Executive Turntable
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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.”
Allegra Willis Knerr was promoted to executive vp of global synch licensing at BMG, where she will manage the company’s synch licensing teams across the globe. The Los Angeles-based executive was previously senior vp of global synch licensing, a role she was elevated to last year. She’ll continue reporting to BMG chief content officer Dominique Casimir.
Willis Knerr can be reached at Allegra.Willis.knerr@bmg.com.
Dan Wall joined Live Nation Entertainment as executive vp of corporate and regulatory affairs. Wall has been a key advisor to the company for more than 12 years, previously offering guidance as lead outside counsel as a partner at law firm Latham & Watkins.
Kok-Siew Yeo was named managing director of Warner Music Taiwan. He will oversee Warner Music’s operation in Taiwan and work to strengthen the company’s position as an important player in the global Mandopop industry. Kok-Siew joins the company from Meta, where he served as creator partnerships lead. Based in Taipei, Kok-Siew will report to Warner Music Asia co-presidents Chris Gobalakrishna and Jonathan Serbin.
Vinit Thakkar was named managing director at Sony Music Entertainment in India. He joins the company from Universal Music India, where he served as COO of India and South Asia. (Via afaqs!)
Lou Al-Chamaa was named senior vp/head of A&R publishing at Avex USA. He arrives at the company following six years at Sony Music Publishing, where he served as vp of A&R.
Jennifer Hills and Sarah Desmond were promoted to co-managing directors of Universal Music UK’s brand partnerships and synch division Globe. Both were previously senior vps. Reporting to Hills and Desmond will be Adam Soffe, who is returning to Globe as vp/head of synch, creative, as well as Neil Mulford, who has been promoted to vp/head of synch, licensing.
Vickie Nauman, founder/CEO of music tech consulting company CrossBorderWorks, joined the advisory board of Barcelona-based Web3 music company KLOOV. The company works on digital collectibles, experiences and NFTs.
Nina Musolino joined Page 1 Management as a manager out of the company’s Nashville office. She will work closely with senior director Danielle Middleton in New York as she signs and manages talent. Musolino reports to Page 1 founder and CEO Ashley Page. She was most recently a publisher and artist manager at Forward Music in Nashville. Musolino can be reached at nina@page1management.com.
Jay Cruze was hired as director of Southeast promotion and marketing at Big Machine Records out of Nashville. Cruze succeeds Jeff Davis, who retired last year. He most recently worked at iHeartMedia, where he helped develop and implement national programming for the company’s country platforms. Cruze can be reached at Jay.Cruze@bmlg.net.
Concord CEO Scott Pascucci is stepping down effective June 30 after helming the fifth biggest music company for a decade. Bob Valentine, who ascended to president in 2021 from CFO, will become Concord’s new CEO.
Additionally, Concord’s chief label officer Tom Whalley will also vacate his role but will continue to be involved as founder of Loma Vista Recordings, his joint venture with Concord. Pascucci, who remains on Concord’s board of directors, and Whalley will be inaugural members of Concord’s new advisory board.
“I started my career in the music business 30-plus years ago for the simple reason that I love music, and I discovered along the way that I enjoy building businesses and leading teams of people,” said Pascucci in a statement. “Thanks to [Wood Creek founding partner] Brett Hellerman, I was given the opportunity to do all of those things at Concord. In 10 years, we have built a company that matters in the music industry, a place that cares about its employees, artists and writers, and that is well-positioned for the future. I am proud of all that we have accomplished. I look forward to continuing on the board of directors, to help guide the company forward under Bob’s leadership, while also having more time to focus on my interests in film and social impact initiatives.”
(Wood Creek Capital Management bought Concord from Village Roadshow in 2013. Concord is now a private company funded by institutional capital and Concord’s management team.)
Pascucci’s announcement comes several weeks after Concord launched Concord Music Royalties, LLC Series 2022-1, a $1.8 billion asset-backed security that will allow further growth through funding reserve accounts, paying down debt and other uses.
“It positions us beautifully for the future,” Pascucci tells Billboard of the security. “It has given us significant additional capital for growth while also dramatically broadening the base of institutional lenders who are now familiar with the company.”
The succession plan has been in the works since 2019. “An orderly succession in key positions is critical to the stability and future growth of the company, as evidenced by the smooth transition from Jake Wisely to Jim Selby as chief publishing executive a few years ago,” Pascucci continues. “ My decision to move out of the CEO position and to stay on the board was made over 2 years ago, at which time Bob moved into the role of president.”
Bob Valentine
Elena Goss/Courtesy of Concord
“Scott has made the transition from CFO to president remarkably smooth and easy,” Valentine says. “As CFO I was used to a particular flow of helping to finance our acquisitions and new productions; in stepping into the president’s role, I needed to get into the rhythm of the creative process outside of a purely financial lens. Scott’s extraordinarily patient, and he’s made sure to loop me in on some of the many day-to-day things that I wouldn’t have been in the middle of as CFO. Also, the senior team, most of whom are in Nashville, work very closely with each other. That makes a transition like this easier than they tend to be for a company.”
Valentine’s history with the company precedes Pascucci’s. He joined Norman Lear’s ACT III Communications in 1999 when it acquired Concord Records. He left in 2001 but returned in 2005 as CFO.
“I have had the privilege of helping to build Concord into the company that it is today ever since Norman Lear and his business partner Hal Gaba had the extraordinary foresight to buy a small, independent jazz record label in the same year that Napster was invented,” Valentine said in a statement. “The journey since then has been scary, thrilling, surprising, and incredibly rewarding.”
Valentine tells Billboard that Concord will proceed on its current path. “We’ll continue to focus on our core mission: to champion artists, elevate voices and impact culture. We can’t do any one of those without the other two. At the heart of everything we do is artistry; it’s our job to identify it, elevate it, and ultimately impact culture with it,” he says. That has been and will continue to be true for everything we focus on, whether it’s furthering our frontline label division’s breadth and depth, acquiring iconic songs and recordings, signing new and exciting songwriters, or licensing and co-producing theatrical works. I’m also excited about our Concord Originals segment, which aims to develop and adapt some of our music and theatrically based works (past and present) for film and television.”
Concord’s catalog consists of more than one million songs, composed works, plays, musicals and active recordings and includes works from Phil Collins, Creedence Clearwater Revival, John Fogerty, Daft Punk, Miles Davis, Danny Elfman, Evanescence, The Fania All-Stars, Genesis, Imagine Dragons, Isaac Hayes, James Taylor, Jewel, Joan Sebastian, Nine Inch Nails, Pink Floyd, Cyndi Lauper, Little Richard, Nikki Six, Otis Redding, R.E.M., Rodgers & Hammerstein, Pete Seeger, St. Vincent, Taking Back Sunday, Ryan Tedder, The Traveling Wilburys, The Vince Guaraldi Trio and Hans Zimmer.
Headquartered in Nashville, Concord has additional offices in Los Angeles, New York, London, Berlin, Melbourne and Miami. Concord also has staff in Auckland, Sydney, Tokyo and Toronto.
As chief label officer, Whalley oversees frontline imprints Fantasy Records, Concord Records, Concord Jazz, Rounder Records, Loma Vista Recordings, Easy Eye Sound, KIDZ BOP and Fearless Records.
“In 2014, I found a great partnership with Scott Pascucci and Concord,” says Whalley, who co-founded Interscope Records and was Warner Bros. Records chairman/CEO from 2001 to 2010. “That partnership helped build a very important independent label, Loma Vista Recordings. It has been an added bonus to serve as the chief label officer for frontline labels at Concord. I am very proud of what we have accomplished.”
Following Whalley’s departure, Concord will create a new role that will oversee the entire recorded music division, including frontline and catalog operations.
The new advisory board, which will be unveiled this fall, will also include Wisely, as well as other members from allied fields, such as music, film, theater and technology. It will act as a resource for best practices and new business opportunities for Concord.
Pascucci’s news comes a week after the announcement that Hartwig Masuch, CEO of BMG, the fourth biggest music company, is leaving at the end of the year after 15 years at the company. He will be replaced by BMG CFO Thomas Coesfeld.
Warner Music Group adds another YouTube veteran to its executive leadership team with the hiring of Ariel Bardin as the label’s first president of technology. In his new position, Bardin will head tech and data teams tasked with creating new systems and products to “support the next phase of WMG’s global growth,” the company said on Tuesday (Feb. 7).
The New York-based Bardin will report to his former Google colleague Robert Kyncl, who officially became CEO of WMG on Feb. 1 following the departure of longtime chief Stephen Cooper.
“Ariel understands how technology can serve creativity to have real, long-lasting cultural and commercial impact,” Kyncyl said. “He has a tremendous appreciation for artistry, deep technical expertise, and a proven track record in execution at the highest level. We’re fortunate to welcome him to our team.”
Bardin spent 16 years at Google, where as vp of product management he helped build, launch and grow some of the company’s household-name products, including Google AdWords and Google Payments. For YouTube, he is credited with leading teams working on various creator-centric products as well as its Content ID system, which finds and monetizes user-uploaded videos for rights owners. In the fall of 2021, Bardin joined software company Celonis as its chief product officer.
“I had the pleasure of working with Robert during our time together at Google, where I especially enjoyed our work empowering and equipping YouTube creators,” Bardin said. “WMG is entering an exciting new era under his leadership, and I’m looking forward to joining him and the rest of the company on a mission to provide the highest level of service to the company’s artists, songwriters, and teams.”
The appointment of a newly created president role arrives two days before WMG will announce financial results for its first quarter — along with its first earnings call with Kyncyl at the helm.
Billboard elevates key employees Shira Brown and Sara Katzki, who are named as vice presidents of the music industry title.
Brown, previously associate vice president of video strategy and development, rises to vp of video at Billboard. In her new position, Brown will be responsible for maintaining and improving production quality, while growing the video business, and expanding the venerated title’s revenue streams to include e-commerce, archival licensing and show IP development.
Additionally, she will play a central role in Billboard’s live and event video content.
A Billboard veteran of seven years. Brown had previously led content strategy and partnerships for Larry King Now and Ora TV, and has accumulated upwards of 15 years’ experience in the video space.
Katzki, meanwhile, is the ex-senior director of project management at Billboard. Moving forward, she will serve as vp of Brand Studio, with duties for overseeing ideation, development, and execution of multi-faceted custom concepts for partners across live events, video, social and talent-based programs for all branded content.
A Penske Media Corporation (PMC) stalwart for almost a decade, Katzki has overseen music and brand project management for clients including Honda, Samsung, Amazon, American Express, Google, Diageo and more.
“It’s a privilege to be able to promote two very talented team members who continue to make massive contributions to your brand, culture, and business,” says Mike Van, president of Billboard, in a statement issued Tuesday (Feb. 7) by the trade title’s parent company Penske Media Corporation.
Brown and Katzki “are the best at what they do,” says Dana Droppo, chief brand officer at Billboard, “and it is an honor to be able to acknowledge their hard work publicly.”
The promotions follow the June 2022 appointments of Van and Droppo to their new roles at Billboard.