Executive Turntable
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Warner Music Groupâs chief financial officer Eric Levin told staff on Tuesday that after a âtransformative decadeâ for the company, he will retire at the end of the year, according to an internal memo viewed by Billboard.
Levin said he decided to announce his retirement early in the year to allow the company to move forward with a public search for his successor, similar to WMGâs handling of the successor search for former WMG CEO Stephen Cooper, who stepped down Feb. 1.
Levin joined WMG in 2014, overseeing the companyâs global financial operations at a time when piracy and streaming were overhauling the fortunes of companies across the music industry.
âHe helped WMG return to growth and profitability, making important contributions to its long-term strategy and the funding of its global expansion and major acquisitions,â WMG CEO Robert Kyncl wrote in a staff memo about Levinâs planned retirement. âEric will be leaving WMG in a much better place than when he joined it.â
Prior to WMG, Levin was based in China as the North Asia CFO and regional controller for Ecolab, a leading maker of disinfectants, and prior to that he was the CFO of the Hong Kong-based English language newspaper the South China Morning Post.
Levin saw WMG through its 2020 initial public offering, which valued the company at around $12.5 billion, and managed through the leadership transition from Cooper to Kyncl. On Tuesday, Levin wrote that he is âready to pass the baton to a new CFO.â
âItâs going to be a natural progression, at a natural time,â Levin wrote. âWhoever takes this role will be very fortunate. Iâm looking forward to helping set them up for another successful decade of growth.â
Julie Adam was named executive vp/general manager at Universal Music Canada, where she will lead frontline operations, overseeing marketing, digital strategy, commercial affairs and brand partnership portfolios. Adam joins from Rogers Sports & Media, where she was most recently president of news & entertainment.
Alison Donald was promoted to head of global creative at Kobalt, where she will be based between London and Los Angeles. She previously oversaw A&R and creative in the U.K. and Europe for Kobalt Music Publishing as well as AWALâs U.K. and Europe creative team prior to its sale.
Jennifer Blakeman joined Seeker Music as chief rights & royalties officer. She comes from boutique music publisher one77 Music, where she served as president/chief creative officer. In her new role, she will lead and oversee the expansion of Seekerâs rights management, administration and royalty platforms. Blakeman can be reached at blakeman@seekermusic.com.
Michael Allen was named vp of marketing strategy at Republic Records, where he will develop and execute campaigns for artists across pop and K-pop. The New York-based executive joined Republic in 2020 as a digital marketing consultant.
Gabe Fleet joined law firm Latham & Watkins as partner in the connectivity, privacy & information practice. Fleet, a prominent music licensing lawyer, joins from iHeartMedia, where he served as executive vp of business affairs and chief music licensing counsel. He anticipates being part of Lathamâs New York office upon admission to the New York Bar; he is currently licensed to practice in Georgia and Alabama. He can be reached at Gabe.Fleet@lw.com.
Merlin announced several promotions. They include Ryan McWhinnie to vp of business and legal affairs, Shrina Patel to senior director of business and legal affairs, Chris Tarbet to senior director of commercial partnerships, Chaida Kapfunde to senior director of business and technology solutions, Pavan Vasdev to director of strategy & growth, Quentin Martins to senior manager of commercial partnerships and Grace Styles to senior finance assistant.
Big Machine Label Group promoted Courtney Daly, Bekah Digby and Marie Wapelhorst to director of streaming and Anna Scott Welch to manager of streaming. Sam Featherstone also joined the company as director of streaming; he was previously at Sony Music Entertainment, where he served as associate director of commercial partnerships. Daly can be reached at courtney.daly@bmlg.net, Digby can be reached at bekah.digby@bmlg.net, Featherstone can be reached at sam.featherstone@bmlg.net, Wapelhorst can be reached at marie.wapelhorst@bmlg.net and Scott Welch can be reached at annascott.welch@bmlg.net.
Red Street Records hired several new team members, including Brooklynn Gould-Bradbury as manager of publicity and communications, Dottie Chamberlain as executive assistant/operations manager and Riley Cooper as digital marketing coordinator. Gould-Bradbury joins from CMT and can be reached at brooklynn.g@redstreetrecords.com. Chamberlain joins from Universal Music Nashville, where she served as executive assistant to chairman/CEO Mike Dungan (for whom she worked for nearly three decades). She can be reached at Dottie.c@redstreetrecords.com. Cooper, who is coming off internships with companies including Sweet Talk Publicity and Triple 8 Management, can be reached at riley.c@redstreetrecords.com.
Universal Music Group senior vp of business and legal affairs Aaron Harrison was appointed to the SoundExchange board of directors; he replaces Sony Musicâs Jeff Walker. Harrison also serves on the SoundExchange licensing committee.
Hannah Babitt, CEO/founder of Los Angeles-based boutique management company BABZ, announced the opening of BABZ Nashville. Babitt will oversee BABZ in both Los Angeles and Nashville, with Jacklyn Figueiredo and Eden Lytle based in Los Angeles.
Claudia Russo was named senior vp of corporate communications at UTA. She joins from Verizon Business Markets, where she served as head of communications. Beginning in the role immediately, she will relocate to Los Angeles from New York this summer.
Sweden-based label A-P Records rebranded to Overtone Studios and named producer/songwriter Rami Yacoub as director of music development, North America. Based in Los Angeles, heâll help spearhead the companyâs international expansion.
Adam Sachs was named senior vp of entertainment, comedy and podcasts programming at SiriusXM. The executive first joined the satellite broadcaster following its acquisition of Team Coco, where he served as president.
First Artists Management hired Zoe Hart as agent in its London office and promoted Hailey Flame to agent in Los Angeles. Hart, who joins from Faber Music, can be reached at ZHart@firstartistsmgmt.com. Flame can be reached at Hflame@firstartistsmgmt.com.
Nigel Elderton was named chairman at music technology company Audoo, which is focused on improving accuracy, transparency and reporting in public performance royalty data collection and payment distribution.
SoundCloud named Eliah Seton as its new CEO, the company announced today (March 9). Seton, who has served as president of the company since 2021, replaces Michael Weissman, who is leaving the company âfor a new opportunity,â according to a press release.
Simultaneously, the company announced that Union Square Ventures founder Fred Wilson has been named chairman of the board. Wilson, who has been on the board at SoundCloud since 2011, replaces company founder and former CEO Alexander Ljung, who will be taking a new role as chairman emeritus and remain a member of the board.
âAs the only platform with direct relationships with artists and fans at scale, SoundCloud has a singular opportunity to forge the future of the music industry by unlocking the full power of fandom,â Seton said in a statement. âI am grateful to Mike for our partnership, to Fred and the board for their confidence and thrilled to work alongside our incredible leadership team to realize that vision.â
Seton joined SoundCloud from the Warner Music Group, where he spent a number of years first working for former WMG CEO Stephen Cooper, then as senior vp of strategy and operations for Warner International, before moving to ADA, eventually being named president of independent music and creator services for the major label. He moved to SoundCloud in 2021 during a shakeup of the company, during which Weissman moved into the CEO role and SoundCloud began an evolution from an indie-focused streaming service towards a hybrid organization that now offers label and artist services, as well as distribution, audience insights and a growing roster of artists and partnerships.
During that period, SoundCloud also rolled out a fan-powered royalties initiative, which switched up how independent creators got paid on the platform, and Seton led the deal that brought Warner Music artists into the fan-powered royalties fold. In August, the company laid off 20% of its global staff while it pursued a different strategy amid the advertising-affected market, though in December it announced its revenue grew 19% in 2021, according to financial statements published in Germany. In the past year, SoundCloud has inked joint ventures with Quality Controlâs management wing Solid Foundation and Atlanta-based management and services company Third & Hayden, and partnered with artists such as Lil Pump, Tekno and Aly & AJ, among others.
Wilson replaces Ljung as chairman, who originally founded the company and was its CEO from 2007 to 2017, at which time Kerry Trainor took over as CEO and Weissman as COO. According to a press release, Ljung will âremain closely engaged and available to the companyâs management team and employees going forward.â
âI have served on SoundCloudâs board for more than a decade and can honestly say that I have never been more excited about the direction and leadership of the company,â Wilson said in a statement. âEliahâs passion for the business of music, relationships and vision are exactly what is needed for the next phase of SoundCloudâs growth. On behalf of the board, I want to thank Mike for his leadership, dedication and partnership over the past several years and welcome Eliah to this new role.â
Silvio Pietroluongo has been promoted to executive vp of charts & data partnerships at Billboard, it was announced Tuesday (Mar. 7).
The New York-based Pietroluongo, who was previously senior vp of charts & data development, is a 30-year veteran of the brand who has led Billboardâs chart operation since 2008. In his new role, he will recruit new data partners for chart inclusion while collaborating closely with various departments within Billboard and PMC to create content and further business initiatives for the Billboard brand domestically and across the globe.
âSilvioâs contributions to Billboard and its charts is undeniable. Throughout the years, Silvio has been an exceptional operational leader among us and someone whose passion, commitment, and relationships shapes our daily team culture,â said Billboard president Mike Van in a statement on Pietroluongoâs promotion. âWe are beyond thrilled to be able to recognize him and honor his commitment to making the âBillboard Chartsâ what they are today.â
Under Pietroluongoâs leadership, the Billboard charts have evolved to reflect the ever-evolving digital and social media age, optimizing the comprehensive data sets that accurately and definitively measure success in music. During his tenure, Billboardâs charts were the first globally to include audio and video streams to measure song and album consumption. More recently, Billboard launched the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Excl. U.S. charts to measure worldwide song popularity as well as expanded its menu of international song ranking under the Hits of the World banner to over 40 territories.
Pietroluongo started his Billboard career as an intern and moved up the ranks from there, serving in various leadership roles including research supervisor. He was promoted to associate director of charts in 2006, director of charts in 2008, vp of charts & data development in 2014 and senior vp of charts & data development in 2018.
Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) appointed Shirin Foroutan as senior vp and GM of Universal Music Publishing Europe, succeeding Simon Baker â who will continue in a senior management capacity at the company â in the role. Based in London, Foroutan will work closely with the companyâs European managing directors as well as C-suite leadership in Santa Monica while reporting to UMPG COO Marc Cimino. She was previously vp of creative at BMI.
Downtown Music Holdings promoted Manan Vohra to chief technology officer, Harmen Hemminga to vp of product and services strategy and Gareth Mellor to vp of global marketing and communications. The Amsterdam-based Vohra was previously chief technology officer at Downtown subsidiary FUGA but will now lead product and technology strategy for the parent company. Also based in Amsterdam, Hemmingaâs new role is an elevation from his previous role of head of partnerships and strategic projects at FUGA. In his new position, he will be responsible for identifying and creating strategic product, services and business tracks within the Downtown Music vertical. Mellorâs previous role was also based at FUGA, where he worked as global head of B2B. He will now oversee the marketing efforts for Downtownâs portfolio of businesses.
Decentralized music community and discovery platform Audius named Shamal Ranasinghe chief business officer, a newly created role. Ranasinghe will oversee the companyâs relationships with the music industry, taking the lead in developing new innovations as well as reporting, analytics and other tools to empower artists, labels and rightsholders. He arrives at Audius from SiriusXM/Pandora, where he served as vp of product management, catalog and creators. He has been an advisor to Audius since 2018.
Wasserman Music promoted seven members of its global team to agents. They include responsible agents Eli Gelernter, Logan Handelsman, Lindsay McDowell and Yitzi Peetluk; fairs & festivals agent Jess Bumsted; and tour marketers Mary Kate Carragher and Kaela Ismael. Elsewhere, Sara Pullman was elevated to vp of operations and Chappel McCollister was upped to senior vp of business development. Gelernter can be reached at egelernter@teamwass.com, Handelsman can be reached at lhandelsman@teamwass.com, McDowell can be reached at lmcdowell@teamwass.com, Peetluk can be reached at ypeetluk@teamwass.com, Bumsted can be reached at jess.bumsted@teamwass.com, Carragher can be reached at mcarragher@teamwass.com, Ismael can be reached at kismael@teamwass.com, Pullman can be reached at spullman@teamwass.com and McCollister can be reached at cmccollister@teamwass.com.
Prescription Songs/Amigo Records GM Ashlee Gibbs was promoted, adding director of operations to her title. In her expanded role, Gibbs will oversee administration of the companyâs offices in Los Angeles and Nashville. She can be reached at ashlee@prescriptionsongs.com.
The Syndicate promoted Amy Tremmel to senior vp of marketing & events, Brendan Bourke to vp of publicity and Joe McGinnis to vp of radio promotion. Tremmel can be reached at amy@thesyn.com, Bourke can be reached at brendan@thesyn.com and McGinnis can be reached at joe@thesyn.com. All three work out of the companyâs Weehawken, New Jersey office.
Mayowa Arogundade was named creative director at multidisciplinary media company EVGLE, which houses a record label, production company, clothing brand, publishing division and investment arm. In the role, Arogundade will lead EVGLEâs big-picture initiatives, creating a strategy and brand imprint for the company. He has worked with Roc Nation, Red Bull Records, OVO Sound, Kelly Rowland, Saweetie and more. Arogundade can be reached at mayowa.a@evglemusic.com.
Warner Music Nashville promoted Brianna âBriâ Small to director of digital content strategy & partnerships, a newly created role spanning the interactive, publicity and business development departments. Claire Russo was promoted from coordinator of interactive marketing to fill Smallâs previous role of manager of interactive marketing.
Music and technology company Too Lost opened a Hollywood office to better serve its expanding client base on the West Coast and hired Aldo Davalos to serve as the companyâs new head of business development. Davalos, formerly the head of A&R at Dim Mak Records and Publishing, was most recently on Migosâ management team. Elsewhere, former Create Music Group executive Dan Mody was named head of A&R and Courtney Young (Create Music Group, Dim Mak Records) has been named head of label services; both will work out of the Hollywood office. Additionally, Too Lost hired Conner Davis to serve on its leadership team out of the companyâs New York City headquarters. Davis was previously at beatBread and Universal Music Group.
Nick Barrie was hired as talent buyer at The Bellwether, a 1,600-capacity venue from Another Planet Entertainment and Michael Swier of Teragram Presents thatâs slated to open in Downtown Los Angeles this spring. Barrie will lead a team charged with bringing a variety of music and entertainment to the venue, described as a music room, private event space and restaurant/bar. Heâs worked for Another Planet since 2005 when he was hired as a security guard at the companyâs San Francisco venue The Independent. Barrie can be reached at Nick@thebellwetherla.com.
Independent publisher Minds on Fire hired Tom Currie as A&R manager. Based in London, Currie will sign new talent and bring creative and promotional opportunities to the companyâs existing songwriter roster. He was most recently head of DJ promotions at music promotions company Your Army. Currie can be reached at Tom@mindsonfire.co.uk.
Fadia Kader has joined Troy Carter and Suzy Ryooâs Venice Music as executive vp and GM, the company announced Wednesday (Mar. 1).
âThe team at Venice Music and I share a passion for changing the perception of what it takes to be successful as a DIY artist,â Kader said in a statement. âIâm excited to partner with Troy, Suzy and the team as we continue the dedicated work of educating, empowering and elevating the independent artist experience.â
Kader previously held the position of global head of strategic partnerships at Clubhouse. Before that, she was part of Instagramâs music partnerships team, and she has also worked at Twitter and Def Jam Records. She was named to Billboardâs 40 Under 40 list in 2019.
Her new role will be wide-ranging, according to Venice Musicâs announcement: âLeading teams across A&R, artist marketing, sync and community, streaming/commerce, and Web3â as well as helping to âdrive the global A&R strategy, source and secure key music partnerships, and provide counsel on the products and tools [necessary] to help artists build and grow their careers.â
âFadia has built a reputation as a trusted leader and trailblazer within the artist community,â said Venice co-founder and CEO Carter in a statement. âSheâs a unique bridge between music culture and technology and will be a valuable leader within Venice.â
âWe are thrilled to welcome Fadia to our team and community,â added Venice Music co-founder and president Ryoo. âHer choice to join Venice Music is a resounding vote of confidence towards artist ownership, creative freedom and the clear opportunity to make a generational impact in music.â
Carter and Ryoo founded Venice Music in 2021. âOur goal has been to help independent artists succeed on par with major label counterparts,â Carter said last year. âTo sustain that success, artists need to feel educated, informed, and supported. Over the last 18 months, weâve attracted high-quality partners and have begun to make a real impact in the independent community.â
The T.J. Martell Foundation for Cancer Research, which is in the midst of rebuilding after the organizationâs former executive vp/GM Melissa Goodwin was found to have embezzled $4 million from the music industry-supported charity, has named Warner Music Group chairman emeritus John âEspoâ Esposito the new chairman of the board of trustees.
âWe got the double whammy of the COVID pandemic and somebody being a bad actor,â says Esposito, who stepped down as chairman/CEO of Warner Music Nashville on Dec. 31 and wanted to devote some of his newfound time to good works. âI felt qualified with my knowledge of the organization and passion for them to do what I could to help get us back on track.â
Espositoâs initial term is for two years. He succeeds Universal Music Group general counsel and executive vp Jeffrey Harleston, who will now serve as executive chairman.
Esposito, who has served as a T.J. Martell Foundation trustee since 2006 but has supported the organization since 1997, adds, âObviously, Iâm not going to do that single-handedly, but I felt like I could use my leadership skills to help us in so many ways.â
Former consultant Lynn-Anne Huck, who took over as acting CEO in 2020 after initially conducting the review that unearthed Goodwinâs improprieties, is now the permanent CEO of the Nashville-based organization.
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Courtesy of T.J. Martell Foundation
Formed by record executive Tony Martell in 1975 following the death of his son, T.J., from leukemia, T.J. Martell holds multiple annual charitable events, auctions and campaigns in tandem with the music community in Los Angeles, New York, Nashville, Miami and other cities. It has raised more than $280 million in support of medical research grants at leading U.S. institutions and helped secure more than $1 billion in additional research funding.
T.J. Martell is additionally preparing for its 45th annual New York Honors Gala, the organizationâs first since 2019. Held at Cipriani 42nd  Street, the June 13 event will honor Warner Records co-chairman and CEO Tom Corson with the Lifetime Music Industry award, Def Jam Recordings chief creative officer and executive vp Archie Davis with the Rising Music Superstar Award and songwriter Shane McAnally with the Spirit of Music Award.
Esposito takes over a charity that was roiled by Goodwinâs actions. According to federal charging documents, from July 2018 to April 2020, she used a company credit card to purchase approximately $3.96 million in concert and sporting event tickets, including for Lady Gaga, Celine Dion and the Super Bowl. She also bought plane tickets, alcohol and hotel stays. Goodwin turned some of the items over to the owner of a charity auction business to resell but kept the money instead of turning it over to the charity.
Prosecutors also say she falsified credit card statements, created fake expense reports and replaced the ticket expenses with other vendor names to make the charges appear to be legitimate foundation expenses. Goodwin, who cooperated with federal prosecutors, pled guilty to wire fraud and was sentenced to four years in prison in August. The Foundation is the plaintiff in four other suits relating to Goodwinâs malfeasance â including one against its former accounting firm â that are all in the discovery stage.
Under Harleston and Huck, the organization put safeguards in place to assure supporters and donors that what happened under Goodwin wonât happen again. âLynn-Anne created a 28-page policies and procedures manual for financial transactions,â Esposito says. âWeâre probably going above and beyond on a consistent basis.â
âIf you go to our website,â Huck says, âyouâre going to find more information than almost any other non-profit. We are absolutely transparent with everything.â The website includes IRS 990 Forms going back to 2017, as well as independent audit reports.Â
According to its latest 990 form, T.J. Martell, a registered 501 (c) corporation, ended 2021 with net assets of $1.045 million. Like many organizations, it took a hit during the pandemic; its net assets on its 2019 990 form were listed as $3.35 million. Despite that drop as well as Goodwinâs actions, Huck says the organization was able to fulfill all of its 2019 promised grants going into 2020 before the pandemic hit. It will resume grant-giving this year.
Esposito, Huck and the trustees have also done outreach to rebuild trust brick by brick. âTo get people back in the boat, every quarter I had a list of about 250 donors and friends, and either myself or [other key T.J. Martell board members] would just get on the phone and answer questions,â Huck says. ââWhat are we doing?â âHow are we going to make sure this never happens again?â So by the time [Goodwin] was charged last year, everybody knew. We kept them in the light all along.âÂ
T.J. Martellâs first event in 2023 occurred during Grammy Week in Los Angeles when it held its Best Cellars dinner. Similar events to be held in Nashville, Napa, Atlanta, Houston, Washington, D.C. and Cleveland this year will pair a four-course gourmet meal with wines provided by some of the countryâs most distinguished wine collectors. The Los Angeles event, which was held Feb. 2, netted $600,000 for the organization, far beyond its original budget of a âfew hundred thousand,â Esposito says. Â
âThe love in that room and the enthusiasm in that room, it was like we were back in 1999. It was a great feeling,â Esposito says. âSo, Iâm feeling very confident that as long as we take all the right steps, weâre going to build this thing to a really good place.â
The organization is also looking at ways to broaden its outreach by spreading into other areas â part of a strategy to cut down on the number of events it holds each year. In 2018, T.J. Martell held 32 events that raised over $4 million. With this yearâs seven Best Cellars dinners, it hopes to raise $3 million. Ideas include creating marathon teams that raise money for T.J. Martell, as well as increasing planned giving by individuals and estates and increasing branding and sponsorship possibilities. âItâs tapping into cash that makes the events far more productive and our not being so dependent on 30 events in a year,â Esposito says.Â
By relying less on staff-intensive events, Esposito and Huck hope to keep their personnel numbers down. In 2019, T.J. Martell had 25 full-time employees but now has only three. As the organization revs back up, they say they will judiciously hire more staffers based on need.
As Esposito delves into his role, he says the two words he uses to sum up T.J. Martell 2.0 are âtransparency and enthusiasm⌠I yearn for us to be transparent on a profound level. And every philanthropic organization relies on enthusiasm, and 2023 is the year weâre building enthusiasm back and Iâm thrilled that Iâm already feeling it,â he says. âI can only imagine as we start getting events like the gala under our belt that people will be saying, âTheyâre back and better than ever.ââ
Max Cutler, Spotifyâs head of audio talk shows and partnerships, is departing to âreturn to his entrepreneurial roots,â according to the company. His exit is part of a broader reorganization at the streaming companyâs podcast division, where Julie McNamara has been appointed to lead licensed exclusives in addition to her oversight of Spotifyâs global podcast studios. Additionally, Bryan Thoensen will continue overseeing content partnerships for third-party creators while expanding both those efforts and his team, while Bill Simmons will now report to podcasting head Sahar Elhabashi; in addition to continuing to lead The Ringer, Simmons will partner with vp/global head of ads business & platform Lee Brown on podcast monetization across the Spotify portfolio. No layoffs are connected to these shifts, according to the company.
Stacey Tang and Glyn Aikins were named co-presidents of RCA UK; both have worked at the label since 2018, with Tang most recently serving as executive vp while Aikins was co-president of Sony Musicâs Since 93, a label partnership with RCA. Tang was named to Billboardâs International Power Players list last year.
Robin Godfrey-Cass joined Primary Wave Music to focus on catalog acquisitions for the publishing giant. Godfrey Cass has over 40 years of experience in the music industry, including as managing director at Warner/Chappell Music UK and Round Hill Carlin UK; founder of Crosstown Songs; and co-founder of Perfect Storm, which eventually sold to Reservoir.
Cathy Bauer was appointed to the newly created role of head of physical sales & marketing at ADA Worldwide. In the role, she will manage ADAâs global physical sales and marketing division âwith a focus on growing partnersâ businesses and establishing efficient and standardized processes,â according to a press release. Bauer will additionally be tasked with identifying growth and innovation opportunities for ADAâs artists and partners, including through direct-to-consumer initiatives. She reports to ADA Worldwide president Cat Kreidich. Bauer joins ADA from ABKCO Music & Records, where she served as vp of sales & marketing for nearly five years.
Concord promoted 12 staff members to vp and senior vp roles across multiple business areas: Carol Boldish to vp of production, Concord Label Group (Nashville); Tom Frank to vp of sync marketing, Concord Label Group (London); David Geer to vp of music & publications, Concord Theatricals (New York); Shane Guitar to vp of operations, Fearless Records (Los Angeles); Randy Linsey to vp of international marketing & sales, Craft Recordings (Los Angeles); Clare Maxwell to vp of marketing, Concord Label Group (London); Elysha Miracle to senior vp of rights data management (Nashville); Meredith OâLeary to vp of sync marketing, Concord Label Group (New York); Gary Paczosa to senior vp of A&R, Rounder Records (Nashville); Stephen Phillips to vp of sync, Concord Music Publishing (London); Kelly Voigt to senior vp of corporate communications (Nashville); and Marty Willard to senior vp of business & legal affairs (remote).
Parlophone Records announced several key promotions and hires, chiefly Jack Melhuish, who has been named GM. He will continue to oversee and develop campaigns for Parlophoneâs roster while also taking on wider responsibilities at the label. Additionally, Arina Logacheva, Molly McNulty and Seb Smith have been hired as senior A&R managers while Jason Ngimbi was hired as junior A&R manager. Logacheva joins from Universal Music, McNulty comes from Kobalt Music Publishing, Smith comes from Believe Music and Ngimbi joins from BMG. Lastly, Grace OâNeill was promoted to head of radio while Sam Palm was promoted to head of the newly created insight department, where he will extend the work heâs been doing as streaming head by incorporating more robust audience data.
Marcus Wise was appointed CEO for the European region at Wise Music Group. Previously global head of media, the London-based executive will lead the companyâs music publishing and recorded music interests across the continent. Additionally, Dave Holley was named Wise Music Group COO, also based in London.
Alexander Brose, former executive director and CEO of The Tianjin Juilliard School in China, will succeed Dr. Peter Simon as president/CEO of The Royal Conservatory of Music upon Simonâs retirement on Aug. 31, 2024. The transition will begin on Sept. 1, 2023, when Brose will assume the role of president designate and work closely alongside Simon leading up to his departure.
Allison Smith was promoted to vp of promotion at Big Machine/John Varvatos Records; she was previously national director of promotion. In her new role, Smith will continue cultivating relationships between rock radio and the Varvatos imprintâs roster, which includes Badflower, Ayron Jones, Starcrawler, The Struts and Violet Saturn. She can be reached at allison.smith@bmlg.net.
Samantha Steel was named COO at Triple 8 Management, where she will oversee operations, promote a positive company culture and vision and develop solutions for internal communications as well as growth potential for employees and clients. Steel first joined Triple 8 in 2017, when Good Time Inc., where she served as GM, was acquired by the company. She can be reached at Sam@Triple8Mgmt.com.
JukeJoint Foundation, a nonprofit designed to empower women of color in the music business, was launched by Fresh âN Sassy Productions and ENCORE Music Tech Solutions founder Janishia Jones out of Los Angeles. Current board members include Live Out L!ve CEO Candace Newman, Exceleration Music head of data strategy Britnee Foreman, Jammcard operations manager Katrina Lee and Mass Appeal head of finance Daphnee Pierre. The Foundation will help women of color forge key professional connections by providing access to music industry events, scholarships to assist in repaying student loan debt and grants to aid the launch of their own music businesses. It plans to open additional chapters in New York, Atlanta and Nashville.
Gail Berger was named senior vp and GM of automotive partnerships at SiriusXM, succeeding Rodney Pickett, who will retire at the end of the month. Reporting to chief commercial officer Joe Verbrugge, Berger will oversee the companyâs automotive partnerships, automotive remarketing and automotive field operations teams responsible for growing SiriusXMâs presence in new and used vehicles. Berger, who has been with SiriusXM since 2012, was most recently senior vp of automotive remarketing.
Bryce Sherlow was promoted to A&R manager at Warner Chappell Music in Nashville, while Benji Amaefule was hired in the same role. Amaefule joins from media platform Country Central, where he served as head of artist and label partnerships; he also interviews Nashville artists and writers and reviews new music via his brand TheBenjiChord.
Drive Agency president/CEO Jessy Tolkan was appointed as chairperson of the board of directors at HeadCount, the nonpartisan, nonprofit voter registration organization that harnesses music, culture and digital media to increase voter turnout. She succeeds Peter Shapiro, who recently finished out his four-year term as chair but will keep a seat on the board.
Mary Beth OâToole launched The Conduit Collaborative, a boutique public relations firm with locations in Los Angeles and Sacramento, Calif. The firm specializes in finding non-traditional pitch angles for clients, ranging from music artists to Washington lobbying firms. It offers a range of PR services, including tour press and red carpet services, and has already worked with the Janis Joplin estate, Universal Music and L.A. Live, among other clients. OâToole can be reached at info@conduitcollab.com.
Sound Future Foundation, which harnesses the influence of the live event industry to further climate innovation, announced its new board of directors, including board chair Terah Lyons, who previously served as policy advisor to U.S. chief technology officer Megan Smith in President Obamaâs Office of Science and Technology Policy and founding executive director of the global nonprofit Partnership on AI. The remainder of the new board includes treasurer Kelci Zile (sustainability partner, Madrona Ventura Labs); secretary Adam Brunner (senior planner & counsel, Wildstar Partners); Brandy Schultz (co-founder/chief marketing officer, Sound Future and founder of Adventure Nannies); Ashley OâWinter (co-founder/COO, Sound Future); Wesley Schultz (songwriter-producer-lead singer of The Lumineers); Sara Full (tour manager); Joe Atamian (senior vp, Wasserman Music); and Alex Bruford (founder/CEO/agent, ATC Live).
ASM Global appointed Leonie Patrick of the San Francisco Travel Association as GM for its San Francisco convention center the Moscone Center. âHer focus will be to actively create an international destination while driving a great value for live meetings and events that drive action within their communities,â said ASM Global executive vp of convention centers Dan Hoffend in a statement.
TAIT â a global group of designers, fabricators, engineers and innovators for live and location-based experiences â promoted Gemma Hodgson to chief commercial officer. Additionally, Jess Chalifoux has joined the company as vp of global business development. Chalifoux reports to Hodgson, who can be reached at gemma.guy@taittowers.com.
Sander Shalinsky was named legal counsel at SRG/ILS Group. In music, Shalinsky is best known for his work with The Weeknd and producer Bob Ezrin, among many other record labels, artists, publishers, managers and music executives.
Singer-songwriter Jewel co-founded Innerworld, a mental health platform that aims to âbuild the largest community in the metaverse for mental health support,â according to a press release. Jewel will serve as chief strategy officer, while founder Noah Robinson will serve as CEO.
CrossBorderWorks founder/CEO Vickie Nauman joined the advisory board of Web3 company Pixelynx, which develops new formats of music and experiences for the metaverse.
UTA has added two new hires to its Nashville office, with Brian Hill joining as music agent and Jaime Roberts joining as tour marketing director.
Hill brings more than three decades of talent agency experience, including stints at Monterey Peninsula Artists/Paradigm and Creative Arts Agency (CAA). Hill has been named Pollstarâs Third Coast Agent of the Year twice and has worked with artists including Eli Young Band, Aaron Lewis, Frankie Ballard and Home Free.
New York native Roberts launched her career in live entertainment by promoting live family entertainment experiences with Feld Entertainment, followed by more than a decade leading in marketing and promotions at Live Nation and The Bowery Presents for events in the New York and New Jersey region. Most recently, Roberts spent seven years in Austin, Texas, where she developed and executed multi-channel marketing campaigns for major touring artists with Messina Touring Group. During her time there, she led successful tour marketing efforts for artists including Shawn Mendes, Tim McGraw/Faith Hill, Little Big Town and Kelly Clarkson.
Over the past year, UTA Nashville has added Tyler Hubbard, Bobby Bones, Chris Janson, Parmalee, Dalton Dover and more to its roster and helped develop music newcomers including Megan Moroney, Alana Springsteen, Brittney Spencer and Chase Matthew.
âWe are excited to have Brian and Jaime join us at UTA as we continue to expand and elevate the music department,â said UTA co-head of global music Scott Clayton in a statement. âTheir decades of experience and stellar track record of going above and beyond for their clients make them perfect additions to our world-class team in Nashville.â
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.
âIâm most passionate when I have a vision for an artistâs 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,â said Zimmerman. âI believe the best and most forward-thinking cultural platform for music talent is at Range. The teamâs 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.â
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.
âJoel has consistently managed to cut through the noise â and competition â by landing clients lucrative touring, club and festival deals, as well as crossing them into other entertainment arenas,â said Range Media Partners CEO Peter Micelli. âThe result of his groundbreaking work has created new pathways and platforms that break future stars and legitimize new music genres.â
âWe could not be more excited to welcome Joel to Range,â Micelli added. âHe 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. Weâre thrilled to add an executive and partner of his caliber to the company.â