Executive Turntable
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Fadia Kader has joined Troy Carter and Suzy Ryoo‘s Venice Music as executive vp and GM, the company announced Wednesday (Mar. 1).
“The team at Venice Music and I share a passion for changing the perception of what it takes to be successful as a DIY artist,” Kader said in a statement. “I’m excited to partner with Troy, Suzy and the team as we continue the dedicated work of educating, empowering and elevating the independent artist experience.”
Kader previously held the position of global head of strategic partnerships at Clubhouse. Before that, she was part of Instagram’s music partnerships team, and she has also worked at Twitter and Def Jam Records. She was named to Billboard‘s 40 Under 40 list in 2019.
Her new role will be wide-ranging, according to Venice Music’s announcement: “Leading teams across A&R, artist marketing, sync and community, streaming/commerce, and Web3” as well as helping to “drive the global A&R strategy, source and secure key music partnerships, and provide counsel on the products and tools [necessary] to help artists build and grow their careers.”
“Fadia has built a reputation as a trusted leader and trailblazer within the artist community,” said Venice co-founder and CEO Carter in a statement. “She’s a unique bridge between music culture and technology and will be a valuable leader within Venice.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Fadia to our team and community,” added Venice Music co-founder and president Ryoo. “Her choice to join Venice Music is a resounding vote of confidence towards artist ownership, creative freedom and the clear opportunity to make a generational impact in music.”
Carter and Ryoo founded Venice Music in 2021. “Our goal has been to help independent artists succeed on par with major label counterparts,” Carter said last year. “To sustain that success, artists need to feel educated, informed, and supported. Over the last 18 months, we’ve attracted high-quality partners and have begun to make a real impact in the independent community.”
The T.J. Martell Foundation for Cancer Research, which is in the midst of rebuilding after the organization’s former executive vp/GM Melissa Goodwin was found to have embezzled $4 million from the music industry-supported charity, has named Warner Music Group chairman emeritus John “Espo” Esposito the new chairman of the board of trustees.
“We got the double whammy of the COVID pandemic and somebody being a bad actor,” says Esposito, who stepped down as chairman/CEO of Warner Music Nashville on Dec. 31 and wanted to devote some of his newfound time to good works. “I felt qualified with my knowledge of the organization and passion for them to do what I could to help get us back on track.”
Esposito’s initial term is for two years. He succeeds Universal Music Group general counsel and executive vp Jeffrey Harleston, who will now serve as executive chairman.
Esposito, who has served as a T.J. Martell Foundation trustee since 2006 but has supported the organization since 1997, adds, “Obviously, I’m not going to do that single-handedly, but I felt like I could use my leadership skills to help us in so many ways.”
Former consultant Lynn-Anne Huck, who took over as acting CEO in 2020 after initially conducting the review that unearthed Goodwin’s improprieties, is now the permanent CEO of the Nashville-based organization.
Courtesy of T.J. Martell Foundation
Formed by record executive Tony Martell in 1975 following the death of his son, T.J., from leukemia, T.J. Martell holds multiple annual charitable events, auctions and campaigns in tandem with the music community in Los Angeles, New York, Nashville, Miami and other cities. It has raised more than $280 million in support of medical research grants at leading U.S. institutions and helped secure more than $1 billion in additional research funding.
T.J. Martell is additionally preparing for its 45th annual New York Honors Gala, the organization’s first since 2019. Held at Cipriani 42nd Street, the June 13 event will honor Warner Records co-chairman and CEO Tom Corson with the Lifetime Music Industry award, Def Jam Recordings chief creative officer and executive vp Archie Davis with the Rising Music Superstar Award and songwriter Shane McAnally with the Spirit of Music Award.
Esposito takes over a charity that was roiled by Goodwin’s actions. According to federal charging documents, from July 2018 to April 2020, she used a company credit card to purchase approximately $3.96 million in concert and sporting event tickets, including for Lady Gaga, Celine Dion and the Super Bowl. She also bought plane tickets, alcohol and hotel stays. Goodwin turned some of the items over to the owner of a charity auction business to resell but kept the money instead of turning it over to the charity.
Prosecutors also say she falsified credit card statements, created fake expense reports and replaced the ticket expenses with other vendor names to make the charges appear to be legitimate foundation expenses. Goodwin, who cooperated with federal prosecutors, pled guilty to wire fraud and was sentenced to four years in prison in August. The Foundation is the plaintiff in four other suits relating to Goodwin’s malfeasance — including one against its former accounting firm — that are all in the discovery stage.
Under Harleston and Huck, the organization put safeguards in place to assure supporters and donors that what happened under Goodwin won’t happen again. “Lynn-Anne created a 28-page policies and procedures manual for financial transactions,” Esposito says. “We’re probably going above and beyond on a consistent basis.”
“If you go to our website,” Huck says, “you’re going to find more information than almost any other non-profit. We are absolutely transparent with everything.” The website includes IRS 990 Forms going back to 2017, as well as independent audit reports.
According to its latest 990 form, T.J. Martell, a registered 501 (c) corporation, ended 2021 with net assets of $1.045 million. Like many organizations, it took a hit during the pandemic; its net assets on its 2019 990 form were listed as $3.35 million. Despite that drop as well as Goodwin’s actions, Huck says the organization was able to fulfill all of its 2019 promised grants going into 2020 before the pandemic hit. It will resume grant-giving this year.
Esposito, Huck and the trustees have also done outreach to rebuild trust brick by brick. “To get people back in the boat, every quarter I had a list of about 250 donors and friends, and either myself or [other key T.J. Martell board members] would just get on the phone and answer questions,” Huck says. “’What are we doing?’ ‘How are we going to make sure this never happens again?’ So by the time [Goodwin] was charged last year, everybody knew. We kept them in the light all along.”
T.J. Martell’s first event in 2023 occurred during Grammy Week in Los Angeles when it held its Best Cellars dinner. Similar events to be held in Nashville, Napa, Atlanta, Houston, Washington, D.C. and Cleveland this year will pair a four-course gourmet meal with wines provided by some of the country’s most distinguished wine collectors. The Los Angeles event, which was held Feb. 2, netted $600,000 for the organization, far beyond its original budget of a “few hundred thousand,” Esposito says.
“The love in that room and the enthusiasm in that room, it was like we were back in 1999. It was a great feeling,” Esposito says. “So, I’m feeling very confident that as long as we take all the right steps, we’re going to build this thing to a really good place.”
The organization is also looking at ways to broaden its outreach by spreading into other areas — part of a strategy to cut down on the number of events it holds each year. In 2018, T.J. Martell held 32 events that raised over $4 million. With this year’s seven Best Cellars dinners, it hopes to raise $3 million. Ideas include creating marathon teams that raise money for T.J. Martell, as well as increasing planned giving by individuals and estates and increasing branding and sponsorship possibilities. “It’s tapping into cash that makes the events far more productive and our not being so dependent on 30 events in a year,” Esposito says.
By relying less on staff-intensive events, Esposito and Huck hope to keep their personnel numbers down. In 2019, T.J. Martell had 25 full-time employees but now has only three. As the organization revs back up, they say they will judiciously hire more staffers based on need.
As Esposito delves into his role, he says the two words he uses to sum up T.J. Martell 2.0 are “transparency and enthusiasm… I yearn for us to be transparent on a profound level. And every philanthropic organization relies on enthusiasm, and 2023 is the year we’re building enthusiasm back and I’m thrilled that I’m already feeling it,” he says. “I can only imagine as we start getting events like the gala under our belt that people will be saying, ‘They’re back and better than ever.’”
Max Cutler, Spotify‘s head of audio talk shows and partnerships, is departing to “return to his entrepreneurial roots,” according to the company. His exit is part of a broader reorganization at the streaming company’s podcast division, where Julie McNamara has been appointed to lead licensed exclusives in addition to her oversight of Spotify’s global podcast studios. Additionally, Bryan Thoensen will continue overseeing content partnerships for third-party creators while expanding both those efforts and his team, while Bill Simmons will now report to podcasting head Sahar Elhabashi; in addition to continuing to lead The Ringer, Simmons will partner with vp/global head of ads business & platform Lee Brown on podcast monetization across the Spotify portfolio. No layoffs are connected to these shifts, according to the company.
Stacey Tang and Glyn Aikins were named co-presidents of RCA UK; both have worked at the label since 2018, with Tang most recently serving as executive vp while Aikins was co-president of Sony Music’s Since 93, a label partnership with RCA. Tang was named to Billboard‘s International Power Players list last year.
Robin Godfrey-Cass joined Primary Wave Music to focus on catalog acquisitions for the publishing giant. Godfrey Cass has over 40 years of experience in the music industry, including as managing director at Warner/Chappell Music UK and Round Hill Carlin UK; founder of Crosstown Songs; and co-founder of Perfect Storm, which eventually sold to Reservoir.
Cathy Bauer was appointed to the newly created role of head of physical sales & marketing at ADA Worldwide. In the role, she will manage ADA’s global physical sales and marketing division “with a focus on growing partners’ businesses and establishing efficient and standardized processes,” according to a press release. Bauer will additionally be tasked with identifying growth and innovation opportunities for ADA’s artists and partners, including through direct-to-consumer initiatives. She reports to ADA Worldwide president Cat Kreidich. Bauer joins ADA from ABKCO Music & Records, where she served as vp of sales & marketing for nearly five years.
Concord promoted 12 staff members to vp and senior vp roles across multiple business areas: Carol Boldish to vp of production, Concord Label Group (Nashville); Tom Frank to vp of sync marketing, Concord Label Group (London); David Geer to vp of music & publications, Concord Theatricals (New York); Shane Guitar to vp of operations, Fearless Records (Los Angeles); Randy Linsey to vp of international marketing & sales, Craft Recordings (Los Angeles); Clare Maxwell to vp of marketing, Concord Label Group (London); Elysha Miracle to senior vp of rights data management (Nashville); Meredith O’Leary to vp of sync marketing, Concord Label Group (New York); Gary Paczosa to senior vp of A&R, Rounder Records (Nashville); Stephen Phillips to vp of sync, Concord Music Publishing (London); Kelly Voigt to senior vp of corporate communications (Nashville); and Marty Willard to senior vp of business & legal affairs (remote).
Parlophone Records announced several key promotions and hires, chiefly Jack Melhuish, who has been named GM. He will continue to oversee and develop campaigns for Parlophone’s roster while also taking on wider responsibilities at the label. Additionally, Arina Logacheva, Molly McNulty and Seb Smith have been hired as senior A&R managers while Jason Ngimbi was hired as junior A&R manager. Logacheva joins from Universal Music, McNulty comes from Kobalt Music Publishing, Smith comes from Believe Music and Ngimbi joins from BMG. Lastly, Grace O’Neill was promoted to head of radio while Sam Palm was promoted to head of the newly created insight department, where he will extend the work he’s been doing as streaming head by incorporating more robust audience data.
Marcus Wise was appointed CEO for the European region at Wise Music Group. Previously global head of media, the London-based executive will lead the company’s music publishing and recorded music interests across the continent. Additionally, Dave Holley was named Wise Music Group COO, also based in London.
Alexander Brose, former executive director and CEO of The Tianjin Juilliard School in China, will succeed Dr. Peter Simon as president/CEO of The Royal Conservatory of Music upon Simon’s retirement on Aug. 31, 2024. The transition will begin on Sept. 1, 2023, when Brose will assume the role of president designate and work closely alongside Simon leading up to his departure.
Allison Smith was promoted to vp of promotion at Big Machine/John Varvatos Records; she was previously national director of promotion. In her new role, Smith will continue cultivating relationships between rock radio and the Varvatos imprint’s roster, which includes Badflower, Ayron Jones, Starcrawler, The Struts and Violet Saturn. She can be reached at allison.smith@bmlg.net.
Samantha Steel was named COO at Triple 8 Management, where she will oversee operations, promote a positive company culture and vision and develop solutions for internal communications as well as growth potential for employees and clients. Steel first joined Triple 8 in 2017, when Good Time Inc., where she served as GM, was acquired by the company. She can be reached at Sam@Triple8Mgmt.com.
JukeJoint Foundation, a nonprofit designed to empower women of color in the music business, was launched by Fresh ‘N Sassy Productions and ENCORE Music Tech Solutions founder Janishia Jones out of Los Angeles. Current board members include Live Out L!ve CEO Candace Newman, Exceleration Music head of data strategy Britnee Foreman, Jammcard operations manager Katrina Lee and Mass Appeal head of finance Daphnee Pierre. The Foundation will help women of color forge key professional connections by providing access to music industry events, scholarships to assist in repaying student loan debt and grants to aid the launch of their own music businesses. It plans to open additional chapters in New York, Atlanta and Nashville.
Gail Berger was named senior vp and GM of automotive partnerships at SiriusXM, succeeding Rodney Pickett, who will retire at the end of the month. Reporting to chief commercial officer Joe Verbrugge, Berger will oversee the company’s automotive partnerships, automotive remarketing and automotive field operations teams responsible for growing SiriusXM’s presence in new and used vehicles. Berger, who has been with SiriusXM since 2012, was most recently senior vp of automotive remarketing.
Bryce Sherlow was promoted to A&R manager at Warner Chappell Music in Nashville, while Benji Amaefule was hired in the same role. Amaefule joins from media platform Country Central, where he served as head of artist and label partnerships; he also interviews Nashville artists and writers and reviews new music via his brand TheBenjiChord.
Drive Agency president/CEO Jessy Tolkan was appointed as chairperson of the board of directors at HeadCount, the nonpartisan, nonprofit voter registration organization that harnesses music, culture and digital media to increase voter turnout. She succeeds Peter Shapiro, who recently finished out his four-year term as chair but will keep a seat on the board.
Mary Beth O’Toole launched The Conduit Collaborative, a boutique public relations firm with locations in Los Angeles and Sacramento, Calif. The firm specializes in finding non-traditional pitch angles for clients, ranging from music artists to Washington lobbying firms. It offers a range of PR services, including tour press and red carpet services, and has already worked with the Janis Joplin estate, Universal Music and L.A. Live, among other clients. O’Toole can be reached at info@conduitcollab.com.
Sound Future Foundation, which harnesses the influence of the live event industry to further climate innovation, announced its new board of directors, including board chair Terah Lyons, who previously served as policy advisor to U.S. chief technology officer Megan Smith in President Obama’s Office of Science and Technology Policy and founding executive director of the global nonprofit Partnership on AI. The remainder of the new board includes treasurer Kelci Zile (sustainability partner, Madrona Ventura Labs); secretary Adam Brunner (senior planner & counsel, Wildstar Partners); Brandy Schultz (co-founder/chief marketing officer, Sound Future and founder of Adventure Nannies); Ashley O’Winter (co-founder/COO, Sound Future); Wesley Schultz (songwriter-producer-lead singer of The Lumineers); Sara Full (tour manager); Joe Atamian (senior vp, Wasserman Music); and Alex Bruford (founder/CEO/agent, ATC Live).
ASM Global appointed Leonie Patrick of the San Francisco Travel Association as GM for its San Francisco convention center the Moscone Center. “Her focus will be to actively create an international destination while driving a great value for live meetings and events that drive action within their communities,” said ASM Global executive vp of convention centers Dan Hoffend in a statement.
TAIT — a global group of designers, fabricators, engineers and innovators for live and location-based experiences — promoted Gemma Hodgson to chief commercial officer. Additionally, Jess Chalifoux has joined the company as vp of global business development. Chalifoux reports to Hodgson, who can be reached at gemma.guy@taittowers.com.
Sander Shalinsky was named legal counsel at SRG/ILS Group. In music, Shalinsky is best known for his work with The Weeknd and producer Bob Ezrin, among many other record labels, artists, publishers, managers and music executives.
Singer-songwriter Jewel co-founded Innerworld, a mental health platform that aims to “build the largest community in the metaverse for mental health support,” according to a press release. Jewel will serve as chief strategy officer, while founder Noah Robinson will serve as CEO.
CrossBorderWorks founder/CEO Vickie Nauman joined the advisory board of Web3 company Pixelynx, which develops new formats of music and experiences for the metaverse.
UTA has added two new hires to its Nashville office, with Brian Hill joining as music agent and Jaime Roberts joining as tour marketing director.
Hill brings more than three decades of talent agency experience, including stints at Monterey Peninsula Artists/Paradigm and Creative Arts Agency (CAA). Hill has been named Pollstar‘s Third Coast Agent of the Year twice and has worked with artists including Eli Young Band, Aaron Lewis, Frankie Ballard and Home Free.
New York native Roberts launched her career in live entertainment by promoting live family entertainment experiences with Feld Entertainment, followed by more than a decade leading in marketing and promotions at Live Nation and The Bowery Presents for events in the New York and New Jersey region. Most recently, Roberts spent seven years in Austin, Texas, where she developed and executed multi-channel marketing campaigns for major touring artists with Messina Touring Group. During her time there, she led successful tour marketing efforts for artists including Shawn Mendes, Tim McGraw/Faith Hill, Little Big Town and Kelly Clarkson.
Over the past year, UTA Nashville has added Tyler Hubbard, Bobby Bones, Chris Janson, Parmalee, Dalton Dover and more to its roster and helped develop music newcomers including Megan Moroney, Alana Springsteen, Brittney Spencer and Chase Matthew.
“We are excited to have Brian and Jaime join us at UTA as we continue to expand and elevate the music department,” said UTA co-head of global music Scott Clayton in a statement. “Their decades of experience and stellar track record of going above and beyond for their clients make them perfect additions to our world-class team in Nashville.”
Joel Zimmerman has joined the management, production and business development firm Range Media Partners, where he will serve as a partner in the music division, the company announced Wednesday (Feb. 22). In his new role at Range, which launched in 2020, Zimmerman will represent clients with a focus on long-term career strategy, creative development, cross-over positioning, branding, IP and global touring.
“I’m most passionate when I have a vision for an artist’s career path or see where a new market can be created, while having the right set of resources to not only ideate but bring it all to fruition,” said Zimmerman. “I believe the best and most forward-thinking cultural platform for music talent is at Range. The team’s ability to mobilize with very high-level resources, combined with a truly amazing company culture, makes for the best breeding ground to turn the biggest dreams into reality. I am so excited to be building at Range and to make a positive impact on the continuously evolving industry.”
Prior to joining Range, Zimmerman had a 13-year run at WME, where he helped break artists including Calvin Harris, Pharrell Williams, Steve Lacy, Avicii, Martin Garrix, Steve Aoki, Psy, Kygo, Swedish House Mafia and Deadmau5. Altogether, Zimmerman served as an architect of the U.S. electronic music boom of the early to mid-2010s, particularly as he developed the template for Las Vegas DJ residencies. During this same era, Zimmerman signed The Weeknd and helped guide the artist to superstar status.
“Joel has consistently managed to cut through the noise — and competition — by landing clients lucrative touring, club and festival deals, as well as crossing them into other entertainment arenas,” said Range Media Partners CEO Peter Micelli. “The result of his groundbreaking work has created new pathways and platforms that break future stars and legitimize new music genres.”
“We could not be more excited to welcome Joel to Range,” Micelli added. “He is the preeminent thought leader in the music industry and a true force of nature, with an inherent ability to identify talent and looming trends. We’re thrilled to add an executive and partner of his caliber to the company.”
Veteran executive Yvette Medina has been appointed head of Latin music at YMU, the global management company tells Billboard.
Medina joins YMU’s Los Angeles office after launching her own artist management company, Creative Management Firm (CMF), in 2018 with clients such as Paloma Mami and Ecko. According to an announcement, she will continue to manage her current roster (Ecko, De La Cruz and Latenightjiggy) alongside the global YMU team, across all divisions, while overseeing the company’s activities for Latin America and with the wider Latin music community.
“YMU’s global resources and commitment to continue driving Latin music forward on a global scale aligned with my vision and passion, making them a perfect partner,” Medina said in a statement.
With over 18 years of experience in the music industry, Medina has held senior level positions at companies such as CAA, WME and Sony Music Latin. Before launching her own management firm, she was appointed general manager of Roc Nation Latin in 2016.
“Yvette’s experience and reputation speaks for itself. We have been looking for the right partner to establish our presence in the Latin music space for some time as it has exploded in popularity and mainstream visibility,” added Matt Colon, global president at YMU, which represents clients in music, entertainment, sports, publishing and business management. “Yvette’s combination of experience at a talent agency, and as a manager and label executive, has given her a unique skill set perfectly suited to the YMU Music management approach, offering marquee clients a full set of services from a global perspective.”
Jessica Keeley-Carter was promoted to executive vp of global marketing at Warner Music Group. Based in the United Kingdom, Keeley-Carter will take on a bigger global role, working closely with marketing leads in Asia, Latin America and Canada alongside her current remit in the U.K. She most recently served as senior vp of global marketing. That role will now be filled by Tony Corey, who was previously vp of global marketing. Based in New York, Corey will continue supporting campaign executions and long-term artist strategy; he was previously vp of global marketing. He has led Warner’s Global Priority System since joining the company in 2021.
The Worldwide Independent Network (WIN), which represents the global independent music sector, appointed its board of directors for 2023. Partisan Records COO Zena White will serve as chair, working closely with WIN’s newly appointed CEO Noemí Planas on delivering on the organization’s goal of growing and connecting the indie music community worldwide. Joining White on the board are three new directors: AIM’s COO Gee Davy, N.E.W.S managing director Geert De Blaere, Sub Pop Records/Hardly Art/Sub Pop Publishing president Tony Kiewel and GoDigital, Cinq Music and VidaPrimo chair Jason Peterson, who was elevated from his prior role of board observer. They will succeed outgoing directors Lisa Levy (Robbins Entertainment USA), Michael Lambot ([PIAS]) and Paul Pacifico (AIM). Elsewhere, former WIN board chair Maria Amato (AIR) is now treasurer; she will continue to sit with Mark Kitcatt (Everlasting Records), Richard Burgess (A2IM), Oliver Knust (IMICHILE) and White on the executive committee. Finally, Nerea Serrano was appointed community and projects manager at WIN; she joined the organization as communications officer in 2021.
Jamie Spinks was named head of A&R at Columbia Records UK, reporting directly to Columbia UK president Dipesh Parmar. He joined the label last year, signing and developing Venbee. He’ll be tasked with overseeing the direction of the Columbia UK A&R strategy while also running the joint venture label Room Two. Spinks was at Polydor Records for 10 years prior to his Columbia hire.
Rob Brown was hired as COO at mprs Global, the royalty tracking and collection service founded by the team behind mtheory. He joins from Kobalt Music Group, where he worked for nearly 12 years, most recently as vp of business affairs & commercial strategy. He can be reached at rob@mprs.co.
Ultra International Music Publishing opened a new creative hub in Lagos, Nigeria, where its African operations will be overseen by London-based A&R manager Harold Serero. As part of the announcement, the publisher revealed the signing of Nigerian artist Amexin to the roster.
Beville Dunkerley will step down from her role as SiriusXM/Pandora head of country music talent & industry relations to launch her own media training consultancy focusing on actors, athletes, authors and recording artists. She joined Pandora more than six years ago prior to its SiriusXM merger. Dunkerley can be reached at bevilledarden@gmail.com. (via Country Aircheck)
Four executives were promoted at Zync/Round Hill Music: Madison Norris to executive vp of creative operations, Kelly Ross to vp/head of creative licensing and publishing, Becca Luce to senior director of film & TV/creative publishing and Steve Nalbert to vp of sync licensing and digital. Norris will facilitate day-to-day management for the Zync creative licensing team, leading marketing efforts for both frontline and back catalog. Ross will lead synch licensing for the catalog and handle pitching for advertising while also signing songwriters and artists to frontline publishing and master deals. Luce will guide the co-write team with expanded A&R responsibilities along with film and TV pitching. Nalbert will build, optimize and carry out Round Hill Music’s digital strategy, collaborating with partners including Meta, Apple and TikTok.
Agent Dave Kaplan joined Paladin Artists, where he brings more than 20 clients including Spacey Jane, The Black Angels, Gary Numan, The Kills, Melody’s Echo Chamber and Allah-Las. He was previously at ICM Partners and has also worked at Paradigm and The Agency Group.
Keisha Perry Walker joined entertainment law firm Carter + Woodard as a new counsel. She will provide counsel to recording artists, producers, songwriters, manager, executives, independent labels and digital influencers, among others.
Linda Yaccarino was appointed group chair at YMU, a role she will occupy alongside her current position as chairman of global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal. She will work closely with YMU Group CEO Mary Bekhait. Also at YMU, Dani Chavez was promoted to senior marketing manager of the U.S. music division. Based in Los Angeles, Chavez will work closely with the company’s individual artist managers while reporting to YMU Music US head of marketing SuzAnn Brantner.
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum senior vps Nina Burghard and Lisa Purcell were promoted to executive vp roles. Burghard was elevated to executive vp of finances and operations and Purcell was upped to executive vp of external affairs. Both will report to CEO Kyle Young. Burghard oversees the museum’s financial operations as well as some information and technology elements, in addition to the human resources and maintenance & operations departments. Purcell supervises the marketing and public relations departments and provides leadership in individual & planned giving, memberships & corporate partnerships, educational programming and public affairs. Purcell can be reached at lpurcell@countrymusichalloffame.org and Burghard can be reached at nburghard@countrymusichalloffame.org.
Also at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Ben Hall was promoted to vp of development, Paul Kingsbury was hired as senior director of editorial and interpretation, Luke Wiget was promoted to senior director of creative and Leigh Anne Wise was promoted to senior director of facilities, operations and sustainability. Hall oversees diverse fundraising initiatives and manages Country Music Hall of Fame member relations on behalf of the museum. Kingsbury will manage editorial staff and the development of written content for the museum’s website, exhibitions, public programs, publications, educational materials and online offerings. Wiget will guide the creative and project management teams responsible for producing the museum’s exhibitions, books, videos, education materials, marketing collateral and social media content. Wise oversees facilities maintenance, building projects, building operations including security, housekeeping and event setup, as well as sustainability initiatives.
Courtney Allen was promoted to senior director of A&R at Concord Music Publishing in Nashville. She was previously director of A&R. During her time at the publisher, she has signed Justin Wilson and Jennifer Wayne and contributed to catalog and publishing deals with Russell Dickerson and Corey Crowder. Allen can be reached at Courtney.allen@concord.com.
Jon Pikus was named vp of A&R/business development at Wixen Music Publishing. Based in the company’s Calabasas, Calif., office, Pikus will sign new artists, songwriters, producers and catalogs to Wixen’s roster, in addition to setting up collaborations and co-write sessions for the existing roster. He’ll report to Wixen president/CEO Randall Wixen, CFO/COO Andrew Wixen and chief technology officer/executive vp Jason Rys. Pikus has held A&R roles at Columbia Records, Interscope Records, MySpace Records and more. He can be reached at jpikus@wixenmusic.com.
Lydia Kanuga was promoted to vp of media relations at PR firm The Chamber Group. In her new role, Kanuga will create and implement publicity strategies for a roster that includes Usher, the Michael Jackson estate, Mass Appeal and Toni Braxton. She will also take a lead role in business development prospects for the company. Based in New York, Kanuga reports directly to Chamber Group principal/founder Chris Chambers. She can be reached at lydia@thechambergroup.com.
Alex Siciliano was appointed senior vp of communications at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB). He will lead NAB’s communications team, and oversee the association’s outreach while spearheading messaging strategies to further NAB’s initiatives and advocacy issues before Congress and the Biden administration. He also serves as chief spokesperson for NAB and as a key advisor to senior leadership. He most recently worked as deputy chief of staff to former Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Col.).
John Moser and Ale Delgado were promoted to senior project managers at Thirty Tigers in Nashville; both were previously project managers. With their elevations, Moser and Delgado will play a bigger role in departmental operations while managing album release campaigns for the company. Elsewhere, Micki Windham was promoted to senior production manager, up from her previous role of production manager; Sydney Clancy‘s role was expanded from catalog coordinator to production coordinator, which will see her supporting all production efforts for both new releases and inventory management; and Alex Ramsay was promoted to independent retail sales & marketing manager, a bump from her previous role of independent retail sales & marketing coordinator. Thirty Tigers also announced several recent hires, including Kayla Ganz and Lauren Caudle. Ganz boarded the company in February 2022 as director of digital sales and streaming, joining from Naxos Music Group, while Caudle joined in September 2021 as project manager coordinator before being promoted to project manager in June 2022. Finally, Zack Hallcroft returned to Thirty Tigers as project management coordinator, joining the company from CDA Entertainment.
The Women’s Music Business Association (WMBA) announced its 2023 board of officers, organizational chairs and board of directors. Serving on the 2023 board are president Virginia P. Brick (SESAC); vp Aura Guadagno (Varnell Enterprises); treasurer Taylor Baird (Wiles + Taylor & Co.); secretary Alyssa Hoffman (manager of Wayland); events & education co-chairs Libby Gardner (Academy of Country Music) and Megan Clemons (CSM Management); and marketing & membership co-chairs Mackenzie Adkins (Rhonda & Company) and Aya Robinson (Opry Entertainment Group). On the WMBA board of directors are newly-elected chairwoman Amery Fridenstine (Above Board Consulting) along with brand-new board members Sheree Spoltore (Global Songwriters Connection), Jensen Sussman (Sweet Talk Publicity) and Christy Walker-Watkins (The AristoMedia Group/AristoPR). Brandi Simms (MooTV, Moo Creative & The Steel Mill) will continue in an advisory role as board of directors emeritus, while Lauren Spahn (Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley, & Norton) will act as legal counsel.
Ed Thompson joined ATC Live, bringing clients Jungle, Iron & Wine, Car Seat Headrest, Zero Zero Bonito and Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs to the agency. He joins the company from Free Trade Agency. Thompson can be reached at ed@atc-live.com.
Mallory Mason Pascal was promoted to partner at artist business management firm KFBM (previously King Business and Financial Management); she joined the company in 2020. Pascal can be reached at mallory@kbfmgmt.com.
Abi White was named head of dance and electronic promotions at Kartel Marketing Agency, the marketing and media promotions agency within Kartel Music Group. White will lead promotions for all dance and electronic agency clients as well as Kartel’s electronic label, EMK. She joins the company from For the Record PR, where she served as co-founder and co-director.
Desiree McCann was named manager of international marketing at Los Angeles-based management company Hills Artists. She will handle day-to-day management for Hills Artists clients while supporting and driving international marketing campaigns for the roster. Additionally, Brenna Rindfuss has been promoted to manager. McCann joins Hills Artists from Universal Music Australia, where she worked in artist development. She can be reached at desiree@hillsartists.com.
Susan Wojcicki announced in a blog post on Thursday that she will step down as CEO at YouTube after nine years, saying she wants to “start a new chapter focused on my family, health, and personal projects I’m passionate about.”
Taking over at the streaming media giant will be Neal Mohan, longtime chief product officer and Wojcicki’s No. 2 since 2015. She said she’ll “still be around” and will assist in the CEO transition and take on an advisory role across YouTube parent Alphabet/Google.
In a separate statement to Vox, Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin said Wojcicki, who famously rented out her garage to the duo in 1998 and became their 16th employee a year later, holds a “unique place in Google history and has made the most incredible contribution to products used by people everywhere.”
A timeline for the CEO transition was not given. Read Wojcicki letter to employees, later posted on the YouTube blog:
Hi YouTubers,
Twenty-five years ago I made the decision to join a couple of Stanford graduate students who were building a new search engine. Their names were Larry and Sergey. I saw the potential of what they were building, which was incredibly exciting, and although the company had only a few users and no revenue, I decided to join the team.
It would be one of the best decisions of my life.
Over the years, I’ve worn many hats and done so many things: managed marketing, co-created Google Image Search, led Google’s first Video and Book search, as well as early parts of AdSense’s creation, worked on the YouTube and DoubleClick acquisitions, served as SVP of Ads, and for the last nine years, the CEO of YouTube. I took on each challenge that came my way because it had a mission that benefited so many people’s lives around the world: finding information, telling stories and supporting creators, artists, and small businesses. I’m so proud of everything we’ve achieved. It’s been exhilarating, meaningful, and all-consuming.
Today, after nearly 25 years here, I’ve decided to step back from my role as the head of YouTube and start a new chapter focused on my family, health, and personal projects I’m passionate about.
The time is right for me, and I feel able to do this because we have an incredible leadership team in place at YouTube. When I joined YouTube nine years ago, one of my first priorities was bringing in an incredible leadership team. Neal Mohan was one of those leaders, and he’ll be the SVP and new head of YouTube. I’ve spent nearly 15 years of my career working with Neal, first when he came over to Google with the DoubleClick acquisition in 2007 and as his role grew to become SVP of Display and Video Ads. He became YouTube’s Chief Product Officer in 2015. Since then, he has set up a top-notch product and UX team, played pivotal roles in the launch of some of our biggest products, including YouTube TV, YouTube Music and Premium and Shorts, and has led our Trust and Safety team, ensuring that YouTube lives up to its responsibility as a global platform. He has a wonderful sense for our product, our business, our creator and user communities, and our employees. Neal will be a terrific leader for YouTube.
With all we’re doing across Shorts, streaming, and subscriptions, together with the promises of AI, YouTube’s most exciting opportunities are ahead, and Neal is the right person to lead us.
For all the YouTubers I’ve had the privilege to work with, you have done so much to make this platform better over the years. You created the largest creative economy the world has ever seen, enabled entirely new forms of art and storytelling, and supported millions of creators and artists to reach new audiences—all while investing in responsible growth so that this brilliant community of creators, artists, viewers, and advertisers could not only co-exist but thrive together. Thank you!
As for me, in the short term, I plan to support Neal and help with the transition, which will include continuing to work with some YouTube teams, coaching team members, and meeting with creators. In the longer term, I’ve agreed with Sundar to take on an advisory role across Google and Alphabet. This will allow me to call on my different experiences over the years to offer counsel and guidance across Google and the portfolio of Alphabet companies. It’s an incredibly important time for Google—it reminds me of the early days—incredible product and technology innovation, huge opportunities, and a healthy disregard for the impossible.
And beyond that, I’ll still be around, so I’ll have a chance to thank the thousands of people from all across the company and the world who I’ve worked with and learned from. But for now, I want to thank Sundar for his leadership, support and vision over the years. I also want to thank Larry and Sergey for inviting me on what has truly been the adventure of a lifetime. I always dreamed of working for a company with a mission that could change the world for the better. Thanks to you and your vision, I got the chance to live that dream. It has been an absolute privilege to be a part of it, and I’m excited for what’s next.
Thank you for everything,Susan
Daniel Mora has been appointed managing director of Warner Music Andes, where he will oversee the company’s operations in Colombia and Peru, and will report to president of Warner Music Latin America, Alejandro Duque, the company announced. Mora replaces Maria Montejo who left the company earlier this month.
Mora first joined Warner Chappell Music in 2013 as an A&R/Sync consultant at the Colombian office and was later promoted to managing director of WCM Colombia in 2019.
“After spending so many enjoyable years at Warner Chappell Music, I’m pleased to be staying within the WMG family and stepping into this role on the Recorded Music side,” he said in a press statement. “Latin music is in my blood, and I’m delighted to see how it’s currently growing and connecting with people around the world. There are so many great opportunities for our artists to become global stars and I’m looking forward to helping them achieve their dreams. I’d like to thank Alejandro for this new opportunity, and Gustavo Menendez, Guy Moot, and Carianne Marshall for all their support during my time at Warner Chappell Music.”
In addition to his experience as an industry executive, Mora is also an artist and entrepreneur. He previously toured Latin America as part of the tropipop band, Bonka, which made waves with their debut single “El Problemón” (2006) and freshman studio album Lo Que Nunca Nos Contamos; and launched his own audiovisual company in Bogotá, producing films and commercials for brands such as Chevrolet and Adidas, to name a few.
“Daniel is a brilliant exec who has experience of being on both sides of the fence – first as an artist and now as a leading industry figure,” Duque added. “His understanding of both perspectives makes him the perfect fit for Warner Music and our artist-first philosophy. His appointment will enable us to work even closer with our partners at Warner Chappell Music and will open up more opportunities for collaboration. Latin music is exploding around the world and I’m excited to see how Daniel can further propel our Colombian and Peruvian artists internationally.”
Elon Musk said Wednesday that he anticipates finding a CEO for Twitter “probably toward the end of this year.”
Speaking via a video call to the World Government Summit in Dubai, Musk said making sure the platform can function remained the most important thing for him.
“I think I need to stabilize the organization and just make sure it’s in a financial healthy place,” Musk said when asked about when he’d name a CEO. “I’m guessing probably toward the end of this year would be good timing to find someone else to run the company.”
It remains unclear how seriously Musk will take that timeline. His comment came only hours after he posted images of his shiba inu dog, Floki, on Twitter as the company’s “CEO.”
“So much better than that other guy!” wrote Musk, who often posts memes. After making the posts, a cryptocurrency known as Dogecoin, based around the image of a shiba inu meme, rose in value by around 5%. Musk previously has suggested Twitter accept Dogecoin in transactions.
Musk, 51, made his wealth initially on the finance website PayPal, then created the spacecraft company SpaceX and invested in the electric car company Tesla. In recent months, however, more attention has been focused on the chaos surrounding his $44 billion purchase of the microblogging site Twitter.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military’s use of Musk’s satellite internet service Starlink as it defends itself against Russia’s ongoing invasion has put Musk off and on at the center of the war.
Musk offered a wide-ranging 35-minute discussion that touched on the billionaire’s fears about artificial intelligence, the collapse of civilization and the possibility of space aliens. But questions about Twitter kept coming back up as Musk described both Tesla and SpaceX as able to function without his direct, day-to-day involvement.
“Twitter is still somewhat a startup in reverse,” he said. “There’s work required here to get Twitter to sort of a stable position and to really build the engine of software engineering.”
Musk also sought to portray his takeover of San Francisco-based Twitter as a cultural correction. Since taking over the company, he’s restored Donald Trump’s access to the platform after the then-president lost access to the website after a pro-Trump mob attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Musk also reinstated the accounts of several people who spread misinformation about the coronavirus, including that of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.
“I think that the general idea is just to reflect the values of the people as opposed to imposing the values of essentially San Francisco and Berkeley, which are so somewhat of a niche ideology as compared to the rest of the world,” Musk said. “And, you know, Twitter was, I think, doing a little too much to impose a niche.”
Musk’s takeover at Twitter has seen mass firings and other cost-cutting measures. Musk, who is on the hook for about $1 billion in yearly interest payments for his purchase, has been trying to find way to maximize profits at the company.
However, some of Musk’s decisions have conflicted with the reasons that journalists, governments and others rely on Twitter as an information-sharing platform.
Musk on Wednesday described the need for users to rely on Twitter for trusted information from verified accounts. However, a confused rollout to a paid verified account system saw some impersonate famous companies, leading to a further withdrawal of needed advertising cash to the site.
“Twitter is certainly quite the rollercoaster,” Musk acknowledged.
Forbes estimates Musk’s wealth at just under $200 billion. The Forbes analysis ranks Musk as the second-wealthiest person on Earth, just behind French luxury brand magnate Bernard Arnault.
But Musk also has become a thought leader for some as well, albeit an oracle that is trying to get six hours of sleep a night despite the challenges at Twitter.
Musk described his children as being “programmed by Reddit and YouTube.” However, he criticized the Chinese-made social media app TikTok.
‘“TikTok has a lot of very high usage (but) I often hear people say, ‘Well, I spent two hours on TikTok, but I regret those two hours,’” Musk said. “We don’t want that to be the case with Twitter.”
TikTok, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Musk warned that artificial intelligence should be regulated “very carefully,” describing it as akin to the promise of nuclear power but the danger of atomic bombs. He also cautioned against having a single civilization or “too much cooperation” on Earth, saying it could “collapse” a society that’s like a “tiny candle in a vast darkness.”
And when asked about the existence of aliens, Musk had a firm response.
“The crazy thing is, I’ve seen no evidence of alien technology or alien life whatsoever. And I think I’d know because of SpaceX,” he said. “I don’t think anybody knows more about space, you know, than me.”