interscope capitol labels group
As the broader restructuring of the Universal Music Group’s label operations continues on the West Coast with the newly-formed Interscope Capitol Labels Group, the East Coast labels have now also begun to unveil their new structure under chairman/CEO Monte Lipman, with a new name of its own: Republic Corps.
The new structure and designation is set to be the umbrella “central operational hub” for each of the labels underneath it, with former Republic Records co-president Jim Roppo serving as president and COO of the new overarching group, reporting to Monte Lipman and Avery Lipman.
Each of the labels have individual leaders, many of whom remain in the same roles they had prior to the reorganization: Republic Records will now be led by president and chief creative officer Wendy Goldstein, formerly co-president of Republic alongside Roppo; Mercury Records will continue to be led by president Tyler Arnold and general manager Ben Adelson; Island Records will remain under the purview of co-CEOs Justin Eshak and Imran Majid; Def Jam Recordings will remain under chairman/CEO Tunji Balogun; and IMPERIAL Music/Casablanca Records will still be run by president Glenn Mendlinger. According to a release, each of the labels will maintain “full independence and autonomy” under the new structure.
Trending on Billboard
Roppo, leading the Republic Corps. teams, will work across each of the labels, with former Republic head of global commerce Kevin Lipson becoming his “chief lieutenant,” with an expanded role that will encompass revenue strategy at the group. They will lead a series of shared departments, led by executives from several different East Coast label teams.
Former Republic Records head of promotion Gary Spangler will take up the same title in the new Corps., with support from former Republic Records exec Lucas Romeo and former Island promotions head Ayelet Schiffman in support, and format leads that include former Def Jam exec Natina Nimene overseeing urban; and former Republic execs Gary Dumler overseeing pop, Davey Dee Ingenloff overseeing rhythm, Manny Simon overseeing adult and Amanda Dobbins overseeing rock.
Most recently general manager of Island Records, Mike Alexander is moving to a new role overseeing global marketing at Republic Corps, with a team consisting of Myra DeCastro (Def Jam), Steve Rowen (Island) and Zoe Briggs (Republic/Mercury). Additionally, former Republic head of media Joseph Carozza will lead media strategy for the Corps, with a team consisting of Beau Benton (Republic), Marisa Bianco (Mercury), Lauren Ceradini (Def Jam) and Lauren Schneider (Island).
On the legal side, two executives that previously worked for parent group Universal Music on behalf of all of the East Coast labels will retain their titles under the new Republic Corps. designation: Steve Gawley will remain as executive vp of business & legal affairs and business development, while Joe Schmidt retains the title of executive vp/CFO, both of whom will report directly to the Lipmans. Additionally, Republic Corps. will include teams led by Jenny Beal (Production), Brittney Ramsdell (creative synch), Meredith Oliver and Liza Corsey (A&R administration) and a data and analytics team, according to a release.
The new Republic Corps. structure comes amidst the broader reorganization of the Universal Music Group labels announced by UMG chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge on Feb. 1, which divided the labels into an East Coast-West Coast structure, with Republic Corps. comprising the East Coast division. The West Coast labels, under chairman/CEO John Janick, have been reformulated as the Interscope Capitol Labels Group, with that structure coming into focus over the past week. Both companies have been undergoing extensive layoffs as part of the reorganization, which included the combining of many labels’ promotions and publicity staffs into shared services divisions, among other moves.
A week after chairman/CEO John Janick introduced the newly-formed Interscope Capitol Labels Group and named several members of his C-suite to top roles, the structure of the divisions of the new company are coming into focus with a slew of announcements.
On Monday (March 11), Janick named the members of Interscope Geffen A&M’s new pop/rock and urban music teams, with 13 executives receiving new remits within the new structure, including three co-presidents of Interscope Geffen A&M. The duo in charge of pop/rock are IGA co-president/head of creative strategy Michelle An and IGA co-president/head of pop/rock A&R Sam Riback, with executive reporting to them including executive vp of pop/rock A&R Matt Morris; co-heads of pop/rock digital Chris Mortimer and Kirsten Stubbs; senior vp of pop/rock marketing Adrian Amodeo; and vp of pop/rock visual creative Chelsea Dodson.
The urban music team will be lead by IGA co-president/head of urban A&R Nicole Wyskoarko alongside executive vp/head of urban marketing Laura Carter, with president of Geffen urban A&RB Aaron “Dash” Sherrod and executive vp/head of urban digital Ramon Alvarez-Smikle. Reporting to them are senior vp of urban marketing and strategy Lola Plaku and senior vp of visual creative/head of urban creative Andrew Ibea.
Trending on Billboard
(Top Row L-R) Andrew Ibea, Aaron “Dash” Sherrod, Nicole Wyskoarko, Matt Morris,
Chelsea Dodson, Sam Riback, Ramon Alvarez-Smikle, Lola Plaku.
(Seated Row L-R) Laura Carter, Kirsten Stubbs, Adrian Amodeo, Chris Mortimer, Michelle An.
Courtesy of ICLG
Almost all the executives across those two departments continue from Interscope Geffen A&M, where they had previously worked under Janick.
“Each of these executives exemplifies the culture of innovative thinking, entrepreneurial spirit and wide-ranging success that have long defined IGA,” Janick said about them in a statement. “As we continue to solidify our team and finalize the redesign of our broader company, we are creating a modern music company that will set the standard for our industry and provide the optimal environment in which our artists can thrive and achieve excellence in music.”
Today (March 12), Janick named another 13 executives to roles in the corporate leadership of ICLG, working across both IGA and Capitol Music Group, consisting of a mix of executives from both previous labels who will be reporting in to C-suite leaders announced last week.
Steve Berman, ICLG’s vice chairman, will oversee departments that will be led by executive vp of urban promotion Bill Evans; executive vp/head of media Ambrosia Healy; senior vp of sports and gaming Dave Nieman; executive vp/head of strategic marketing & brands Daniel Sena; and senior vp of creative synch licensing Jenny Swiatowy. Of those, Evans, Healy and Swiatowy came from Capitol, while Nieman and Sena remain from Interscope.
ICLG general manager and chief revenue officer Gary Kelly, meanwhile, will oversee departments led by senior vp of production Gretchen Anderson; senior vp of revenue Nicole Csabai; executive vp of international marketing Jurgen Grebner; vp/head of analytics Wayne Laakko; president of promotion/ICLG executive vp Greg Marella; and executive vp of direct-to-consumer strategy Xavier Ramos. Of those, Anderson, Csabai, Grebner, Ramos and Laakko remain from Interscope, while Marella comes from Capitol.
Finally, under ICLG CFO Geoff Harris, who reports to ICLG COO Annie Lee, are vp of A&R administration Steve Cook and vp of artist relations Kim Valderas. Both Cook and Valderas come from Capitol Music Group/Motown Records.
Courtesy of ICLG
“Naming these executives to company-wide positions further strengthens and solidifies our redesign of ICLG,” Janick said in a statement about the new positions today. “IGA’s and CMG’s core label teams are now able to draw upon the best-in-class skills and expertise for all of their artists, as well as more ably secure a broad array of opportunities and experiences throughout the world.”
The new Interscope Geffen A&M team joins the recently-installed new executive team at Capitol Music Group, which consists of former Geffen boss Tom March as chairman/CEO and UMPG veteran Lilia Parsa as president, following the departures of prior CMG chair/CEO Michelle Jubelirer and president Arjun Pulijal. The moves are all part of the major overhaul of the Universal Music Group label structure that UMG chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge first announced on Feb. 1, which moved UMG’s West Coast labels — Interscope, Geffen, A&M, Capitol, Blue Note, Priority, Verve and Motown — under Janick’s purview at ICLG, and its East Coast labels — consisting mostly of Republic, Def Jam, Island and Mercury — under Republic co-founder and CEO Monte Lipman. News of the new East Coast structure is also expected soon. The company has been going through extensive layoffs in the past week, as IGA and Capitol formally merge together and the East Coast teams are being solidified.
One day after the debut of the newly-reconfigured Interscope Capitol Labels Group (ICLG) under chairman/CEO John Janick, the Universal Music Group’s top West Coast label exec announced more additions to his executive leadership team.
Gary Kelly, who has served as general manager/executive vp/chief revenue officer for Interscope Geffen A&M, will take on the role of GM/chief revenue officer for the new ICLG, continuing largely in the same role in the new structure. And IGA’s executive vp/head of business & legal affairs Jason Kawejsza will retain the same title in the new configuration.
Kelly and Kawejsza join ICLG vice chairman Steve Berman, COO Annie Lee and CFO Geoff Harris in the C-Suite, alongside Janick. All are longtime Interscope execs except Harris, who was previously at Capitol Music Group.
Trending on Billboard
“Gary and Jason have each been making invaluable contributions to our company for nearly 15 years, and both combine strong business acumen with an entrepreneurial mindset that will continue to be crucial to my leadership team and to ICLG’s success in the years to come,” Janick said in a statement. “I know that everyone in the company joins me in congratulating Gary and Jason on these well-earned promotions.”
The newly-formed Interscope Capitol Labels Group is the result of the major overhaul of the Universal Music Group label structure that UMG chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge first announced on Feb. 1. Under the new structure, UMG’s West Coast labels — Interscope, Geffen, A&M, Capitol, Blue Note, Priority, Verve and Motown — now fall under Janick’s purview at ICLG, while its East Coast labels — consisting mostly of Republic, Def Jam, Island and Mercury — will be overseen by Republic co-founder and CEO Monte Lipman. News of the new East Coast structure is also expected as soon as next week.
”The creation of ICLG is a milestone moment for our company,” Kelly said in a statement. “I’m thrilled to be part of John’s leadership team that will oversee our growth and evolution as we set the standard for what a modern-day music company should be. I look forward to working with everyone in the company who will utilize their best-in-class skill sets, relationships and expertise to deliver on our mission of providing artists with a home to create great music and build their global brands to reach the widest possible audience.”
Under the ICLG umbrella is a new leadership team for Capitol Music Group, with former Geffen boss Tom March as chairman/CEO and UMPG veteran Lilia Parsa as president, following the departures of prior CMG chair/CEO Michelle Jubelirer and president Arjun Pulijal. The company has been going through extensive layoffs in the past week, as IGA and Capitol formally merge together.
“I am so excited to work with John and our entire leadership team at Interscope Capitol Labels Group as we move forward and redesign the company to most effectively support our amazing artists and label partners,” Kawejsza said in a statement.
Interscope Geffen A&M chairman/CEO John Janick unveiled the newly restructured ‘West Coast’ label operation for the Universal Music Group today (March 7), under the banner Interscope Capitol Labels Group, with himself retaining the title atop the new configuration. As part of the announcement, longtime IGA vice chairman Steve Berman retains his title atop the new company, overseeing things for Interscope, Geffen, A&M, Capitol, Blue Note, Priority, Verve and Motown; and IGA CFO and longtime finance veteran Annie Lee takes on the title of chief operating officer at the new ICLG.
Under the new configuration, Capitol Music Group chief financial officer Geoff Harris will become the CFO of the new company, which is the result of the major overhaul of the Universal Music Group label structure that UMG chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge first announced on Feb. 1. Under the new structure, UMG’s West Coast labels now fall under Janick’s purview, under the banner of ICLG, while its East Coast labels — consisting mostly of Republic, Def Jam, Island and Mercury — will be overseen by Republic co-founder and CEO Monte Lipman. News of the new East Coast structure is also expected soon.
Trending on Billboard
More details of the ICLG configuration are still to come, but Capitol Music Group’s new executive structure has come into focus this past month, with former Geffen boss Tom March as chairman/CEO and UMPG veteran Lilia Parsa as president, following the departures of prior CMG chair/CEO Michelle Jubelirer and president Arjun Pulijal. The company has been going through extensive layoffs in the past week, as IGA and Capitol formally merge together.
In a press release, Janick said that, in addition to Berman’s continued role overseeing the labels and the ICLG brand, Lee will work with Harris to “integrat[e] finance, operations and culture” and make sure that “ICLG runs efficiently and sustains a positive experience for its artists and teams.”
“Steve and Annie are both highly accomplished executives who have been critical to our company’s growth and success for more than two decades,” Janick said in a statement. “They have worked closely with me in redesigning ICLG to benefit and enhance each individual label under our umbrella and foster an entrepreneurial spirit that will set the standard for what a modern music company should be. I congratulate Steve and Annie on their well-deserved promotions, and look forward to sharing enormous success with them in the coming years.”
Berman is an Interscope legend, having joined the company in 1991 just after its founding and risen through the marketing and sales ranks to president by 2005, then vice chairman of the expanded IGA in 2010 alongside label co-founder and CEO Jimmy Iovine. Berman retained the title after Janick took over in 2014, and now takes on additional oversight of the Capitol labels under ICGL.
“Every aspect of our redesign will enable us to provide optimal support for our artists and their creativity, while securing the best and most innovative opportunities that will help expand their global brands,” Berman said in a statement. “I’ve devoted nearly my entire career to this company and its artists, and I am excited to continue working with John, Annie and the entire ICLG team on this next phase of our journey.”
Lee joined Universal in a finance role in 2005, and moved to Interscope the following year, rising through the finance ranks at the company to become CFO in 2019. In her new role, she takes on operational responsibilities for the broader label group.
“I am looking forward to working with John, Berm and our entire team as we continue to build ICLG into a modern music company that is both a powerful partner to artists and their teams and a fulfilling and creative environment in which to work,” Lee said in a statement. “We are well positioned for the future and I’m excited for what’s to come.”
-
Pages