Executive Turntable
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Vinyl Me, Please, the ebullient record of the month club (and pressing plant) based in Denver, hired creative veterans Rob Jones and Alan Hynes to add some rocket fuel to VMP’s product line. In their new roles (Jones as executive creative director and Hynes as senior creative director), the duo will help guide VMP’s artistic direction and work alongside existing creatives on custom record packaging designs for releases. They’ll also work with studios and composers to bring movie scores to vinyl as part of its new Soundtracks offering, beginning with a new pressing of Dave Grusin’s score for The Goonies later this summer. Jones joins VMP after a successful couple of decades as co-founder of Mondo, the maker of pop culture collectibles (including vinyl records and posters) that was acquired by Funko last year. Hynes also arrives from Mondo, where he played an integral role in its design department for years — creating original record packaging for films like Fight Club, Eyes Wide Shut and others.
“Bringing joy to people through tangible, transcendent experiences with music is what VMP is about and what we’re always striving to offer our customers,” said Cam Schaefer, CEO of VMP. “The addition of Rob and Alan to the team takes us to the moon creatively and fills out a 1992 Olympic Dream Team of art and design. Their experience, mind-bending creativity, and passion for exploration will allow them to make a deep impact within VMP and help us to elevate and expand our product line for customers. We’re lucky to have them.”
Liliahn Majeed exited her post as Universal Music Group‘s first global chief diversity, inclusion and belonging officer for a similar DEI role at L’Oréal. During her three years at UMG, Majeed led a team focused on boosting the label giant’s inclusion and equity efforts, and she notably co-chaired one of the committees of UMG’s high profile “Task Force for Meaningful Change.” Before Majeed traded the globe’s No. 1 music company for the No. 1 beauty firm, she held senior marketing and diversity roles at the NBA and earlier, at Frito-Lay. Majeed moves into the chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, North America role at L’Oréal following the retirement of Angela Guy.
Warner Music Latina appointed Andrés Shaq as A&R director. He’ll be based in Miami and report to Hector Ruben Rivera, senior vice president and head of A&R Latin Music. Shaq was previously senior A&R manager at Warner Music Colombia, where he spent three years and played a key role in the careers of artists like Piso 21, Mike Bahía and Blessd. He also signed notable Colombian producers such as ICON, DJ MAFF, and SOG. “Colombia and the Andean region have an abundance of incredible talent waiting to be discovered. I’m fully committed to discovering and fostering future Latin superstars,” said Shaq. –Leila Cobo
Sony Pictures Television tapped Palash Ahmed to lead new efforts to develop more music-connected projects at the studio. As head of music development — a newly created role — Ahmed will work with studio president of international production Wayne Garvie on synergistic pairings with obvious partners (Sony Music’s recorded music and publishing divisions), as well as with non-Sony artists and labels. In announcing Ahmed’s new role, studio chairman Ravi Ahuja said film and TV content with a music tie-in “comes with a built-in, highly engaged fanbase, and we are excited to begin leaning in to opportunities to develop projects with musical artist connections.” Ahmed, who is based in Los Angeles, joined Sony Pictures Entertainment in 2017 and most recently held the title of senior vp of corporate development.
Tim McGraw‘s management and marketing company, EM.Co, appointed Doug Phillips as vp of marketing and digital. Phillips has previously worked at companies including Q Prime South, Universal Music Group and Sony Music Nashville. Concurrently, EM.Co vice president Brian Kaplan joins McGraw’s media venture Down Home as co-founder and chief strategy officer. Down Home launched earlier this year with partners Skydance and social content studio Shareability. –Jessica Nicholson
Faryal Khan-Thompson joined Downtown-owned music distributor CD Baby as senior vice president of marketing and community engagement, responsible for strategy around the disciplines in her job title, as well as branding initiatives, artist education efforts and growing the company internationally. The NYC-based Khan-Thompson was previously vp of international at TuneCore. “I am committed to building on the great work that has been done and positioning CD Baby as the leading provider of music distribution services for independent artists,” she said. CD Baby recently made headlines by sunsetting most of its physical distribution business — namely, that it will no longer warehouse or distribute the CDs that it makes for artists.
ICYMI: Big Machine Music elevated Mike Molinar to president of the publishing company.
Justin Chacona was named vice president of brand & marketing at Stockholm-based production music company Epidemic Sound, where he’ll lead a team of 40-plus staffers working on marketing and PR initiatives, social media strategy and consumer relations as the company eyes expansion into new markets. Launched in 2009, Epidemic offers a catalog of restriction-free music for use in videos, podcasts and other content. Chacona joins from Polar Electro where he’s been group chief marketing officer since 2020. Earlier in his career, Chacona worked at Rovio Entertainment, where he led marketing efforts surrounding the video game developer’s hit movie for Angry Birds. Chacona’s appointment follows the hiring of Rob Bullough as global brand director earlier this year.
Vickie Nauman was appointed to the advisory board of Interstellar Music Services, a specialist digital rights management company. Based in Los Angeles, Nauman is the founder and CEO of music and tech consultancy CrossBorderWorks and before that held executive roles at 7digital and Sonos. Interstellar, which launched in January, works to maximize the collection of royalties via a suite of services that includes digital distribution, brand partnerships, metadata cleaning, neighboring rights, publishing administration and detailed analysis/reporting. “The Company sits right at the intersection of music and innovation,” said Nauman, “so I hope that it will benefit from my experience as it enters its next phase of growth.”
Youth-focused social media platform Zigazoo hired Joe Kelley as director of music partnerships. In his new role, Kelley will lead outreach efforts with the music industry at large as the short video app looks to build on the recent launch of its product for kids 13 and up. Kelley had plenty of experience connecting with music acts during his four years as Billboard‘s head of artist relations — booking talent for a wide swath of events and other branded franchises. After leaving Billboard, Kelley worked as an artist manager and, more recently, as head of artist partnerships at music impact events platform WithOthers.
The Royal College of Music has enlisted James Williams to be only its 11th director since the prestigious school, located in South Kensington, London, was founded in 1882. Williams will join RCM on Sept. 1, 2024, succeeding current director Colin Lawson, who is retiring. Williams is managing director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, a position he has held since June 2016.
Nashville Bites: Universal Music Group Nashville hired Charlene Bryant as senior vp of business development and strategy. For the last five years, she ran her own company, Riveter Management, a multigenre firm whose clients have included hip-hop artist Trippie Redd… Rachel Burleson was promoted to Big Machine Label Group director of streaming from Big Machine Records project manager… SMACKSongs promoted Sam Sarno to creative director from creative manager… Mark Turcotte starts July 18 as Nashville-based Outback Presents senior vp of marketing. He arrives from Cox Media/Atlanta, where he was general sales manager. –Tom Roland
Big Machine Music has promoted Mike Molinar to president of the publishing company, effective immediately. Molinar will continue to report to Big Machine Label Group chairman and CEO Scott Borchetta.
BMM, a division of HYBE America, also announced the advancement of Alex Heddle to senior vp of publishing and Grayson Stephens to vice president, overseeing royalties and finance.
“I’m so proud to announce that Mike Molinar has been appointed President of Big Machine Music. His leadership, vision, artist relations and song sense are unmatched,” Borchetta said in a press release. “We are also acknowledging the outstanding work and accomplishments of BMM’s Alex Heddle and Grayson Stephens as they continue to power the Machine to new heights.”
Molinar has nearly three decades of experience as a music publisher and advocate for creatives. He has led Big Machine Music since its inception in 2011, overseeing the company’s ongoing growth of a diverse roster and dynamic catalog of over 14,000 songs (including the RIAA Diamond-certified “Beautiful Crazy” (recorded by Luke Combs), “In Case You Didn’t Know (Brett Young) and “Speechless” (Dan+Shay), while also leading the company’s impact beyond its Nashville base with the addition of a West Coast division based in Los Angeles. Molinar has been named a Billboard Country Power Player for four consecutive years, and was selected for the Nashville Cohort of the Harvard Young American Leaders Program in 2021. Molinar currently serves as a board member on the National Music Publishers Association, Mechanical Licensing Collective designated by the U.S. Copyright Office, Music Health Alliance, Academy of Country Music and Country Music Hall of Fame Education Council.
Heddle recently celebrated a decade at BMM and represents songwriters Jessie Jo Dillon, Ryan Hurd, Matt Dragstrem, Geoff Warburton and Sara Davis, who recently earned her first Grammy Award nomination with “abcdefu” (GAYLE) for song of the year. A graduate of Leadership Music’s class of 2022, Heddle currently serves on the AIMP Nashville board and as a Music Row Ambassador for St. Jude Children’s Hospital. The Belmont University alum’s career includes time at Love Monkey Music, Writer’s Den Music, Propoel Music Publishing and Ash Street Music.
A graduate of Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business, Stephens brings nearly 14 years of publishing administration experience to the vice president role, having previously held positions at Sony Music Publishing prior to joining Big Machine Music in 2017.
“I’m honored by Scott Borchetta’s continued faith and partnership. Big Machine Music is my home; our incredible team and world-class songwriters are my family. I’m proud to continue our journey together,” Molinar added in a press release. “In that spirit, I can’t understate how important Alex Heddle and Grayson Stephens have been through these past several years of transition and growth. I’m so happy to see their efforts recognized with such well-deserved promotions.”
BMM’s current roster includes Billboard’s 2022 Songwriter of the Year Laura Veltz, Brett Young, Ryan Hurd, Jessie Jo Dillon, Matt Dragstrem, Geoff Warburton, Sara Davis, Eric Paslay, Justin Moore, Maddie & Tae, Anna Vaus, Matt Roy, Mike Eli, Daniel Ross, Callista Clark, Tyler Rich, Laci Kaye Booth, Troy Cartwright, Ayron Jones, Dalton Mauldin and Teddy Reimer. Catalog writers include Luke Combs, Brandy Clark, Jonathan Singleton and Josh Thompson.
Ryan Beuschel joined The Neal Agency as head of business development, where he’ll assist in artist development across a TNA roster that includes Morgan Wallen, HARDY and Anne Wilson. The Michigan native is fresh off a nine-year tour of Warner Chappell Music, where he rose to vp of A&R and is credited with signing recently crowned Billboard Country Power Players rookie of the year Bailey Zimmerman (a TNA client). Beuschel got his start interning at Universal Music Publishing Group and later held roles at UMG and ASCAP. “Ryan has been a close friend of mine for many years,” said agency founder and co-head Austin Neal. “He carries the same entrepreneurial spirit and artist first mentality that aligns with the core values of our company.” Reach Beuschel at Ryan@TheNealAgency. net.
Sony Music’s distribution and indie artist services company AWAL hired Vijay Basrur to captain its expansion into the opportunity-rich India and South Asia markets. This new chapter for AWAL follows the acquisition of Basrur’s homegrown digital distribution service, OKListen, which works with 4,000-plus artists across India. Based in Mumbai and supported by Sony Music India, the Basrur-led AWAL division will help indie-centric artists with their marketing, creative, synchs, radio promotion and, of course, distribution needs. He’ll report to AWAL CEO Lonny Olinick and Sony Music India managing director Vinit Thakkar. “The independent music community across the region is full of potential,” said Olinick.
Linda Bloss-Baum will depart SoundExchange, where she is senior vp of government relations and public policy, to join the Kogod School of Business at American University as a full-time faculty member. The Washington D.C.-based Bloss-Baum started at SoundExchange in 2021 after holding roles at Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group and Time Warner Inc. At the Kogod School of Business, where she has been an adjunct professor for a decade, she’ll serve as assistant program director in the business and entertainment program and teach two undergraduate courses. Bloss-Baum officially starts her new job on Aug. 15.
Ticketing and events marketplace Tixr continues a hiring spree with the appointment of Irene Hedges to chief strategy officer. Hedges, most recently Warner Bros.’ svp of corporate business development and strategy, will spend her time at Tixr launching new business verticals and expanding the company internationally, among other duties. Other recent appointments at Tixr include Matt Baca to vp of finance, Acacia Diaz to vp of marketing and Nate Liberman to vp of sports. But wait there’s more: industry veteran Sara Mertz was promoted to vp of music partnerships – venues.
ICYMI: Rihanna stepped down as Savage X Fenty boss … Patrick Moore was appointed CEO at Opry Entertainment Group … Jarred Arfa was named evp/head of global music at the newly launched Independent Artist Group … SoundCloud promoted Tracy Chan to chief content officer … Runner Music hired Amanda Hill as co-chief creative officer … German music rights body GEMA announced Dr. Tobias Holzmüller will take over as CEO starting in October … and UMG Nashville named Charlene Bryant as svp of business development and strategy.
Lauren Lieu was promoted to senior director of creative at Play It Again Music Group, the full-service music company founded by singer-songwriter Dallas Davidson. In her new role, Lieu will serve as head of PIA’s publishing arm, which has a roster including Davidson, Lee Brice, Lewis Brice, Tyler Farr and Dylan Marlowe, among others. “Lauren Lieu is a warrior,” remarked Davidson. Prior to joining PIA in 2021 as director of creative, she served as creative manager at ole Music Publishing. Reach Lieu at Lauren@piamusic.com.
PR firm Shore Fire Media promoted Alena Joyiens to senior account executive. The Brooklyn-based publicist joined Shore Fire in 2019 as a junior account executive and since then was upped to account executive, leading campaigns for Kesha, Bonnie Raitt, ODESZA, Debbie Gibson and other clients. Her remit has also included several book campaigns, including for Decoding ‘Despacito’: An Oral History of Latin Music by Leila Cobo, the chief content officer for Latin music at Billboard. Joyiens can be reached at ajoyiens@shorefire.com.
Speaking of, Erica Goldish has left Shore Fire for a new opportunity at brand strategy & communications firm FYI Brand Group, where her client roster includes 21 Savage, Cardi B, DJ Khaled, Doja Cat, Metro Boomin’, Travis Scott, Wizkid and many more. Goldish joined Shore Fire in 2021 as a junior account executive and dropped the junior a year later.
Nashville Bites: Charly Salvatore’s marketing/management firm underscore works added two new employees: artist manager/director of marketing Jamie Ernst and associate manager Jordin Wentworth. Ernst is a former Average Joes day-to-day manager who brings Sister Hazel to the underscore client list. Wentworth was recently a ClearBox Rights project manager … Shore Fire Media promoted Nashville-based Olivia Del Valle to senior account executive from account executive … Mason Stanfield joined KATC Colorado Springs, Colo., as PD/morning host. He arrives after working the morning shift at KRMD Shreveport, La. … KUZZ Bakersfield, Calif., morning team Cliff Dumas and Tanya Brakebill announced their retirement from radio following their June 23 shift. –Tom Roland
Universal Music Group Nashville has named Charlene Bryant as senior vp of business development & strategy.
Bryant brings with her a track record of experience and success in genres including country, Christian and hip-hop. The Ohio native and Belmont University graduate previously spent five years leading artist management company Riveter Management, which she founded in 2018. Bryant was named one of Billboard‘s R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players in 2020 and 2021 and was part of CMT and mtheory’s inaugural equal access development program.
“Charlene has spent her career in artist development and learning to merge cultures of Christian, R&B, Hip-Hop and Country music,” says UMG Nashville chair & CEO Cindy Mabe. “She’s had success at major labels and independents, as well as success as an entrepreneur. As Universal Nashville is investing deeper to expand our growth in partnering in innovation with entrepreneurs, the independent label sector as well as our sister labels, Charlene is the perfect person to help merge those worlds and cultures to help build the next era of Universal Music Group Nashville. I could not be more excited to have Charlene Bryant help build our vision.”
UMG Nashville’s latest hire comes under the leadership of Mabe, who officially took the chair/CEO reins of the label in April. In a memo to UMG Nashville staffers at the time, Mabe laid out a vision for the company going forward. Among her plans are to “dramatically expand our partnerships with independent labels and entrepreneurs.” Mabe added, “Inspiration and new ideas are coming from everywhere. Much of that innovation is coming from the independent sector, but by the same token there is so much more they could do if they partnered with us in key areas. Universal Nashville will actively take a role to position ourselves as the best partners to expand their growth and help develop and support these artists.”
As Mabe continues to build the leadership team at UMG Nashville, the company is also pulling from other industry sectors. In May, Chelsea Blythe was appointed as executive vp of A&R for UMG Nashville. Blythe previously served as senior vp of A&R at Def Jam, leading A&R efforts for artists including Armani White and 26AR. Blythe also worked at Columbia Records, signing artists including Baby Keem and developing artists including The Kid LAROI.
In the memo to UMG Nashville staffers in April, Mabe said the company also aims to “collaborate even closer (and more creatively) with our label colleagues around the world where we can leverage each other’s strengths to break artists who are either signed to their rosters or ours. There’s so much more we can do together.”
As part of that work with UMG Nashville’s sister labels, the label also recently announced its partnership with Capitol Christian Music Group to release new music from Grammy-nominated artist Anne Wilson (“My Jesus,” “Sunday Sermons”).
Runner Music, the publishing and music company formed by Ryan Tedder, artist manager Ron Laffitte and publishing executive Andrew Sparkler, has hired former Sony Music Publishing executive Amanda Hill as president of A&R/and co-chief creative officer.
Hill is the company’s first major hire since launching in January. In her Los Angeles-based role, Hill will be responsible for leading Runner’s global creative strategy, including writer and artist signings, company development and building out the Runner team.
“I am so excited to be starting this new chapter with Runner Music and to partner with Ryan, Ron, and Andrew, each of whom I’ve respected and admired for many years,” she said in a statement to Billboard. “I’m thrilled to be building this company from the ground up alongside them, and together with our songwriters we will create the future of music publishing.”
More recently, Hill served as senior VP of A&R at Sony Music Publishing, where she worked with major songwriters and artists including Tedder, Greg Kurstin, Miley Cyrus and Johnny McDaid. She consulted for Columbia Records from 2013 to 2019 and has managed Sarah Aarons since 2016.
“In almost 20 years of working with publishing A&Rs across all the major and indie companies, I’ve never had a more effective dialog and workflow with anyone than Amanda,” said Tedder, who serves as co-chief creative officer with Hill. “Her genuine passion for songs, writers and the creative process is as good as it gets and her 17-plus years of experience in all facets of music publishing are invaluable to myself and the Runner team. Speaking on behalf of our writers, artists and myself, we are beyond ecstatic to have her join the Runner family.”
Earlier this month, Runner and Sony Music Nashville partnered to sign 19-year old multi-instrumentalist David J. “David is a true unicorn talent and I’m thrilled that Runner can partner with Sony to help bring his music to the world,” said Tedder at the time of the announcement. “I’m also pleased to announce that Brandon Silverstein is working with Runner as a strategic and creative partner for this project.” David J has earned 75 million career on-demand streams through his independent releases, including “Lost My Heartbreak,” “Before You,” and “Stay,” according to Sony.
Blackstone Group’s Melody Holdings is an equity partner in Runner Music.
SoundCloud has promoted two staff members — Tracy Chan to chief content officer and Ama Walton to senior vp of music licensing/deputy general counsel — and hired Devi Mahadevia, who joins the company as senior vp of strategy following a stint at Meta, the company tells Billboard. “Tracy is one of the foremost innovators at […]
Jarred Arfa has been named executive vp/head of global music for the newly-rebranded agency Independent Artist Group (IAG), the company’s newly installed CEO Jim Osborne announced on Tuesday (June 27).
The launch of IAG was formally announced last week with Osborne at the helm. The company was formed via a merger of two agencies: Agency For the Performing Arts (APA) and Artist Group International (AGI), where Arfa served as COO.
At IAG, Arfa will oversee the day-to-day operations of the combined AGI and APA music departments, reporting to Osborne. As announced last week, Arfa’s father, AGI founder/CEO Dennis Arfa, will serve as chairman of IAG’s music division while Marsha Vlasic will serve as vice-chair.
The deal was made possible thanks to a 2020 investment in APA by billionaire Ron Burkle, whose Yaicapa Companies has long been an investor in AGI.
“Jarred has been instrumental in getting this partnership to the finish line,” says Osborne. “We have tremendous confidence in him to not only lead the day-to-day operations of our music department but to help us grow it from here,”
At AGI, Jarred’s responsibilities included business development, legal, financial and corporate reporting; overseeing artists’ tour contracts; VIP ticketing; and sponsorship and brand partnerships. He will continue to do the same at IAG, with the added help of the infrastructure inherited from the full-service APA, which in addition to music and comedy touring also includes legal, tour marketing, branding and sponsorships departments.
“We have relied on Jarred on so many levels over the years to not only oversee the operations of AGI but to also assist us in furthering our investments in the music business,” said Burkle in a statement.
Jarred will continue to work closely with Billy Joel’s team, assisting on the singer-songwriter’s record-breaking residency at Madison Square Garden along with his other tour dates.
“Jarred has been an invaluable asset to us on so many levels,” added Vlasic. “We have tremendous confidence in him to lead our efforts to integrate and grow our combined music assets enabling our artists and agents to thrive.”
While at AGI, Jarred was an instrumental advisor in the company’s sale to The Yucaipa Companies in 2012 and later served as a conduit for Yucaipa’s investments in K2 and Danny Wimmer Presents.
“I am excited to work with the outstanding young team of APA agents who have been thriving, particularly in urban, as we combine into one cohesive unit,” Jarred said. “I look forward to further offering crossover opportunities for our artists that Jim Osborne and his team have done such an amazing job at. Our plan is to grow the department with a quality over quantity ethos.”
Jarred began his career at Robert Silverman’s CKX Inc., where he acted as director of Muhammad Ali Enterprises and director of operations for Elvis Presley Enterprises.
Patrick Moore has been named as CEO of Opry Entertainment Group (OEG), a division of Ryman Hospitality Properties. His new role includes oversight of OEG’s growth plan, day-to-day operations and business development activities at the company, which has a portfolio that includes the Grand Ole Opry and the Ryman Auditorium. Moore replaces former OEG CEO […]
Rihanna’s lingerie brand, Savage X Fenty, has a new CEO: Hillary Super, former CEO of Anthropologie Group and a veteran of such apparel companies as Guess, American Eagle and Gap. According to various reports, Vogue Business, Rihanna will remain the company’s executive chairman. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts […]
Sunset Blvd. Records hired Tim Devine as the label’s new head of A&R. He’s already signed a trifecta of ’90s alt-rockers to the imprint: Everclear, Fastball and Butthole Surfers. Devine is perhaps best known for his integral role in reviving Bonnie Raitt’s career at Capitol Records — read about their Nick of Time triumph here — and for A&R’ing Brandi Carlile at the dawn of her career, as well as his work with Blind Melon, Katy Perry and Train. He began his career in product management at Warner Bros. Records before taking on an artist development role at MCA Records and later as vp of A&R at Capitol, where he signed Raitt and worked albums by the Beastie Boys and Paul McCartney, among others. He recently served as West Coast GM of Columbia Records. “Everyone is taking my calls,” Devine says of his new role, “and this position fits my skill set like a glove. I look forward to building the next chapter of SBR’s success.”
Valérie Bernard joined Deezer earlier this year as its chief human resources & sustainability officer. In her Paris-based role, the HR veteran is tasked with all things talent acquisition, employee development and performance management, along with developing initiatives to match the company’s environmental, social and governance goals. She arrived at the streaming service from Richemont Group, and earlier was human resources director of Canal+ International. Bernard reports directly to Deezer CEO Jeronimo Folgueira, who says she’ll “be a key player in continuing to build an open, inclusive and vibrant culture at Deezer.”
SiriusXM and Pandora have promoted Rachael Spangler to head of music talent relations and Azu Olvera to head of Latin music talent booking. Spangler and her team of eight are in charge of booking artists for interviews, live performances and other various programming and events for the satellite radio giant. She began her career at Epic Records. Olvera recently installed a massive feather in her cap for her role in opening the new SXM Miami studio and office, and the launch of the ‘Hits Uno’ channel. “We’re not thinking of Latin as a backseat but as a driver of success and engagement,” she told Billboard of the launch, which included an intimate performance by Carlos Vives, an interview with Pitbull and a Becky G town hall-style conversation.
Warner Chappell Music upped Wallace Joseph to senior vp of A&R and Jon Chen to vp of A&R. Joseph is best known for his work with some of R&B and hip-hop’s biggest talents, including Summer Walker, Wale, Ari Lennox, JetsonMade and Tay Keith. Chen has fostered a diverse roster of boundary-pushing music makers, including Ian Kirkpatrick, Benson Boone, BEAM, Sir Nolan and Ashnikko. The two will continue to report to Ryan Press, president of North America, to continue to expand WCM’s roster. –Kristin Robinson
Jan Fischer was promoted to CEO of EMP, the European specialty music and entertainment merchandise e-tailer acquired by Warner Music in 2018. Fischer has been helping to lead the company, where he has been both CFO and COO, since the departure of Ernst Trapp last month. Fischer has been part of the EMP team since 2013 and is based out of Lingen, Germany, reporting to Karl Walsh, executive vp and head of global commerce for WMG. In recent years, the standalone unit has worked with acts including Panic! At the Disco, Metallica and Guns N’ Roses, along with major brands like Disney and Marvel, to launch a network of merch websites that serve millions of customers.
Veteran music and tech PR executive Jason Roth is Wasserman Music‘s new vp of communications, overseeing the fast-expanding talent agency’s comms strategy and industry relations, among other duties. Roth has held senior roles at a who’s-who of media and tech companies, including SiriusXM, Pandora, Hewlett-Packard, Apple and Capitol Records. At the Cupertino outfit, Roth led global communications during a major expansion of iTunes and the launch of the App Store. His work at Capitol included publicity wins for The Beatles, LCD Soundsystem and Liz Phair, among others. He’s also a writer, with clippings from numerous publications including Spin, The Chicago Tribune and NPR Music, where he profiled the J. Geils Band’s signature hit.
Marguerite Jones was named vp of A&R at Republic Records, where she will oversee the overall direction of A&R strategy and work on projects for artists across hip-hop, R&B and pop. Based in Los Angeles, Jones joins the UMG powerhouse after a productive four years at Sony Music’s RCA Records, where she rose from intern to manager of A&R and singed Latto in the process. “MJ has established herself as one of the industry’s most prescient and forward-thinking A&R executives,” said label co-president Wendy Goldstein. “She has been instrumental to culture-defining breakout talent, and her ability to spot greatness is already proven.”
Also this week… Sony Music hired BPI’s Geoff Taylor for a first-of-its-kind AI role, TikTok COO V. Pappas stepped down and Tina Davis was named president of EMPIRE.
CAA has promoted Yasi Agahnia, Logan Binstock, Abe Coelho, Ryan Quint and Karen Schillinger to agent roles across various division, and Erik Toral to executive in global client strategy. In terms of disciplines, Agahnia (Los Angeles) works in the music touring area’s private events division; Binstock (LA) works with high-profile agent Christian Carino to create new business opportunities for their clients; Coelho (LA) is in the media finance department, specializing in independently financed films; Quint (LA) works in the comedy touring department and reps Craig Ferguson, Ron White and Nurse Blake, among others; and Schillinger (Nashville) is in the music touring division. As for the LA-based Toral, he will work on creating cohesive brand strategies and launching talent-led business endeavors for CAA talent. All six of the newly promoted team members come from CAA Elevate, the agency’s overhauled agent trainee program.
Anna Lisle joined Alternate Side Management, the US-based full-service management company that’s home to leading LGBTQ+ artists Meet Me @ The Altar and Cavetown. Lisle arrives from 7DS Management and brings artist Summer Salt to ASM and will take on Madds Buckley and co-manage Roekapara and Daisy Grenade. Alternate Side also recently hired John Helps, a day-to-day manager based in London and a member of post-rock band Maybeshewill. Helps works under artist manager Cory Hajde.
Michael Sherman was promoted to vp of business development at music marketing firm feature.fm, where he’ll zero in on emerging trends, conduct market research and lead negotiations with potential partners. In his previous role as director of biz dev, Sherman “spearheaded strategic initiatives to drive the company’s growth and expand its reach in the music industry,” the company said. Sherman is based in Los Angeles.
DICE appointed music industry veteran Caron Veazey to its board of directors. Veazey founded Something In Common, a management and consulting agency specializing in music, film, art and culture. Previously, she managed Pharrell Williams for nearly a decade.
Nashville Bites: Grace Watson joined Black River as senior director of streaming and revenue. She arrives from Universal Music Group’s Nashville-based Capitol Christian Music Group, where she served as manager of commercial partnerships … Warner Chappell Nashville A&R manager Bethany Mako returns to the company, where she formerly interned. Mako was working as Songs & Daughters A&R manager … Shore Fire Media promoted Nashville-based Nick Jurich to junior account executive from publicity assistant. The division’s current clients include LANCO, Dillon Carmichael and Chase Matthew … Nashville-based Gibson Brands promoted Beth Rasnick to chief of staff to the CEO. Her previous roles in the company include director of strategy and projects. –Tom Roland