearly five years.
In 2018, Joshua joined Universal Music Group as GM of commercial content and artist strategy and quickly formed her own Web3-focused label — called 10:22PM because that’s when she thought of it one night. The joint venture, touted as the first Web3-based imprint at a major label, was tasked with signing and developing not just recording artists, but also social media influencers and digital creators with a focus on “advancing new forms of storytelling.” 10:22PM arguably made its biggest splash by creating KINGSHIP, a first-of-its-kind virtual act made up of Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT characters.
During a five-year tenure at UMG, where she rose to evp of commercial innovation and artist strategy, Joshua also worked on projects with a diverse slate of major artists including Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, Sam Smith, Snoop Dogg, Elton John and others.
Joshua is a repeat–honoree in Billboard’s annual list of high-achieving women and she cracked the top 40 of the Power 100 in 2019.
“I’m honored to join BMG at such a pivotal time in the music industry and to work across BMG’s artist roster to create exciting ways for them to connect with fans around the world,” said Josua. “I’m thankful to Thomas for this opportunity and I’m looking forward to working with the BMG team.”
Welcome to another edition of Executive Turntable, Billboard’s comprehensive(ish) compendium of promotions, hirings, exits and firings — and all things in between — across music. While you’re here, we also have a weekly interview series spotlighting a single executive and a regularly updated gallery honoring many of the industry figures we’ve lost throughout the year.
Warner Music welcomed seasoned artist manager and marketer Oscar Scivier as its Hong Kong-based senior director of A&R for Asia. The label said Scivier will work closely with regional management on developing A&R strategies, plus support WMG’s over-arching vision to introduce local artists to global audiences. Scivier was most recently head of music at Digital Arts and Sciences, which followed a five-year run at First Access Entertainment, where he A&R’d Rita Ora, Madison Beer, DJ Regard and others. He also made earlier stops at Ultra Music, working with Steve Aoki, Kygo, OMI and Benny Benassi, and Three Six Zero, where he day-to-day’d Deadmau5 and Michael Woods. “Adding Oscar to our worldwide A&R team strengthens our ability to swiftly seize artist development opportunities and reaffirms WMG’s commitment to providing the best platform for the most impactful and popular talent,” said Kabiru Bello, vp of global A&R at Warner Recorded Music. “His wide-ranging experience as a producer, label manager and artist manager will make him a superb addition to our company’s leading team of A&R executives.”
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Stern Management secured the services of industry veteran Marisa Jeffries in the newly created role of general manager. She’ll work closely with the company’s roster, which includes The Black Angels, Phosphorescent, Metric, Finn Wolfhard and others. Jeffries was most recently U.S. lead of label partnerships at TikTok, where she nailed down opportunities for the likes of Taylor Swift, Rosalia, Steve Lacy and Omar Apollo — quality work that earned her a spot on Billboard‘s Women in Music list in 2023. Earlier in her career, Jeffries drove marketing strategy for Sony Music’s catalog division and prior to TikTok she spent five-plus years working label relations at SoundCloud. “I have been constantly inspired by Marisa and her community of colleagues and friends who break artists in new and inventive ways,” said Stern Management founder Nick Stern. “Her superpower has always been drawing out the best in people and building long-lasting partnerships founded on trust, excitement and a love for doing cool things.”
Universal Music Sweden tapped Mattias Caliste to lead the newly launched Def Jam Recordings Sweden. The label’s opening roster includes Asme x Sarettii, Sebastian Stakset and Zikai. His team will include Hamid Jamshidi, Hermon Alemseghed and Mathilda Sachs, plus UMG’s regional and global network. Caliste is a former member of Swedish hip-hop group Fjärde Världen (Fourth World) and was most recently in charge of Virgin Music Sweden, where he worked with artists including 23 and Asme. “Def Jam raised me!” Caliste said. “I grew up on artists like Public Enemy, EPMD, LL Cool J, Redman & Method Man, Warren G and many others who all released some of their most outstanding albums under Def Jam. The label has a legacy that is incredibly important for hip hop as both a genre and a subculture.”
Stern Management secured the services of industry veteran Marisa Jeffries in the newly created role of general manager. She’ll work closely with the company’s roster, which includes The Black Angels, Phosphorescent, Metric, Finn Wolfhard and others. Jeffries was most recently U.S. lead of label partnerships at TikTok, where she nailed down opportunities for the likes of Taylor Swift, Rosalia, Steve Lacy and Omar Apollo — quality work that earned her a spot on Billboard‘s Women in Music list in 2023. Earlier in her career, Jeffries drove marketing strategy for Sony Music’s catalog division and prior to TikTok she spent five-plus years working label relations at SoundCloud. “I have been constantly inspired by Marisa and her community of colleagues and friends who break artists in new and inventive ways,” said Stern Management founder Nick Stern. “Her superpower has always been drawing out the best in people and building long-lasting partnerships founded on trust, excitement and a love for doing cool things.”
Jake Owen and Keith Gale launched Good Company Entertainment Records, a label and artist services appendage of their management company of the same name (sans the ‘Records’ part). GCE Records aims to provide marketing services, digital and creative tools, global distribution and management services for new and established artists, including first signing Styles. “GCE Records is an alternative model to introduce artists and new music,” explained Gale. “Providing key services similar to that of the traditional record label, but dissimilar to the label structure in various facets, our artist partners and their teams have the creative freedoms to remain true to their unique brand of music that sets them apart.”
Chris Walters is now chief financial officer of Gateway Studios & Production Services, a St. Louis-based live events company that provides lighting, audio and high-tech video services for artists and festivals including Phish, Greta Van Fleet, Governors Ball, Professional Bull Riders and more. The “Studios” part of the company’s name refers to the massive, 330,000 square-foot tour and live event rehearsal campus it is currently building in STL’s Chesterfield Valley area. When online, the facility will house five separate studio spaces where events and tours destined for small theaters, stadiums and everything in between can be produced and rehearsed from soup to nuts before hitting the road. Walters has been at Gateway since 2021, following a six-year run at Emerson Automation Solutions.
Top Drawer Merch elevated Robbie McPhail to vp of sales. As part of his new role, McPhail will take lead on sales strategies for both e-commerce and in-person festival/tour merchandising, plus oversee logistics, inventory and shipping matters. McPhail joined Los Angeles-based TDM in 2016, working on-site operations at festivals such as Cali Vibes, Portola, Invisible Friends and dozens more. “His experience behind the booth gives him a unique perspective on which sales strategies are successful and which initiatives need to be implemented in the future,” the company said.
Brett Kaminsky was made partner at Felcher & Freifeld LLP, where the Cardozo School of Law grad has posted up for nearly 11 years. Most recently a senior associate, Kaminsky handles a broad swath of legal matters for F&F’s recording artists, songwriters, producers, managers and entertainment executives, including contract negotiations, licensing and branding matters and performance agreements.
Charlotte-based live events management and production company Midwood Entertainment has Joel Grubb as talent buyer and event producer. Grubb previously served as a promoter at Rival Entertainment in Atlanta, managing outdoor and special events at venues including Sweetland Amphitheatre and Chandler Park Music Festival, and contributing to booking shows at Rival’s venues including Eddie’s Attic and The Earl. In his new role, Grubb will oversee booking for a variety of venues, festivals, concert series, and special events across the southeast and beyond. Grubb also played a key role in developing/curating the indie rock festival Highball. –Jessica Nicholson
Agua Caliente Casinos hired Nick Sitar as the chain’s new director of entertainment. Based in Rancho Mirage, Calif. and reporting to Saverio Scheri, COO, Sitar is tasked with booking artists at all three of ACC’s properties in California. Prior to joining the company, he served as regional director of entertainment programming at Caesars Entertainment, where he handled bookings at all of the company’s non-Vegas properties.
ICYMI:
Christoph Behm
Christoph Behm was named the new CEO of Sony Music Germany, Switzerland and Austria (GSA), replacing Patrick Mushatsi-Kareba, who is exiting the company at the end of August … Jonathan Roberts will spearhead UTA‘s new Christian music division … and former Billboard editorial director Bill Werde will lead Syracuse University‘s new master’s degree in music business as part of the school’s prestigious Bandier Program for Recording and Entertainment Industries.
Last Week’s Turntable: Warner Chappell Promotes Zach Bryan’s A&R Guy
Christoph Behm has been named the new CEO of Sony Music Germany, Switzerland and Austria (GSA), replacing Patrick Mushatsi-Kareba, who is exiting the company at the end of August.
Berlin-based Behm, who began his career at Sony Music in 2011 and has worked in a number of senior roles for the label over the past decade, including head of streaming and director of digital sales, will report to Daniel Lieberberg, president of Sony Music Continental Europe and Africa.
In a statement announcing Behm’s promotion, Lieberberg said the newly appointed CEO’s “deep understanding of our DSP partners and creativity as a leader will serve him well in his new role.”
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“Christoph has played an important role building and expanding our business across this region during the streaming era,” said Lieberberg. “He has worked closely with our artists to bring their music to new fans in innovative ways and has embraced continuous industry change to create opportunity despite rapidly shifting paradigms and business models.”
Sony Music did not provide any details about Mushatsi-Kareba’s departure from the company. The outgoing CEO has headed Sony Music’s operations in the GSA region since 2018 when he joined the label from Universal Music Germany. Prior to that, Mushatsi-Kareba spent eight years at Apple, where he was responsible for overseeing the tech company’s music business in multiple European markets, including Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland.
Although Sony Music GSA has enjoyed significant commercial success over the past six years, sources with inside knowledge of their relationship tell Billboard that Mushatsi-Kareba and Lieberberg did not always see eye to eye.
Prior to his promotion to CEO, Behm held the role of senior vp of Sony Music GSA’s commercial division, where he oversaw a large team, including the company’s family entertainment business. In the past two years, Behm’s responsibilities grew to also encompass oversight of catalog, sales and streaming departments in the region.
Top-selling frontline Sony artists in the GSA market include Apache 207, Nina Chuba, Rap Larue and Reezy.
“It fills me with pride to now lead the company that I have served in various roles for so many years,” said Behm, who takes up the CEO post on Sept. 1, in a statement. “We are at another exciting time for our industry, and I look forward with great confidence to this next chapter for Sony Music GSA,” he added.
Germany is the world’s fourth-biggest recorded music market in IFPI’s annual rankings behind the United States, Japan and the United Kingdom.
Welcome to another edition of Executive Turntable, Billboard’s comprehensive(ish) compendium of promotions, hirings, exits and firings — and all things in between — across music. While you’re here, we also have a weekly interview series spotlighting a single executive and a regularly updated gallery honoring many of the industry figures we’ve lost throughout the year.
Warner Chappell Music promoted David Goldsen to senior vp of North America A&R. Los Angeles-based Goldsen will continue to sign and develop songwriters and artists across multiple genres, help with leadership efforts for the North America A&R department, and continue supporting songwriters in international markets and overseeing the publisher’s A&R efforts in Australia. Goldsen joined Warner Chappell in 2009 and in 2022 was named vp of creative and head of A&R for WCM. Over the past year and change, he has signed a string of top-tier country, rock, jazz and alternative artists, including Zach Bryan, Teddy Swims, The Red Clay Strays, Laufey and Sleep Token. Goldsen also continues to work closely with Mitski, whom he signed in 2018 and who had a hit in 2023/2024 with “My Love Mine All Mine.” He’ll continue to report to Ryan Press, president of North America.
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“David has consistently proven his natural ability to discover and sign top talent,” said Press. “He has steadily built a star-studded roster, and in the past year alone, has brought in many of the artists and songwriters leading today’s charts. I’ve had the opportunity to work with him for over 15 years, and I’m proud of everything he’s accomplished on our team as an A&R executive and inspiring leader.” –Jessica Nicholson
Meanwhile…
Isadora Kamotskin was promoted to marketing director at Warner Music Finland, where’s she’s been a staple since 2016. It’s a step up from her previous role as marketing manager of the label’s domestic marketing department, where she’s worked on partnerships with radio and streaming partners and been pivotal in pushing several Finnish acts including Antti Tuisku, BEHM, Kaija Koo and others. With this promotion, Kamotskin will join the management team of both Warner Music Finland and Warner Music Live, and will report to the territory’s managing director, Ramona Forsström. “She has a strategic vision, strong marketing skills, a deep understanding of our roster and the ability to help artists achieve success,” said Forsström. “Her passion for music, her people oriented management style and ability to inspire her team are invaluable strengths.”
Audio Up‘s record label, Audio Chateau, has secured $4.5 million in additional funding through investors including Glen Barros, managing partner at Exceleration Music, as well as Gillian Hormel and Jonathan Schulman. It has also on-boarded Grayson Flatness, formerly of InGrooves, who will act as an A&R consultant, and industry veteran Kate London, who’ll act as head of legal & business affairs for the label, overseeing business and legal dealings across all music endeavors. This is in addition to London’s responsibilities overseeing business and legal affairs for Audio Up Media. She has previously held executive roles at Global Music Rights, Interscope Records and Warner Records, in addition to her private practice experience.
RADIO, RADIO: iHeartMedia appointed Angela Reed to senior vp of its Inside Sales division, overseeing the company’s slate of broadcast, events, digital and podcast products across all markets. Reed, who previously held leaderships roles at Miradore, KnowBe4 and Time Doctor, will report to Julie Donohue, iHeartMedia’s president of multimarket partnerships … Cumulus Media promoted Carolyn Chauncey to senior vp of marketing and podcasting, a role that will see her lead day-to-day operations, content acquisition, editorial and production at the Cumulus Podcast Network. Chauncey will continue to direct corporate marketing for Cumulus Media, Westwood One and the Cumulus Podcast Network, reporting to Collin R. Jones, president of Westwood One. Elsewhere at Cumulus, Megan Devine was promoted to vp of podcast sales planning and yield optimization.
Outback Presents hired Christine Melko Ross to lead the company’s Canadian operations as senior vp of global operations. As her title implies, the Montreal-based live executive will also spearhead international expansion strategies beyond North America. Melko Ross arrives at Outback following a 23-year run at the Just For Laughs Group, producer of the legendary comedy festival. At JFL, she was instrumental in running the flagship Montreal festival and in expanding it to Toronto. [This year’s festival was canceled in March amid a bankruptcy filing and layoffs.] Before joining JFL, Melko Ross was lead talent buyer for Donald K. Donald/Universal Concerts/House of Blues Concerts, managing tours for artists as diametrically different as The Backstreet Boys and Leonard Cohen. “Everyone at Outback Presents is excited to have Christine join the team,” said Outback Presents co-CEO Michael Smardak. “Her extensive achievements and experience in comedy will be invaluable to our global growth. We are very proud to have her join us.” Melko Ross is reachable at christine.melkoross@outbackpresents.com.
NASHVILLE NOTES: The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum promoted Haley Houser to associate director to the CEO, Aaron Helvig to director of school and music programs, Dana Romanello to director of museum sales and Joe Bridges to director of security … Southwest Value Partners, developer of Nashville Yards, the nearly completed 19-acre mixed use entertainment district in downtown Nashville, announced Christian Parker as chief operating officer, Steve Lewis a director of security, and Rocky Ryan as vp of operations of the massive project. When completed, Nashville Yards will boast several Class A+ buildings including offices for CAA, AEG Presents and Messina Touring Group, as well as The Pinnacle, a 4,500-capacity music venue … Daywind Music Group promoted Joe Dan Cornett to director of publishing of its bluegrass label Billy Blue Music. Cornett has been with DMG for 10 years, serving as both catalog manager and creative director.
Grammy Award-winning pianist, composer and arranger John Beasley succeeded Chuck Owen as president of the International Society of Jazz Arrangers & Composers (ISJAC). Other 2024 appointments at ISJAC, a non-profit advocacy organization for jazz composers and arrangers, include Mike Conrad as vp of membership and Erica von Kleist as vp of development, with board of directors Billy Childs, Patrice Rushen and Rio Sakairi. Owen, who co-founded ISJAC in 2016, remains on the board. “I am fortunate to receive the baton from Owen, who has left a solid and well-marked footprint,” Beasley said. “I’m most excited to bond and exchange ideas with our current and new members across the globe to help each other further our personal and collective artistic growth, which ultimately furthers the art of arranging and composing.”
Big Loud Records promoted Eric England to senior vp of insights and analytics. England joined the team in September 2021 and established the label’s Insights & Analytics department, leading the label’s data-forward methodology. England has a PhD from Virginia Tech, and started his music industry career following time at The Ohio State University, The Kraft Heinz Company and Mars Petcare. –J.N.
YOU DOWN WITH NEW JVs? BrickHouse Entertainment’s Scott Brickell, Ron Smith and Chase Swayze, along with former Hootie and the Blowfish manager Rusty Harmon, partnered up with Vere Music on Hit and Run Music, a new ADA-distributed marketing, distribution and label venture based in Nashville. The label’s inaugural artist is Micah Christopher … Origins Records and Hitmaker Music formed a new venture that will focus on developing Black country and Americana artists. Leading the JV are Origins executive Kadeem Phillips and ex-MNRK Music Group svp/GM Gina Miller.
ICYMI:
Elliot Grainge
Shari Bryant stepped down as co-president of Roc Nation‘s record label, which has been merged with the company’s distribution wing to form ROC Nation Distribution … Elliot Grainge, son of the industry’s most powerful person, will soon take the helm at Atlantic Music Group. Those who have worked with Grainge predict how the transition may go in this inside look at the abrupt generational shift at Atlantic, the storied label co-founded by music legend Ahmet Ertegun in 1947.
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