Executive Turntable

It’s time for another spindle around the Executive Turntable, Billboard’s comprehensive(ish) compendium of promotions, hirings, exits and firings — and all things in between — across music. 
Warner Music Group has big plans for the sonically rich markets of Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka — and is putting longtime Warner Music India managing director Jay Mehta in charge of those efforts. The launch of Warner Music South Asia is the label’s endorsement of the vibrant traditions and significant potential of the music markets across the region, home to more than 400 million people, plus the dynamic diasporas around the globe supporting local artists. The new affiliate will operate out of Dubai and be headed by Mehta, who adds managing director of Warner Music South Asia to his business card, but will continue as MD in India and work closely with Alfonso Perez Soto, WMG’s president of emerging markets. Warner isn’t exactly starting from scratch in the region, having announced a partnership with Pakistani music production company Giraffe earlier this year, and acquiring a majority chunk of Sri Lankan digital music firm Divo in 2023. WMG and Giraffe’s first project is season 15 of the popular music performance series Coke Studio in Pakistan. “I’m so delighted to launch Warner Music in Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and other SAARC territories,” said Mehta. “These are exciting markets with brilliant artists who historically haven’t had the opportunity of plugging into the global music industry. That’s all set to change.”

Currently based in Mumbai, Mehta has racked up the wins since launching Warner Music India in March 2020, juuust before the pandemic ground the globe to a halt. Within the first six months of WMI’s existence, the company executed a licensing deal with Mumbai-based label Tips Music and quickly closed a series of partnership deals to distribute increasingly popular Indian regional-language music and founded Maati, a label devoted to Indian folk music. In 2022, WMI signed an exclusive partnership with local label Jjust Music in an effort to boost its share of the Bollywood music market. Last year, WMI teamed with Warner Music Canada to launch 91 NORTH RECORDS to boost artists of South Asian heritage. And earlier this year, WMI expanded its partnership with Global Music Junction (GMJ), the music and entertainment subsidiary of JetSynthesys.

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“This is a major moment for Warner Music,” said Simon Robson, president of international, recorded music. “We’re now open for business in a series of countries that have rich musical traditions and strong global connections through their extensive diasporas. We’re already working on exciting projects in Pakistan and other territories and there’s much more to come.”

Meanwhile…

SESAC‘s music services division is getting built out with a new hire and two promotions. This week, the growing team welcomed Andy Bodkin as president of international, where he’ll center his focus on growing the services division — with a portfolio that includes HFA, AudioSalad and Audiam — on a global scale. Bodkin was previously group CEO at music publisher Out of the Ark, but for the bulk of his career (to the tune of 18 years) he served as an executive at Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI). Additionally, SESAC promoted Rose Cook to chief operating officer of music services, where she’ll work with the company’s entire portfolio, which also includes Mint and Rumblefish, to drive efficiencies in licensing, royalty collection and admin services. Previously, Cook served as the co-head of licensing at SESAC Performing Rights before her promotion to svp of operations of SESAC Music Group in 2022. She reports to SMG COO Malcolm Hawker. Finally, Monica Hertz is promoted to senior director of operations, where she’ll report to Cook and focus her efforts on the rollout of the company’s shared services platform. She joined SESAC in 2017.

Warner Chappell Music promoted Jenni Pfaff to executive vp of strategy, integration and operations. In her elevated role, Pfaff will continue to lead people strategy at the publisher, plus annual goal-setting initiatives and WCM’s new data-driven, songwriter-focused Business Intelligence division. A WCMer since 2019, Pfaff joined as people strategy leader before a promotion to senior vp. In 2021, she added head of global strategic integration and operations to her title. Prior to WCM, Pfaff operated her own HR firm (pfaff HR) and logged 17 years at PwC, Activision Blizzard, Northrop Grumman and other companies. The 2022 Billboard Women in Music honoree continues to report to CEO Guy Moot and COO Carianne Marshall. “Jenni has been on this journey with us from the beginning, helping transform how we operate as a global team so we can continue to do great work for our songwriters and their incredible songs,” said Moot and Marshall. “She is deeply committed to Warner Chappell and has spearheaded initiatives that allow us to be more collaborative. Technology, business, and data go hand-in-hand, and the work that we’re doing with Robert [Kyncl] and team will help shape the future of music publishing.”

BMI veteran Erin Crawford was promoted to assistant vp of affiliate customer service experience, putting her at the fore of the performance rights organization’s new customer service initiative that includes a call center and hotline (844-BMI-4255). The call center team should be full staffed by June and will include bilingual agents and expanded hours, the PRO said. Crawford joined BMI in 2020 as executive director of distribution & administration services, where she led teams responsible for writer and publisher affiliations and online services support. Prior to BMI, she clocked 18 years at The Nielsen Company, rising to svp and general manager of Nielsen Music — an important position managing relationships with Billboard, labels, publishers, promoters and other music companies.

French music conference and festival MaMA said co-founder Daniel Colling has decided to retire and will transfer ownership of the 15-year-old event to co-founder Fernando Ladeiro-Marques. Joining him for the 2024 edition, being held in Paris Oct. 16-18, will be Emmanuel Legrand as the coordinator of MaMA conference, Emily Gonneau as curator, and Flavien Appavou and Elise Yacoub as coordinators. “We will continue to honour the legacy of MaMA as a key industry gathering,” said Ladeiro-Marques. “We also want it to be the leading forum to explore the future of our industry and the place where we will invent tomorrow’s music business. In addition, MaMA festival will continue to feature up-and-coming artists at a time when they need, more than ever before, windows of exposure.”

BOARD SHORTS: Round Hill Music added former American Idol judge Randy Jackson and management executive John Greenberg as advisors. In the roles, Jackson and Greenberg will support Round Hill’s executive team in deal sourcing and artist relations … AI Fund managing director Andrew Ng replaced former MTV CEO Judy McGrath on Amazon‘s board of directors … The National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) in Nashville elected Brian Sexton and Keri Floyd Kelly to its board of directors. They’ll both serve three-year terms.

RoEx, the tech startup behind AI-powered mixing platform Automix, hired Jason Reed as head of growth and operations. Reed’ll focus on growing RoEx’s audio production tools, plus building B2B partnerships around the company’s audio engine API, Tonn. Reed arrives from Roundhouse Trust, where he was senior product owner. His past positions include head of technology at Domino, global head of marketing at FUGA and head of digital at Ministry of Sound Recordings. Reed is based in London and reports to RoEx chief David Ronan.

ICYMI:

Silvia Montello

CAA appointed nine managing directors and changed up its agency board membership … Shakeup at UK indie music trade body AIM as CEO Silvia Montello abruptly resigned. COO Gee Davy has stepped in as interim chief and also the new role of chief policy officer … and the Recording Academy promoted Adam Roth to evp of global partnerships & business development.

Last Week’s Turntable: Warner Chappell In Sync With Zync Veteran

It’s time for another spindle around the Executive Turntable, Billboard’s comprehensive(ish) compendium of promotions, hirings, exits and firings — and all things in between — across music. 
Warner Chappell Music‘s sync team gained a seasoned pro in Shelby DiPerri, who has joined the publisher as its new vp of creative sync. DiPerri, who boasts over 15 years of creative licensing experience, will focus her efforts on pitching WCM’s boundless catalog to the film, TV, gaming and sport-ball sectors. For the last dozen years, she has worked at Round Hill’s Zync Music, serving as head of film & TV for half that time. Prior to Zync, DiPerri held positions at Victory Records and Atlantic Records. Her specialty over the years, especially at Zync, has been targeting projects and trends to create “perennial sync copyrights” for its writers and others, according to the announcement. Based in Los Angeles, DiPerri will report to svp of creative sync Rachel Jacobson. “[Shelby] brings passion and drive to every project she’s across – both our team and our amazing roster of songwriters are lucky to have her here at Warner Chappell,” said Jacobson. “Her in-depth knowledge of creative pitching and licensing has established her as one of the very best creatives in the field.”

Resident Advisor (aka RA), the online dance and electronic music magazine, hired veteran journalists Gabriel Szatan and Rachel Grace Almeida to be editor and deputy editor, respectively. The London-based Szatan joins RA following a three-year tenure as head of dance and electronic at Tidal, with a previous stop at Boiler Room and a slew of bylines as a regular contributor for Pitchfork, Guardian, Billboard and elsewhere. Almeida will also be based in RA’s London office following six years as a top editor of Crack Magazine out of Berlin. She has written for Bandcamp, Time Out, DAZED and other outlets. RA also announced that Carlos Hawthorn has been promoted to managing editor, while Nyshka Chandran is now the mag’s first futures editor. “We’re in an undoubtedly fortunate position to be expanding our cultural coverage at a time when everything feels in a state of contraction,” Szatan said in announcing the moves. “With this quality team now in place, and RA’s door remaining open to a network of premium contributors around the globe, we intend to make the best of it.”

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Marni Greenberg joined SoundCloud as svp and head of communications. She was most recently vp of communications at Sofar Sounds and prior to that was head of music communications at YouTube, where she worked for six years. “It is very important for SoundCloud to tell our story and Marni has the deep public relations experience needed in the fields of music, technology and brands to bring our communications,” said SoundCloud chief Eliah Seton.

It was a busy week for BRING, UMG’s all-purpose creative agency based in Australia, which promoted two key members and hired another. Bella Ziino was promoted to senior account director and James Wilkinson has been appointed senior creative manager, while Lucy Ruff joins the company as business development director. BRING specializes in music campaigns, brand strategy, live events, merch ideation, media partnerships and more. With the recent moves, the brand — which prides itself on “turning fan love into brand love” — said it now has a gender split of 50-50 across all levels.

Barry Weiss’s nearly decade-old RECORDS promoted David Enriquez to executive vp and Andrew Saltman to vp of marketing and digital strategies. The elevated roles for the NYC-based execs apply to the company’s RECORDS and RECORDS Nashville labels. Enriquez is a RECORDS lifer, having joined at its 2015 inception, and was previously senior vp. He reports to Weiss and will continue marketing and developing label artists across all genres. Enriquez’s big wins in recent years include crossover star Dax, country breakout George Birge and Florida rapper iCandy. Saltman joined RECORDS in 2017, most recently serving as senior director of marketing & digital for the full roster. He reports up to Enriquez and recently helped spearhead Birge’s debut single “Mind on You” to a No. 1 finish at country radio and is taking the lead on marketing efforts for the singer’s next single, “Cowboy Songs.”

Big Machine Label Group added Dexter Bensman as senior director of digital marketing and Rebecca Kerr as manager of communications, helping to further elevate the label’s roster of artists including Thomas Rhett, Carly Pearce, Lady A, Tim McGraw and Chris Janson. Bensman, who previously served as director of digital marketing at Brown Sellers Brown Management, will oversee the label group’s digital marketing strategies and elevate the online presence of the label’s roster. Kerr joins Big Machine from The Oriel Company, where she contributed to publicity efforts for artists including Jason Isbell and Riley Green. –Jessica Nicholson

Brown Sellers Brown, as in Paul Brown, Jason Sellers and Benny Brown, announced two new hires in social media roles and an equal number of reductions in its radio department as the company enters restructure mode. Jessica Crans joins BSB as director of social media marketing and Hannah Kennedy as social media marketing, with more staff additions expected soon in the company’s digital service relations and artist support departments. Over in the radio department of Stone Country Records, one of BSB’s affiliated labels along with Quartz Hill Records, Kerry Wolfe and Matt Galvin have left the company with no plans to fill their positions. “We so appreciate all that Matt and Kerry have brought to our radio promotions department at Stone Country Records over the past couple of years,” said partner Paul Brown. “Their knowledge and talents in the world of radio promotion are unmatched.”

Marauder co-founder Kodi McKinney has stepped away as partner of the New York-based creative marketing firm to pursue other opportunities in music, marketing and elsewhere. McKinney said he’s confident the company is in good hands with Rev. Moose, with whom he started the company in 2015. “Growing [Marauder] from a dream with Rev. Moose into a top-tier US music marketing force over the last near-decade has been one of the great joys of my life,” said McKinney, who shares more on his website and can be reached kodi@meintheclub.com.

Copyright Alliance promoted Eileen Bramlet from svp of communications to chief operating officer; Kevin Madigan from vp of legal policy and copyright counsel to svp of policy and government affairs; Rachel Kim from copyright policy counsel to vp of legal policy and copyright counsel; and Courtney Lang from manager of digital marketing to director of marketing and business development. The trade organization, which lobbies for businesses that depend on copyright, also announced the recent hiring of Elly Mambounou as operations manager.

Kara Foley

PULSE Music Group promoted Kara Foley to senior vp and head of creative sync licensing, overseeing all publishing and label sync operations for the company. Foley is celebrating her tenth year at PULSE, where she started out as manager of creative licensing before climbing the ranks to vp of film & TV, her most recent title. Her sync wins over the years include placements in films like Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie and TV series including Gotham Nights, The Grand Crew and All American. Prior to PULSE, Foley had stops at UMG and Warner Chappell Music. Foley is based at PMG’s Los Angeles headquarters and reports to co-CEOs Scott Cutler and Josh Abraham. You can reach her kara@pulsemusicgroup.com.

Salt, which built its own Software as a Service (SaaS) platform for processing and distributing rights holder royalties, hired Alberto Garcia for the role of senior vp of Europe and Africa. In a culinary twist, Garcia joined Salt from Mint. New sales and customer management will be his focus at Salt, where “his track record of achievement and deep understanding of the industry will undoubtedly enrich our organization and drive us towards even greater success,” said CEO Doug Imrie.

BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville hired Camille Kenny as senior director of A&R, reporting to VP of A&R Katie Kerkhover. Kenny will be responsible for developing and scouting artists. Kenny previously worked as senior director of A&R at Big Loud Records, A&R’ing for releases from Morgan Wallen, HARDY, Jake Owen and more. Kenny’s previous music industry experience includes time at WME and THiS Music. –J.N.

NASHVILLE NOTES: Red Street Records added two industry pros to the mix. Michael Steele, former director of playlist programming development at WMG, is the label’s new vp of streaming and playlist strategy. Bridget Herrmann, who honed her promo skills at A&M/Octone Records, Crush Music Management and Warner Music Nashville, joined as regional director of country promotion … Tape Room Music hired Noelle Peters as catalog manager and Luke Collins as creative coordinator. “Luke and Noelle have a bright future in the music business,” shared Tape Room president Blain Rhodes. “They both have a great work ethic and a strong passion for helping songwriters. We are lucky to have them join the team at Tape Room” … Magnolia Music Group added 30-year promotion veteran Ray Vaughn as national director of radio and streaming. He previously worked at Quartz Hill Records and prior to that was on staff at Warner Music Nashville.

New England Conservatory’s Jazz Studies Department appointed Grammy Award-winning trombonist and composer Kalia Vandever to its faculty beginning in the fall of 2024.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hired Bridgette Wilder to serve as its chief people and culture officer, a newly created position that combines the human resources teams of the Academy and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. She was previously the Academy Museum’s vp of people and culture and reports to Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy Museum director and president Jacqueline Stewart. Wilder previously served in C-suite roles at the California Institute of the Arts and Albany State University.

ICYMI:

Spotify named Christian Luiga to be its new chief financial officer to replace Paul Vogel, who stepped down from the CFO role at the end of March … YG Entertainment now has a lone CEO: Yang Min-seok, the younger brother of company founder Yang Hyun-sun … Billboard Women in Music honoree Michele Ballantyne (pictured with Mitch Glazier) was promoted to president of RIAA. She’ll continue to serve as COO.

Last Week’s Turntable: Coolest Job in Vegas Filled

It’s time for another spindle around the Executive Turntable, Billboard’s comprehensive(ish) compendium of promotions, hirings, exits and firings — and all things in between — across music. 
Sphere Entertainment is placing the creative and brand strategy for its Las Vegas orb in the capable hands of Ned McNeilage, who joins the company as chief creative officer. A creative leader with 30-plus years of experience under his belt, McNeilage will oversee all things creative, including Sphere’s in-house creative design studio and brand teams, as well as the cool task of programming the digital canvas that is the venue’s LED exterior — or Exosphere. Since opening last year, the Exosphere has dazzled/boggled onlookers with fireworks displays, a gigantic eyeball, the moon, Earth and other planets, terrifyingly vivid basketballs, one of those metal climbing geo-domes you probably fell off of as a kid (pictured) and what looked like a ball of rubber bands, among other artist choices. Prior to joining Sphere Entertainment, McNeilage served as CCO at a number of companies, including VML and Swift, as well as BBH USA, the global agency where he worked with brands like Samsung, American Express and Activision. Earlier in his career McNeilage served as group creative director for TBWAMedia Arts Lab, where he worked on projects for Apple Music, and he also created award-winning work during an eight-year run as a creative director at CAA.

“I am pleased to welcome Ned to Sphere Entertainment,” said Jennifer Koester, president of Sphere Business Operations. “Sphere is redefining immersive experiences, including through the Exosphere, which is an unparalleled digital canvas for public art and brand storytelling. Ned has worked with premier brands to spearhead memorable campaigns, and he will bring that expertise to not only support our partners in creating impactful brand moments at Sphere, but also continue to build the Sphere brand.”

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Meanwhile …

Hallwood Media, a Los Angeles-based label and agency that represents songwriters and producers, hired Roderick “PushaRod” Bullock as vice president of A&R/Management. PushaRod’s pedigree includes an extremely productive seven and a half year run as A&R of urban music at Interscope Geffen A&M, where his roster included Rich The Kid, Moneybagg Yo, Kamaiyah, Ian Connor, Neechie, Arin Ray, Mitch and Co Cash. As vp, PushaRod will continue to build Hallwood’s roster of talent and work closely with the agency’s existing artists, producers and writers, including Soundwave, David Stewart, Beach Noise and Yung Dza, among others. Hallwood is the brainchild of former Geffen president Neil Jacobson, who noted he “had the chance to watch Pusha discover and develop some of the most important artists at Interscope for the years we worked together. He pushes the envelope, he’s fearless outgoing and has one of the best Rolodexes in the game (Gen Z-ers please look up Rolodex).”

DEAG founder and CEO Peter Schwenkow marked his 70th birthday this week with the announcement that he’ll hand over management of the German concert promoter to his co-CEO Detlef Kornett, starting April 1. “The captain is leaving the bridge, but not the ship,” said Schwenkow. “I will continue to be part of the journey as an advisor to the company and – together with my son Moritz – as a major private shareholder in DEAG, in order to make my contribution to the company’s continued growth in the interests of all shareholders.” Over the course of 46 years, Schwenkow has seen DEAG grow to 600 employees across seven European countries, with continuous annual sales of over 300 million euros, he said. “You can be proud of your life’s work,” said supervisory board chairman Wolf Gramatke, “and we are sure that with your continued support, we can look forward to an exciting and prosperous future.”

Jeremy Skaller, Nat Pastor, Jay Sean, Jacqueline Saturn and Jared Cotter

Cory Grimes

Wake up, it’s 3AM Entertainment — a new indie label founded by Jay Sean, Jeremy Skaller and Jared Cotter, in partnership with Virgin Music Group. The label’s first project is “Heartless,” a new single from Sean, featuring Ikky and out next week (April 5). “Today’s music business is truly global, and 3AM Entertainment will focus on supporting artists from the South Asian diaspora on their journey to becoming global stars,” explained Sean. Skaller, co-founder of The Heavy Group, and Cotter, a vp of A&R at Range Media Partners, will serve as co-presidents of 3AM. Additional early risers are Jay Sean’s longtime manager, Thara Natalie, who’s been named chief operations manager; Madison Bickel, general manager; and Mahima Sharma as A&R who will be based in New Delhi. Jay Sean’s co-manager Aayushman Sinha will consult on A&R and strategy out of Mumbai. “No single artist has done more to bring South Asian music and culture to a global audience than Jay Sean,” said Nat Pastor, Co-CEO of Virgin Music Group. “Jeremy and Jared have been with Jay on that journey, and together the three executives have a strong track record in supporting and nurturing South Asian artists in their native countries and beyond.”

Island Records promoted recent Women in Music honoree Natasha Kilibarda to vice president of marketing and creative strategy. The NYC-based executive reports up to Jay Schumer, evp and head of marketing and business development, and will stay the course on spearheading campaigns for the surging Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan, along with Brittany Howard and other prized Island-ers. “Natasha is one of the most passionate and creative marketers in music, the relationships she has with her artists and managers speak for themselves.” said Schumer “Her promotion couldn’t be more deserved.” Prior to joining Island in early 2022, Kilibarda spent six years at Warner Music, rising to director of marketing and artist relations in an LA-based role. Earlier in her career, she held roles at ATM Artists and Talenthouse.

Wasserman Music has promoted nine staffers to agent and touring roles across departments, in addition to a new, first-of-its-kind orchestral division. Newly promoted Team Wass members across the agency’s expanding global business include Alex Christie (agent), Annie Cole (manager, touring), Anna Kathryn Groom (manager,  brand partnerships), Owen Hynes (manager, tour marketing), Kara Klein (manager, brand partnerships), Brittany Miller (director, festivals), Noah Plotnicki (agent), Lindsay Roblesi (agent)  and Holly Rowland (agent). The new Orchestral division will be led by vice president Emily Threlfall Yoon; the new division represents IP-driven symphonic properties like SQEX’s Final Fantasy VII REBIRTH World Orchestra Tour and more than three dozen titles produced by Disney Concerts, including Marvel Studios’ The Infinity Saga Concert Experience, as well as a diverse group of world-class conductors, orchestrators, and arrangers. The division will also partner with artists across Wasserman Music’s client roster, such as John Legend, Melissa Etheridge, Laufey, and Zedd, to conceive and produce new programming symphonic projects. –Jessica Nicholson

Splash, a generative AI startup based in Australia, appointed music tech veteran Tracy Chan as its new CEO. Chan’s new gig follows a nearly two-year stint at SoundCloud, where he quickly rose from senior vp to chief content officer. Chan, who is based in San Francisco, remains a strategic advisor to the audio platform. He was previously vp and head of music at Twitch and earlier in his career spent several years as a product director at Spotify. Backed by Khosla Ventures, King River, Alexa Fund and Mawson, among others, Splash creates “music for the digital generation, excelling in genres like hyperpop, EDM, Glitch, Phonk, Trap, Lo-Fi, Hiphop & others” and developed its own Roblox game, also called Splash. “Across my career, I’ve seen that the best way to help artists make a sustainable living is by engaging and co-creating with fans,” he said in a statement. “Bringing that strategy together with Splash’s talent, tech and audience is an unbelievably exciting opportunity.”

Universal Music Publishing Group promoted Adriana Ramos to managing director of UMPG Brazil, immediately replacing longtime MD Marcelo Falcao in the role. Based in Rio de Janeiro, Ramos reports to Alexandra Lioutikoff, president of Latin America & US Latin for the publishing giant. A UMPGer since 2013, Ramos most recently served as head of creative (A&R and sync) and over the years has overseen licensing opportunities for UMPG’s writers across advertising, film, TV and games, including for Riot Games’ Valorant. Prior to joining UMPG, Ramos held positions at Brazillian indie label Deck, Warner Music and BMG, among others.“With tremendous vision and dedication, Adriana has been instrumental to the success of UMPG Brazil and her promotion is much-deserved,” glowed Lioutikoff, who also recognized outgoing MD Falcao for “solidifying our credibility in the market, building a great team of executive talent, and identifying, nurturing and supporting artists and songwriters” over the past three decades.

Primary Wave Music welcomed Julianne Wilson as senior director of creative sync, a role where she’ll use her experience in advertising and music supervision to maximize sync opportunities for Primary Wave artists and writers. The company also promoted Peter Kurczaba to the same title as Wilson and Derek Pierce to director of creative sync. The NYC-based Wilson joins PWM following roles at Walker and SixtyFour Music, and says she’s already been “doing some digital crate digging” for ways to champion the company’s artists. Kurczaba, who is based in Los Angeles, joined Primary Wave eight years ago as an intern and rose to a director role, working on covers, remixes and sync placements on shows like Welcome to Wrexham and Yellowjackets. Pierce, who moved from NYC to LA to join PWM in 2020, is responsible for syncs in Winning Time, Cocaine Bear and more. Al three report to Marty Silverstone, who oversees the department as president of global sync.

Regina Carter, a multi-Grammy nominated violinist and former MacArthur fellow, will join the faculty of the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music later this year. Carter, who has taught at the New Jersey City University and the Manhattan School of Music, will be teaching courses in jazz history and performance, and urban musical culture. “I hope to inspire creative transformations within young musicians,” Carter said.

The NMPA SONGS Foundation, which supports up-and-coming writers, has a new board of directors. Songwriters include Justin Paul & Benj Pasek (Kobalt), Dan Wilson (UMPG), Lauren Christy (Reservoir), Allison Russell (Concord), Jordan Reynolds (Warner Chappell), Gaby Moreno (peermusic) and CAM (Sony Music Publishing). Industry director include Jon Platt (Sony Music Publishing), Carianne Marshall (Warner Chappell), Golnar Khosrowshahi (Reservoir), Kathy Spanberger (peermusic), Keith Hauprich (BMG), Jim Selby (Cocord), Alison Donald (Kobalt) and Jennifer Knoepfle (UMPG). Holdovers on the board in include Jewel Kilcher and NMPA execs David Israelite, Danielle Aguirre and Charlotte Sellmyer.

Avex USA Publishing hired Brennen Bryant as its new director of A&R. He’ll oversee Avex USA’s publishing division, including signings and implementing strategies across all deals and sessions. His first order of business was to help sign hip-hop/Jersey club producer DJ Smallz 732, following the success of co-creating “Everybody” by Nick Minaj and Lil Uzi Vert. “We are thrilled to welcome our new A&R Director to the Avex family to help us discover and develop the next generation of talented artists, writers and producers,” said Lou Al-Chamaa, Avex USA’s svp and head of A&R, publishing. “With his expertise and passion for music, we are confident that he will bring a fresh perspective to our A&R team.”

New Zealand-Australian singer Jordan Rakei is the first-ever “Artist In Residence” at the iconic Abbey Road Studios. Perks include full access to the entire building, including the same studios where The Beatles recorded, plus all the classic studio instruments and gear he can get his hands on. As AIR, Rakei will participate in Abbey Road-related outreach programs, including writing camps, mentoring sessions and he’ll help the studio test out potential audio equipment. “Jordan’s exceptional talent and unique approach to music embodies the spirit of innovation that Abbey Road Studios has always championed,” said Sally Davies, managing director. “I’m excited to see how this role unfolds, enhancing the creative legacy of Abbey Road Studios and setting new benchmarks for musical innovation and collaboration for years to come.”

Transgressive Records welcomed esteemed artist manager Moriah Berger for the hybrid role of A&R and marketing manager for North America. In the role, out of Transgressive’s New York office, Berger will work with roster artists on the end-to-end process of making and marketing albums and other creative projects. During her career in management, which has included stretches at Paradigm, Mick Management and Other Operation, Berger has worked with Sharon Van Etten, Angel Olsen, MUNA and Of Monsters & Men, among others. “From the first moment we met Moriah, we knew our tastes, values and approach were all aligned, whilst her revered background within the complex tapestry of artist management was an appealing prospect,” said Transgressive company directors Toby L, Tim Dellow and Lilas Bourboulon. “We cannot wait to watch her continue to thrive as a vital new force in Transgressive’s present and future.”

Artist Publishing Group promoted Matt MacFarlane and Olly Sheppard to senior vps of A&R. Together, MacFarlane and Sheppard will continue to oversee the publishing company while mentoring and developing the A&R team. Both execs have roughly nine years or more at APG, with MacFarlane’s client roster including Tax Taylor and Rio Leyva and Sheppard clocking wins including The Fast X Soundtrack and securing a placement for writers FAANGS and JBACH on the Barbie Soundtrack.

UK-based label and publisher Ostero hired Andy Griffin as campaign manager for Asia and Danny McNamara as an A&R and digital manager. Based in Thailand, Griffin’s focus will be on artist campaigns across Southeast Asia. Previously at Cr2 Records and UMG, McNamara will be responsible for artist recruitment and managing digital artist campaigns in Ostereo’s recordings department. “We are continuing to see huge growth and success within emerging markets, enabling us to develop strong, long-standing relationships within these territories,” said Nick Kirkby, CFO of Ostereo.

Metro Public Relations promoted Emily Hessel to vp of consumer communications and audio. Since joining Metro in 2018, Hessel has been instrumental in expanding the company’s podcast, audio and books strategic consumer communications services. The company’s audio digital clients include Lemonada Media and iHeartPodcasts, with its networks the include Will Ferrell’s Big Money Players Network.

ICYMI:

Concord named veteran exec Stephanie Hudacek — founder of Soundly Music — president of its Rounder Records … SM Entertainment, home to such K-pop stars as aespa and RIIZE, promoted Tak Young-jun to co-CEO alongside existing CEO Jang Cheol-hyuk. Tak was also named executive director of the company’s board.

Last Week’s Turntable: Tyler Hubbard’s New Publishing Shingle Names GM