Executive Turntable
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SoundCloud chief content & marketing officer Lauren Wirtzer-Seawood has departed the company after nearly two years, Billboard has confirmed. There is no word yet on her next moves.
Wirtzer-Seawood joined SoundCloud in June 2021 from UnitedMasters, where she served as president for more than two years. Prior to that, she worked as head of music partnerships at Instagram for over three years and head of digital at Beyoncé‘s Parkwood Entertainment for over two years; she has also held senior roles at Def Jam and Zynga.
“I came to SoundCloud to help transform the company and set it on a path toward success,” says Wirtzer-Seawood in a statement sent to Billboard. “After nearly two years of building teams, processes, priorities — and hiring some really stellar people — it was time to move on. I have no doubt that Eliah and the executive team will drive massive success for SoundCloud.”
During Wirtzer-Seawood’s tenure, SoundCloud has made efforts to differentiate itself as a more artist-friendly alternative to rival streaming services. Chief among these efforts is the fan-powered royalty payment system, first unveiled in March 2021, which has since been opted into by both Warner Music Group and Merlin. Unlike the traditional pro-rata model, under which streaming services collect all subscriber revenue and then pay out earnings based on each rightsholder’s share of total streams, fan-powered royalties direct a portion of every listener’s subscription or advertising revenue to the rightsholders for the specific tracks they listen to.
“Fan-powered royalties give us the ability to have specific data around who those fans are,” Wirtzer-Seawood told Billboard last year, “and we can now unlock those relationships with the superfans and communicate with them, to sell them something or whatnot.”
On Monday, SoundCloud unveiled “Fans,” a new SoundCloud for Artists product that’s being billed as the next evolution of the fan-powered payment system. Now in beta, the tool allows music creators to tap into the platform’s proprietary data and sort their most engaged listeners based on factors like comments, listening behavior, sharing habits and location — and then directly message individual fans to share previews of upcoming releases; sell tickets and merch; and more.
Brooke Primont was promoted to executive vp of global sync at Concord Music Publishing, where she will lead the company’s 17-person synch team worldwide, the company tells Billboard.
Based in New York City, Primont will lead all of Concord’s publishing synch operations, managing teams in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Australia — along with the company’s global sub publisher network — while creating synergies across the Concord catalog. She will report to chief publishing officer Jim Selby.
Primont joined Concord more than five years ago as head of the North American publishing synch department. Recent achievements by her team include a Super Bowl ad for UberEats featuring Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It”; Ericdoa’s “ >one (greater than one)” for the Valorant video game series; Night Ranger’s “Sister Christian” in the trailer for Air; and The Polyphonic Spree‘s “Hold Me Now” in the trailer for Everything Everywhere All At Once.
“I am excited to expand my role by bringing together Concord’s sync teams around the world, allowing us to broaden the scope and diversify the opportunities that we can offer our songwriters and composers,” said Primont in a statement. “The global Concord Music Publishing sync team is truly something special, we have developed unparalleled relationships across the entertainment industry, and it doesn’t hurt that our catalog is full of some of the best songs ever written.”
Selby added, “Brooke has already taken our sync division to new heights. I know that this new role will further expand her capabilities, bringing more opportunities to more of our writers and enriching our catalogue.”
Over her 25 years in music publishing, Primont has served in roles at BMI, Cherry Lane Music Publishing and Razor & Tie. She currently serves on the executive boards for the AIMP New York chapter and Kid Pan Alley.
The Paley Center for Media announced that Combs Global and REVOLT chairman Sean “Diddy” Combs and Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl joined the entertainment industry nonprofit’s board of trustees alongside LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky and Alibaba Group co-founder/executive vice chairman Joseph C. Tsai. Additionally, FOX Entertainment CEO Rob Wade joined the Paley Los Angeles board of governors. According to a press release, the organization’s board of trustees “offers guidance in support of the organization’s mission to lead the conversation around today’s rapidly evolving media landscape and provides critical input on strategy and operations, including public programs and exhibits, educational classes, workshops, and industry events hosted by the Paley Media Council.”
Recently formed multimedia platform gamma., founded by Larry Jackson, is expanding operations into Africa and the Middle East and has named Sipho Dlamani as president of Africa & Middle East and Naomi Campbell as special advisor of Africa & Middle East. The Africa operation will be based in Lagos, Nigeria and the Middle East operation will be based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Dlamini most recently served as CEO of Universal Music South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa; Campbell, an internationally recognized supermodel and UN Commonwealth Ambassador, is the founder of Fashion For Relief and The Emerge Initiative, among other endeavors. In its debut in the region last Friday, gamma. exclusively distributed and marketed Rema‘s album, Rave & Roses (Ultra) in African territories.
AWAL announced the appointment of its U.K. executive leadership team, including Matt Riley as managing director; and Victoria Needs and Sam Potts as senior vps. Riley will expand his current oversight as the company’s head of A&R, working with AWAL president Paul Hitchman and CEO Lonny Olinick to sign new artists and develop the company’s roster. Needs will add the U.K. market to her existing international marketing duties for AWAL, while Potts will continue working with the executive leadership team to maximize audience development and growth strategies for AWAL artists across traditional and digital media.
Also at AWAL, Cami Operé was named vp/head of publicity. She joins the company from Sacks & Co., where she was vp of publicity and led public relations efforts for artists including Lizzy McAlpine, Jungle and Bruno Major. She can be reached at cami.opere@awal.com.
Sara Knabe was named senior vp of A&R at Big Loud, where she will work with both the Big Loud Records and Big Loud Publishing A&R teams. Knabe joins following a year spent founding and developing Cake Maker Music, her own music publishing, artist development and A&R consulting company; she previously served in roles at BBR Music Group and BMG, among others. Knabe can be reached at saraknabe@bigloud.com.
Steve Ziff was named chief business officer at Loud And Live, where he will oversee the company’s marketing services and enterprise-wide business development efforts, offering strategic guidance to grow the company’s portfolio. He joins the company from Thrill One Sports, where he served as chief marketing officer/chief communications officer. Ziff can be reached at sziff@loudlive.com.
Second Estate Records, a new label founded by A&R veteran and entrepreneur Mel Carter, appointed Katie Kay as general manager and Adise Bellille as president. Together, Kay and Bellille will oversee forthcoming releases from 2Rare and more acts in partnership with Warner Records, with which Second Estate has a joint venture. Kay most recently served as vp of marketing at Cinematic Music Group, while Bellille is an entertainment and hospitality entrepreneur who founded New York-based nightlife hub Carefree Nation, among other endeavors. Kay can be reached at Katie@secondestaterecords.com and Bellille can be reached at Adise@secondestaterecords.com.
Suzi Ibbotson was named director of communications at PPL; she joins from Unilever Global, where she held the same role. She will report to CEO Peter Leathem and join the company’s executive management team. Ibbotson can be reached at suzi.ibbotson@ppluk.com.
The board of Hipgnosis announced that Vania Schlogel stepped down as a director, effective April 30, to focus on her firm, Atwater Capital. “Vania is an exceptional executive and her experience in every aspect of investment and music has been invaluable in making Hipgnosis the market leader,” said Hipgnosis Songs Fund CEO/founder Merck Mercuriadis in a statement. “We appreciate her terrific contributions to Hipgnosis Songs Fund during her time on the Board and wish her every success in the future.”
Independent publishing company peermusic announced three promotions in its Canada office as well as its neighboring rights division, including Neville Quinlan to managing director of publishing & neighbouring rights, Canada; Cheryl Link to general manager of peermusic’s Toronto publishing operations; and Rachael Clark to head of administration at peermusic Canada. Quinlan can be reached at nquinlan@peermusic.com, Link can be reached at clink@peermusic.com and Clark can be reached at rclark@peermusic.com.
The U.K. office of independent record company Because Music and London Records has announced several senior appointments. They include Rhian Emanuel, promoted to managing director at Because Music UK; Laura Kelly, promoted to managing director at London Records; Ed Pearson, promoted to senior vp of marketing, dance & electronic at Because Music UK; and Junior Foster, hired as digital marketing & strategy manager at London Records, which he joins from Deezer.
Brian Celler was named senior vp of content and programming, Europe at ASM Global. He will be responsible for the company’s music, entertainment and sports content throughout its European and U.K. portfolio. The 25-year veteran has previously held roles at Q Prime, Sony Music, Universal Music Group and Principle Management. Celler can be reached at Brian.Celler@eu.asmglobal.com.
Ashley Gorley‘s publishing and artist development company, Tape Room Music, promoted all three members of its team. Blain Rhodes was named president, Kelly Bolton was named senior vp of A&R and Caroline Hodson was named manager of A&R.
Holly Schomann was promoted to senior director of program & project management at TuneCore, where she will now oversee a team of project managers to ensure proper execution of software development processes and internal reporting.
Todd Bonder joined Reitler Kailas & Rosenblatt‘s Los Angeles office as a partner in the firm’s litigation practice. Bonder focuses on intellectual property and general civil litigation, emphasizing entertainment, new media, trademark, copyright, rights of publicity and privacy and publishing matters, as well as unfair competition, trust, probate, contract, real estate and construction disputes. He can be reached at tbonder@reitlerlaw.com.
Veteran agent Stefanie Purificati joined The Feldman Agency in Canada, where she brings clients including Digging Roots, Aysanabee, iskwē and Tynomi Banks to the roster. She will be based out of the company’s Toronto office and can be reached at purificati@feldman-agency.com.
Found Objects, the music and sound collective founded by film/TV composers Jay Wadley and Trevor Gureckis, promoted Katt Matt to executive producer and Nick Chomowicz to senior producer. The collective specializes in sound design and music supervision for film, TV and brands.
Sue Ann Cordell joined Reliant Talent Agency, where she will be responsible for human resources, office administration and executive assistance. She has held roles at companies including WME and is also the owner of life coaching and event-speaking company Shineworthy Lifestyles, among other ventures. Cordell can be reached at sacordell@relianttalent.com.
Maria Eiliert was named account executive at Shore Fire Media out of its Nashville office, elevated from junior account executive. She joined the firm after graduating from Belmont University with a music business degree in November 2020.
Rachel Brittain joined The Neal Agency as a commercial and brand partnerships agent. She joins from FlyteVu, where she served as an account manager and was part of the talent team, connecting artists to brands. She can be reached at Rachel@TheNealAgency.net.
Labelcoin, a blockchain-based song exchange and investment marketplace “striving to end artist poverty with fan-supported investment in artists’ songs,” according to a press release, launched a business advisory council that so far includes Mark Dvornik, former head of U.S. distribution at Paramount Pictures; Hummingbird Productions founder/president Bob Farnsworth; G2G Enterprises founder/CEO Lee Guzofski; and MRSV Media CEO Loren Johnson.
HeadCount founder/executive director Andy Bernstein announced he will step down from his role in an open letter released Monday (May 1), kicking off a search for a new executive director to fill his seat beginning next year.
In the letter, Bernstein wrote that he intends to leave “to make room for new leadership, fresh vision and the type of innovation that only change can bring,” though he will continue on with the organization — a national nonprofit that works on voter engagement — in an advisory role. He continued that “constant reinvention has sustained HeadCount for all these years,” and that with the 2024 presidential election looming, “I believe it’s the right time for someone new to take HeadCount into the next era.”
Bernstein founded HeadCount with Marc Brownstein in 2004.
According to Bernstein’s letter, HeadCount has registered over 1.2 million voters over the past 20 years by engaging with music fans at concerts, festivals and more. The organization began working with politically minded acts like Dave Matthews, Phish and founding board member Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead and has since grown to work with more than 200 artists, including Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Dead & Company, Harry Styles, Lizzo, Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish. It has also integrated with Spotify and established a multi-year partnership with Global Citizen.
“What’s always meant more to me than any number, though, is the human connection driving it all,” Bernstein wrote. “Collaborating with our board of directors and its brilliant chairs Peter Shapiro and Jessy Tolkan; seeing our volunteers form a community and hone their skills; working with a staff that feels more like a family — that’s what fueled me over the years. We built this thing together, one idea at a time.”
HeadCount has posted the executive director job description online. It calls for “a natural leader with a keen cultural radar, a track record of success in the nonprofit or private sector and a strong connection to the audiences we engage.” The job will entail leading a team of 22 staff members with an organizational budget between $4-5 million. Check out the full job description here.
Sean Heydorn was promoted to the joint role of senior vp of Rise Records and frontline catalogue at BMG. The announcement follows last week’s news that BMG has fully integrated its catalog and new release recordings businesses. In his new dual role, Heydorn will continue leading Rise Records while overseeing a newly-established frontline catalog team that will be responsible for marketing recent releases (i.e. projects designated as having been released 18 months ago or more) while ensuring the ongoing success of frontline music. The Los Angeles-based executive will continue reporting to executive vp of recorded music Dan Gill. Heydorn can be reached at sean.heydorn@bmg.com.
Tricia Arnold was promoted to executive vp of global artist/label services and sales at The Orchard, up from her prior role of senior vp of global label management and sales. Arnold will continue overseeing the company’s global distribution strategy and international sales and label services teams. The New York-based executive, who was named to Billboard‘s Women in Music List in 2023, will continue reporting to president/COO Colleen Theis. She can be reached at tarnold@theorchard.com.
Tim Plumley was promoted to vp of media and artist relations at UMe, the global catalog company of Universal Music Group. In the role, Plumley will strategize and execute 360-degree catalog media campaigns for both frontline album releases and catalog initiatives. Based in Los Angeles, he reports to executive vp of media and artist relations Sujata Murthy. Plumley can be reached at Tim.Plumley@umusic.com.
Sony Music Entertainment UK relaunched Epic Records UK and appointed Sarah Lockhart as president of the revamped label, effective May 1. Epic Records UK will relaunch as a frontline label alongside other Sony Music labels including RCA and Columbia. Lockhart takes on the role following a stint at Sony Music Publishing, where she was head of A&R for three years.
Jeff Geasey joined Page 1 Management as GM, West Coast out of Los Angeles. In the role, Geasey will sign new creators, service existing clients and work closely with Page 1 founder/CEO Ashley Page. He joins from Fast Casual Management, which he co-founded. Geasey can be reached at Jeff@page1management.com.
Sound Royalties announced several hires and promotions. On the promotions front, Shaun Kilmartin was named vp of technology and special projects; Allison Portlock was named vp of marketing; Marysol Aldaba was named royalty support manager; Emma Blake was named administration manager; Bryan Fried was named royalty analyst manager; Erin Regan was named marketing manager; and Kimberly Guisao was named digital marketing coordinator. New hires include Michael Aufiero as royalty specialist; Leandro Castro as junior systems administrator; Nicole Hanrahan as data management specialist; Natasha Mikazens as royalty specialist; Yvonne Swaby as accounting manager; Zachary Vega as royalty analyst; Kateleen Vera as royalty support specialist; and Christian Vernis as junior royalty specialist. Portlock can be reached at allison@soundroyalties.com.
Abby Sprague was promoted to vp of marketing at Mom+Pop Music. In her new role, she will run global campaigns for Mom+Pop artists and expand her roster to include SEB, Frances Forever and the newly-signed act Goth Babe.
Veteran music PR executive Cara Wodnicki departed her role as executive vp of publicity at BMF to launch her own firm, CSW Publicity. She will bring her personal roster of clients to the new company, including AJ McLean of the Backstreet Boys, J-pop act Perfume, Emergency Tiara, RADWIMPS and Canadian pop singer Olivia Lunny. She can now be reached at Cara@CSWPublicity.com.
J.R. Johnson was named director of communications at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He joins from Refinery29, where he served as senior director of talent relations/special projects; he has also served in comms roles at Warner Bros. Records and Sunshine Sachs & Associates, among others.
Justin Levenson was named professional services product lead at OpenPlay, a leading asset management platform for the music industry. In his new role, Levenson will work with OpenPlay’s engineering team, clients and other stakeholders to ensure the platform is operating properly and meeting client needs, among other duties. He joins the company from Utopia Music, where he served as commercial director of financial services/senior product manager. Levenson can be reached at justin.levenson@openplay.co.
Emilia Huneke-Bergquist joined Stand Together Music to direct project management and events for the organization, which “unites the music industry, musicians, and their teams with proven change-makers to co-create solutions, starting with criminal justice, addiction recovery, education, free speech and peace, and ending the war on drugs,” according to a press release. Huneke-Bergquist will lead a cross-functional team of project managers and event professionals in facilitating marketing and communications efforts along with in-person and virtual experiences across the Stand Together community. Before officially joining the organization, she had previously worked with Stand Together on various partnerships. She can be reached at ehuneke-bergquist@standtogether.org.
Kylie Dembek was named country music project manager at ONErpm. She joins the company from Big Machine Label Group, where she worked as a strategic planning manager helping artists develop their radio and marketing strategies. In her new role, she will focus on creating and implementing release and marketing strategy for emerging and established artists. Dembek can be reached at kylie@onerpm.com.
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum named two new additions to its staff: Dave Paulson, who joins as writer-editor in the museum services department, and Austin Taylor, who was named director of event sales. Paulson will contribute to exhibitions, museum publications, public programs, online offerings and other educational initiatives; he was previously a reporter at The Tennessean. Taylor will lead the events and culinary department’s sales team while also being responsible for the event sales annual revenue goal. He was most recently senior sales manager with both the Hilton and HEI hotel brands and previously worked at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum between 2011 and 2017.
Away co-founder/CEO Jen Rubio has joined the board of directors at tvg hospitality, the venue group founded by Ben Lovett of Mumford & Sons.
The board of Warner Music Group (WMG) announced Thursday (April 27) that it’s elected Val Blavatnik, son of WMG’s controlling shareholder Len Blavatnik, to a seat on the board of directors as well as the company’s executive committee.
Val Blavatnik replaces Len’s brother Alex Blavatnik, who’s served as a director on the WMG board since Access Industries acquired WMG in July 2011. Len Blavatnick currently serves as a director and vice chairman of WMG’s board.
Val Blavatnik has worked on the investment team at LionTree, covering the media and tech industries, since 2021. He has also been a production executive at the New York-based film and TV production company Eden Productions. He serves on the executive committee of Access Industries and previously worked in the music industry, primarily as an artist manager, according to a press release.
“We’re pleased to welcome Val to the WMG Board,” Michael Lynton, WMG’s board chairman, said in a statement. “His experience working with a variety of companies as well as directly with artists makes him well suited to his new post. He’ll also bring a fresh perspective as we chart the future of WMG. We’re incredibly grateful to Alex for his wisdom, guidance, and enthusiasm over the past 12 years, as the company has grown and thrived in the streaming era.”
“I’m excited to be joining the Board during this dynamic, transformational time at WMG, with so many innovative opportunities ahead for artists and songwriters,” Blavatnik said. “I’ve previously worked on artist projects with the senior team, and I’m looking forward to collaborating with the impressive group of leaders on the Board.”
Four months after stepping down as chairman/CEO of Warner Music Nashville (WMN) and assuming the role of chairman emeritus, John “Espo” Esposito is resigning the emeritus title effective immediately.
In an email to the WMN staff Wednesday (April 19), Esposito wrote, “It’s that time of year when I head off to Nantucket to relax and reflect. This summer though, I will be reflecting on my next adventures, as I am stepping down as the Chairman Emeritus of Warner Music Nashville today. I’m so proud of what you’re all achieving as a team. I will always be the biggest champion of this team and the artists we signed and developed together. Keep rocking! See you in the fall.”
Esposito gave no reason for the move. However, when reached by Billboard, he said the change would give him more time to work with the T.J. Martell Foundation for Cancer Research as well as “travels and a chance to see the forest for the trees by taking some time.” In March, Esposito was named the chairman of the board of trustees of Nashville-based T.J. Martell, which is rebounding after an embezzlement scandal. “We got the double whammy of the COVID pandemic and somebody being a bad actor,” said Esposito of T.J. Martell in March. “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.”
Last June, when Esposito’s retirement as WMN CEO/chairman was announced, longtime WMN executives Cris Lacy and Ben Kline were elevated to co-presidents in preparation for Esposito transitioning to chairman emeritus status at the start of 2023. In early January, Lacy and Kline were promoted to co-chair/co-presidents.
Under Esposito, who had been at WMN’s helm since 2009 after coming over from WEA Corp. as president/CEO, the division’s market share quadrupled, according to parent company Warner Music Group. The label also said its artists have earned more than 300 gold and platinum RIAA certifications.
When Esposito’s shift to emeritus was announced, Warner Recorded Music CEO Max Lousada said in a statement: “Under Espo’s brilliant guidance over the past 13 years, our Nashville team has built superstar careers, attracted original new voices, innovated in the digital world, and championed the creative community.”
Universal Music Group Nashville (UMGN) has promoted Lori Christian and Rob Femia to executive vp of marketing and executive vp of business & legal affairs, respectively. The label group includes Capitol Records Nashville, EMI Records Nashville and MCA Nashville.
In her new role, Christian will oversee UMGN’s artist development, brands and sponsorship, as well as creative services, international marketing and media marketing departments for the label group’s artist roster. Christian was elevated from senior vp of marketing, a role she was tapped for in 2020 after leading the publicity department at UMGN following the 2012 merger of EMI and UMG.
Femia has more than 15 years of experience practicing entertainment law and joined UMGN in 2013 as head of business and legal affairs; he was promoted to senior vp in 2018. He will now lead the company’s business affairs department.
“Lori’s understanding of storytelling and weaving our artists’ narratives into framing their stories has been a critical element of UMGN’s success,” said UMGN chair/CEO Cindy Mabe in a statement. “Artist development is such a defining feature that separates our artists, especially in a world where everyone is looking for immediate gratification. Having Lori in this leadership role to help drive the key tenants of artist development across all of UMGN is going to change our artist growth strategy. I am so excited to see how Lori leads and guides a new era in artist marketing across UMGN.”
Mabe added of Femia, “It’s an honor to expand Rob’s leadership abilities beyond his vast business and legal knowledge. Rob has had a front seat in dealmaking for a while but as we expand the new goals of UMGN, Rob is helping to write and build the next era of the country music business. With the industry changing so rapidly, Rob is an essential partner to our future as Universal Music Group Nashville and his alignment and guidance of our staff and artists is critical to our success. It’s an honor to watch Rob shine and lead our company and I am thrilled to have him join our executive team.”
The promotions are part of an ongoing restructuring at the company following Mabe’s official ascent to the UMGN chairman/CEO role on April 1 following former chairman/CEO Mike Dungan‘s retirement. Earlier this month, senior A&R executives Stephanie Wright and Brian Wright, along with senior promotion executive Royce Risser, exited the company. Meanwhile, UMGN recently added to its artist roster, welcoming Brad Paisley into the fold.
Additionally, former UMGN executives Katie Dean and Rachel Fontenot recently teamed up to form a new label, Leo33.
Esteban Geller, who for nearly five years has led the marketing division at Sony Music U.S. Latin, has been promoted to the new position of general manager, Billboard has learned.
The Argentina-born Geller, based in Miami, will continue to report to Sony Music U.S. Latin president Alex Gallardo.
Geller was most recently senior vice president for artist relations & marketing for the label, working closely with superstar artists like Shakira, Maluma, Camilo, Rauw Alejandro, Wisin & Yandel, Manuel Turizo, Farruko and their teams. In his new role, he adds Puerto Rico and West Coast Operations to his purview, as well as radio/promotions and video commissioning.
“Esteban is one of the most dynamic, savvy, energetic, and enthusiastic executives in the business. He has played a key role in our expansion and the sustained success of countless acts,” said Gallardo in a statement. “He’s a true team player who doesn’t just envision big ideas; he actively executes them at the highest level.”
Highly-regarded among artists and management teams, Geller has gained a reputation as a tireless, proactive and solution-driven executive. His expertise comes from different fields. Prior to joining Sony Music in 2018, he worked with superstars Ricardo Arjona and Diego Torres (a Sony artists) and held jobs at event promoter Fenix Entertainment Group Latin America as well as MTV/Vh1 Latin America.
“It has been amazing to be part of Sony’s growth in the industry and I’m proud of what we have achieved over the past few years,” said Geller in a statement. “Every project is so important to us, and we approach each artist with the same care and diligence. Much appreciation to Alex and Afo [Verde, Sony’s CEO/President for Latin Iberia) who have entrusted me to not only develop music releases, but most important, artists careers.”
Position Music has sold a significant minority equity stake in itself to Vesper Company, a private investment firm founded in 2021 by executives formerly involved with a company that invested in Kobalt Music. In addition, Position Music has a new revolver credit facility from Pinnacle Bank. Terms were not disclosed for either deal.
Founded in 1999 by CEO Tyler Bacon, Position Music has a 40-person staff and occupies a 15,000-square-foot facility with office space and two recording studios, with four more studios currently being built. The company, which started as a synch music house, now consists of music publishing, a record label and a small artist management operation.
“I am excited to be partnering with the Vesper team as we enter this next phase of growth,” Bacon said in a statement. “With Vesper’s investment and strategic experience paired with our new credit facility from Pinnacle Bank, we are well-positioned to substantially build on the foundation we have built for 24 years.”
According to the company, Position Music’s publishing roster includes RIAA platinum-certified songs including Em Beihold’s “Numb Little Bug,” grandson’s “Blood // Water” (double platinum) and Judah & the Lion’s “Take It All Back,” along with gold-certified songs including Rotimi‘s “In My Bed” and Sueco’s “Paralyzed.” Its roster includes songwriters and/or artists such as Kid Bloom, Welshly Arms, Fantastic Negrito, Layto, Ryan Oakes, Blackway, 2WEI, TeaMarr and Judah & The Lion.
Position Music says the songwriters and producers it represents have written or produced songs for such artists as Avril Lavigne, Dua Lipa, Blink-182, Travis Barker, iann dior, Pop Smoke, Machine Gun Kelly and Avicii. Moreover, the company says it has recently completed joint ventures with Big Noise Music and Champagne Therapy Music Group. Position Music provides its own administration in the United States, while Kobalt serves as its international administrator.
Vesper was founded in 2021 by David Caro, Shamit Grover and Raj Gopal, formerly with MSD Partners. They were involved in that firm’s purchase of a minority stake in Kobalt Music Group, first made in 2014.
“For over twenty years, Tyler and his team have shown a strong commitment to serving artists and songwriters and helping them reach the next level of their careers,” added Gopal in a statement. “We’re excited to support the continued growth and evolution of Position Music.”
According to SEC filings, Vesper has raised at least $36.5 million in selling securities since its founding, although that appears to be related to another Vesper investment: its acquisition of New England Marine Monitoring. That investment, like its stake in Position Music, is apparently part of its investment strategy of partnering with companies that the firm can help scale through providing “strategically aligned capital and active support,” according to its website.
“Few independent music companies today can match Position Music’s scale, track record, and depth of synch and creative services,” Vesper’s Caro said in a statement. After his involvement with MSD Partners — but before the formation of Vesper — Caro served as head of corporate development at Kobalt, according to his LinkedIn profile.
With its new investment partners, Bacon tells Billboard that Position Music will organically expand by signing another 15 artists to its label roster in the near future and another 20 or so songwriters and/or producers in the next few years. Moreover, it will continue to selectively acquire current music assets, mainly in the pop and hip-hop genres; it recently completed two such buys in deals that included going-forward songwriting contracts. Bacon says the company is also open to doing more joint ventures.
As for investing in legacy music — a preferred asset class for most institutional investors — Bacon says the company’s financing is currently not set up to accommodate that type of investment strategy, though he doesn’t rule out making such investments somewhere down the line.
Position Music was represented by Shot Tower Capital and Reed Smith. Vesper Company was represented by Drummond Woodsum and Greenberg Traurig.
In other Position Music news, Bacon announced that vp/head of A&R Mark Chipello, vp/head of synch Emily Weber and vp of A&R and gaming Jake Versiuis have been made partners at the company.
Tyler Bacon (second from left) with his newly announced partners at Position Music: Jake Versluis, Emily Weber and Mark Chipello. / Mallory Turner
Lloyd Starr has been appointed COO at Discogs, the recorded music database, marketplace and community, effective May 1. He joins the company from vinyl subscription service Vinyl Me, Please; prior to that, he served as president/COO at digital electronic music marketplace Beatport.
In his new role, Starr will oversee Discogs’ day-to-day operations, with a focus on driving growth and innovation. He will work closely with CEO Kevin Lewandowski and the rest of the executive team to develop and implement Discogs’ strategic direction.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Lloyd Starr to the Discogs team as our new COO,” said Lewandowski. “Lloyd’s extensive experience in the music industry and his track record of success in building and scaling companies make him an ideal addition to our leadership team. We’re confident that his expertise will help us continue to grow and innovate as we serve our community of music fans, record collectors, and sellers around the world.”
Starr added, “I’ve long admired the Discogs mission and its passionate community. I am thrilled to join such a talented and creative team to help realize our vision and continue to add value for vinyl and music lovers worldwide.”
Jon Kurland was named executive vp of business affairs and chief entertainment counsel at iHeartMedia. In his new role, Kurland will lead the company’s business affairs team and focus on deals and relationships with iHeart’s podcast, music, entertainment and new media partners. He will additionally oversee the company’s entertainment legal functions across podcasts, live events and new media initiatives as well as its music licensing strategy. Based in New York City, he will report to executive vp and general counsel Jordan Fasbender. Kurland joins iHeartMedia from Amazon, where he was senior corporate counsel in the global media and entertainment group.
Jen Ashworth was promoted to senior vp of commercial marketing & streaming at Capitol Music Group (CMG), up from her previous role as vp of global commercial marketing. In her new role, Ashworth will oversee the company’s streaming strategies across its portfolio of labels, with a focus on editorial and partner activations with Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, YouTube and Pandora. She will continue managing CMG’s relationship with Spotify as the company’s account lead. Based in Hollywood, she reports to CMG executive vp of global commercial marketing strategy Mike Sherwood.
Manager Jared Rosenberg joined Red Light Management, bringing clients Aly & AJ and Disney star Kylie Cantrall to the firm. Rosenberg has been in management for over 20 years, working with artists including Backstreet Boys, Janet Jackson and Thirty Seconds to Mars.
Mateo Dorado joined Atlantic Records as senior director of A&R. The New York-based executive will work closely with emerging artists including Luh Tyler and Alicia Creti while reporting to Atlantic co-president of Black music Lanre Gaba. He arrives at Atlantic from Alamo Records, where he signed Rod Wave.
Jonathan McHugh joined independent music publishing, rights management and catalog marketing company AMR Songs as senior advisor of creative and synch. McHugh will also sit on the company’s board. Over a decades-long career, the industry veteran has served in roles at New Line Cinema (as vp of soundtrack music), Jive/BMG and Island Def Jam/Def Jam Films; he has produced 40 music-focused films and TV series and music-supervised 85 feature films and TV shows. In addition to his new role at AMR Songs, he will continue working as an independent producer/director and music supervisor while teaching a music industry studies class at Loyola University in New Orleans.
Amanda Tumulty was named vp of global marketing at Cinq Music Group. She joins the company from Universal Music Group, where she spent over five years on the global consumer marketing team, specializing in marketing strategy and operations. At Cinq, she will oversee all marketing strategies for the label/distributor’s roster and the Cinq Music brand. Tumulty can be reached at atumulty@cinqmusic.com.
Nashville-based record label Melody Place restructured and rebranded while elevating Sanborn McGraw to president/general manager and Tony Gottlieb to COO. Under the new leadership, the company will refocus its efforts on artist development, original material and international promotion. The first signing following the restructure is Nashville singer-songwriter Makena Hartlin, who signed a recording and publishing deal with Melody Place and its affiliate, Melody Place Publications. She will release her single, “LA,” on the label April 21. Melody Place is also working on a new project from singer Jackie Evancho. McGraw can be reached at sandy@melodyplace.com and Gottlieb can be reached at tony@melodyplace.com.
Global creative audio network Squeak E. Clean Studios hired music producer Jennie Armon as executive creative producer out of New York. She joins the company following seven years at Brooklyn-based music and sound company Found Objects, where she served as executive producer and music supervisor. Armon can be reached at jennie@squeakeclean.com.