merlin
Page: 2
When Jeremy Sirota signed on as CEO of indie digital rights nonprofit Merlin in January 2020, he had already spent years championing the independent music community.Â
After starting his career as a tech lawyer in the mid-2000s, Sirota worked for nine years at the Warner Music Group at WEA and ADA, helping to distribute WMGâs affiliated indie-label partners. He then moved to Facebook Music, where he was independent label lead for its business and partnerships team. That experience gives him the perspective needed to assist Merlinâs 500-plus members representing 30,000-plus label partners in more than 70 countries in navigating an increasingly complex digital world.Â
Over the past four years, he has worked to set those labels â which collectively represent some 15% of the global recorded-music market â on a course to optimize partnerships that increasingly power the business. They include expanded alliances with Meta and YouTube; deals with SoundCloud, for its fan-powered royalties structure, and Deezer, for its âartist-centricâ royalties plan; and a new initiative, Merlin Connect, that grants select tech startups a license for its membersâ catalogs to help educate those new companies about music usage on their platforms while getting Merlinâs labels and their artists paid.Â
Trending on Billboard
Since Sirota became CEO, Merlin has added more than 100 members and launched a mentorship program, Merlin Engage, which pairs women music executives with the next generation of female industry leaders. Heâs also debuted Merlin Insights, launched in April to help parse the avalanche of data that indies must process. And as the sector grows globally, Sirota says heâs focused on how to best superserve Merlinâs labels. âThere are a lot of ways we think about growth,â he explains. âThe most important are âAm I driving more value to my members? Am I helping support their ability to be independent? And am I helping to shape a future where artistry, authenticity and creativity can thrive?â âÂ
Have you brought in new members and territories this year?
Our growth is about making sure that our values are held by the members who join. This year, 11 new members have joined Merlin, including Artist Partner Group, UNIFIED and Rostrum Pacific. Weâve grown the team to deliver on white-glove support. That involves three things: automate as much as possible; communicate; and collaborate more efficiently and effectively. Something we think about a lot is âHow do we free people up?â Weâre now over 50 people and have added people around the world at all levels. One of the most important things we do is report and pay to our members on a timely basis so they can pay their bills, their labels and their artists. And weâre deepening our relationships with some of our partners, like Meta, and doing things with [graphic design platform] Canva â which Iâm really excited about. Weâre finding new ways to monetize music in a healthy and fair way.Â
A coffee enthusiast, Sirota calls this âmy rocket ship of an espresso maker â a Profitec, gifted by my wife â with which I enjoy my daily ritual of making cortados.â He admits to a âguilty love of New York deli coffee with a generous dose of milk and sugar.â
Nina Westervelt
How does Merlin Insights benefit your members?
Insights is a big initiative. We now have a data operations team to make sure that all trends data is being delivered in the right format. Our market share on some of these platforms is significant â more than just the 15% we talk about. So we have this incredible wealth of data. What could we do with that that members cannot do on their own? If youâre not a global organization with 10,000 employees all around the world, we have the ability to pull out interesting stories that help our members â things they donât know because theyâre not on the ground. We do reports, webinars, feedback loops with members around: What else do they want to see? What do we get right? What do we get wrong? Thatâs where this membership, this community, really comes into play.
What are some of the biggest challenges facing indies right now?
Their world keeps changing so rapidly, and whatever worked six months ago doesnât work today. Thatâs why I talk so much about this one-on-one white-glove approach, which is helping them understand where things are headed so that they can make better decisions. Compared to a major, they have less capital, less resources, smaller teams. They have to be more nimble, and the decisions they make have to be right more often. What kind of guidance are you giving them? What does it mean to break and sustain artists, given the way this worldâs operating? And what can we be doing with data, our deal-making and with our partners? And then, what are the next, new opportunities? If music is like water, itâs flowing everywhere, and yet itâs not picking up the monetization it should. So trying to find those next, new opportunities.
Is that one of the ideas behind Merlin Connect?
Weâre trying to make the ability for startups â pre-seed companies â to be able to more seamlessly tap into music, from a licensing perspective, from an operational perspective, and get value in return for that. But they may not even realize the value of music. Weâre also trying to tackle people who may not have thought about music.
I look at so many different types of companies where music could be so valuable to them if they just understood it. We want to make it more seamless, the operations, the licensing, and then thereâs an education piece. But itâs not just a license â weâre investing in you as well. You get access to our team, which [collectively] has hundreds of years of music experience with startups about what works and what doesnât work. You get access to our independent members who love to be on the cutting edge.
Weâve had some really good conversations with some companies now. This is a long-term project â this is our approach now to how we think about the ecosystem and how we nurture it. Iâm not going to change the trajectory of every startup just because they have music now, but I think I can fundamentally change the trajectory of so many startups in a way they donât realize yet.
This photo of David Bowie, taken by Mick Rock, âis a cherished piece because it captures Bowieâs aura.â
Nina Westervelt
Is this about finding new growth sectors?
One hundred percent. Itâs almost endless, the types of platforms and startups that could benefit from music. And itâs going to take experimentation. You canât help everything grow, but thereâs a lot out there thatâs not growing the way it could. And itâs going to benefit Merlin and its members and their labels and artists, but it could have beneficial ramifications for the whole industry as well. If we can help be a part of that, that would be really exciting.Â
How have your experiences at Warner and Facebook served you at Merlin?
It gave me the ability to relate to people at different levels in the business, whether itâs a product manager at a digital platform, or an engineer whoâs now a founder of a startup, or itâs a member who runs a metal label, or [is] the head of [European indie trade association] IMPALA. I try to see the business through their eyes. Iâve always been on the service side, and thatâs always been the through line. People want to know that you understand them, and that they were heard, and that youâre working to do what you can.
When Merlin renewed its Meta partnership this year, you said it was about more than licensing music. What else do you expect of these alliances?Â
We donât think of it as âLetâs come back and kick the tires every few years.â We want to help shape their thinking about music and their understanding of what independents need at an operational level. We want to do the same thing with our partners to create this continual feedback loop and conversation.Â
âThese artifacts represent a different period of my life that keeps me grounded,â he says. They include awards from the Eagle Scouts, WEA and the Young Presidents Organization.
Nina Westervelt
What were your reasons for Merlinâs deals with SoundCloud and Deezer over their proposed changes to the royalty payout model for streaming services?Â
We want to make sure no oneâs gaming the system. We want to make sure that fraudulent content is not an issue. We want to make sure that artificial streaming is not an issue. Weâre absolutely willing to experiment and try out different models. But when you say, âLetâs change the system,â we need to be really careful about two things. One is unintended consequences. And No. 2 is, sometimes what I hear is, âLetâs penalize independents.â Letâs prevent abuse, but letâs be careful. Letâs be incremental to avoid unintended consequences. And letâs not do something that will make it more difficult for independents to operate. Itâs already expensive enough to operate in this space, and itâs creating more barriers to entry for those who donât have the same level of capital to arbitrage against.Â
That raises a question. Over the past 10 to 15 years, many of the traditional barriers to the music business have come down. It seems like some of these proposed changes to the model are a bit like âLetâs rebuild some of those walls.â Do you feel like things are too wide open now? Do we actually need barriers to entry?Â
When I hear âcreate more barriers to entry,â I have a little bit of reflex [thinking that means] âLetâs make it more difficult for independents.â At the same time, you want to be supporting quality music. What has happened is technology is outpacing how we operate as humans. I think the biggest challenge music always has is that there is a zero-sum game around some of this. Itâs one of the reasons weâre always thinking about creating new incremental revenue sources.Â
Where did the idea of Merlin Engage come from, and how have things gone so far?Â
Katie Alberts from Reach Records was the first to propose this, and Marie Clausen from Ninja Tune was the second. This is our second year. Weâre conscious of not biting off more than we can chew. But what is really great about it is, weâre matching very senior leaders with up-and-coming, next-generation female leaders. And what I find particularly inspiring is that these people who are incredibly busy are willing to put time toward it. The second is, weâre creating another mini community. And itâs global, weâre connecting people from different countries. Thereâs so much we want to do at Merlin, but this one was just a no-brainer to help move the music industry in a better direction.Â
âI keep a curated sample of already-read books nearby as an invitation to be inspired,â he says. Above them: âA graffiti artwork by my talented aunt, Laura Shechter, whose art estate I manage.â
Nina Westervelt
This story appears in the Sept. 28, 2024 issue of Billboard magazine.

Itâs time for a July 4th weekend edition of the Executive Turntable, Billboardâs comprehensive(ish) compendium of promotions, hirings, exits and firings â and all things in between â across music. Check out this yearâs Pride List of top LGBTQ+ executives in the industry. We also have a weekly interview series spotlighting a single executive and a regularly updated gallery honoring many of the industry figures weâve lost throughout the year.
Thomas Coesfeld celebrated his one-year anniversary as CEO of BMG by joining the executive board of Bertelsmann, parent company of the Berlin-based music giant. The 34-year-old executive is point-person for Bertelsmannâs music business as a member of the board, which also includes chief executive Thomas Rabe and Thomasâ big brother Carsten Coesfeld, CEO of its venture capital arm, as well as company CFO Rolf Hellermann and chief human resources officer Immanuel Hermreck. Coesfeld took the reigns of BMG from longtime CEO Hartwig Masuch on July 1 of last year, and in short order instituted a new organizational structure by globalizing its catalog, sales and marketing teams and a ârecalibrationâ of its presence in continental Europe, among other changes. Prior to rising to CEO, Coesfeld had been named deputy CFO at BMG in October 2021 before taking over as full-on CFO the following spring. During that time he oversaw BMGâs balance sheet and helped the company land 70 deals, including acquiring the catalogs of MĂśtley CrĂźe and Tina Turner, as well as those of Paul Simon, The Pointer Sisters, Peter Frampton and others.
Trending on Billboard
He previously served as chief strategy officer on the executive committee of the Bertelsmann Printing Group, but began his career in 2014 as a consultant at McKinsey. Coesfeld is also a member of Bertelsmannâs Group Management Committee (GMC), which advises the executive board.
â[Coesfeld] knows Bertelsmann well from various positions,â Rabe raved in the announcement. âAs CEO of BMG, he has made important decisions for the future of the business, for example by bringing digital distribution in-house and using artificial intelligence in various areas of the music business. Thomas will enrich the work of the Management Board as well. I look forward to working even more closely with him.â
MeanwhileâŚ
Hannah Neaves
Laura Lewis
Universal Music UK promoted Hannah Neaves to sole president of its catalog division, Universal Music Recordings. Her co-president over the last two years, Azi Eftekhari, has left the company, Billboard can confirm. Neaves and Eftekhari joined UMR in early 2022, roughly a year after the pair launched a London-based creative agency called Remedy Inc. Prior to joining forces, Neaves was creative director at TaP Music and Eftekhari had been head of label relations (EMEA) at YouTube. In the last two years, UMRâs wins include âNow and Thenâ â the âlast Beatles songâ â and other releases featuring Bob Marley, Amy Winehouse, the Spice Girls and more. âHannah is, first and foremost, an artist person with an innate understanding of where creativity and discovery meet, something she has brought in abundance since re-joining our team,â said Universal Music UK chief David Joseph, referencing Neavesâ tenure at UMGâs Polydor earlier in her career. âA truly exceptional and inspiring executive, Hannah has already had huge success, most recently creatively leading the global and record-breaking Now And Then campaign for The Beatles, and thereâs so much more to come.â
Former BMI executive Jody Williams was elected to a one-year term as the new chair of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museumâs board of officers and trustees. The publishing veteran, who founded Jody Williams Songs in 2020 following a 14-year run at BMI, has served on the museumâs board for 17 years. He replaces outgoing chair Mary Ann McCready, who remains as a trustee. CMHFM CEO Kyle Young remarked that Williams is âwoven into the fabric of country musicâs creative community in a true and meaningful wayâ and âresolute in furthering country musicâs vitality as a cultural artform.â The Nashville institution also elected several new members to the board, including artist manager Clint Higham and WME agent Becky Gardenhire.
Merlin, the digital licensing partner for the independent music sector, welcomed Neil Miller as its new general counsel. Miller arrives from Greenberg Traurig, where he served as partner of the global law firm for three years. Prior to that, Miller was an associate general counsel at Facebook and earlier in his career spent six years as GC at SoundCloud. He is based in the UK. âMerlin is a dynamic organisation operating in a complex and ever changing legal and commercial environment,â said Charlie Sexton, Merlin COO. âNeilâs wealth of experience across music and digital entertainment is exactly what we need to meet these challenges. He is highly respected across the industry and brings a valuable blend of long-term thinking, technical skills, and impressive leadership.â
Believe has new leadership in place for its efforts throughout China, naming Charles Liu as general manager and Rebecca Dong as managing director for the growth-ready region. Based in Beijing and reporting to Sylvain Delange, Believeâs president of Asia-Pacific, Liu will focus on building partnerships and growing Believeâs roster of labels and artists. Dong rolls up to Liu and will manage all operations, along with legal, finance and HR matters. Believe has operated in China since 2016 and has grown to 80-plus âdigital and music expertsâ across offices in five cities, the company said. âGreater China is both an exciting and challenging market where Believeâs unique approach can significantly contribute to accelerate the rise of a strong, diverse and thriving local music ecosystem as weâve done is so many other markets in Asia Pacific,â said Delange.
NASHVILLE NOTES: Universal Music Group Nashville hired Houston Gaither as director of radio marketing. She was previously Sony Music Nashvilleâs manager of content, promotion and artist development ⌠Former PLA Media director of publicity and branding Becky Parsons formed Found Sound Media, a PR and management firm focused on developing LGBTQ+ and female artists ⌠Kylie Taylor joined Black River Entertainment as a graphic designer. Reach her at ktaylor@blackriverent.com.
OTM Music, a boutique publishing company with footholds in London, New York and Los Angeles, welcomed Kristin Genovese as the firmâs new U.S. head of sync and Kate Sweetsur as the new head of A&R. The company, which provides creative services for its roster of songwriters and brands, also noted the recent additions of Chi Chi Nwakodo as senior creative and Ethan Mizen as A&R manager.
ICYMI:
Britney Davis
Hipgnosis Song Management founder Merck Mercuriadis will step down as chairman of the investment manager, months after vacating the CEO role ⌠Stephanie Rosa is managing director of Tixrâs new London office ⌠Former Capitol Music Group executive Britney Davis was named general manager at Quality Control ⌠Warner Records promoted Robert Santini to senior vp of brand partnerships and ad sync ⌠and Mano Sundaresan is the new head of editorial content for Pitchfork.
Last Weekâs Turntable: Audacy OG Elevated
Indie digital rights group Merlin is launching a new initiative today (June 5) called Merlin Connect, aimed at helping up-and-coming social and tech platforms license independent music. The new program, which will work on an application basis, is aimed at helping promising startups utilize music while also helping Merlinâs labels and distributors, and thus indie artists, get paid for their use.
For years, new digital startups have often adopted a policy of âasking for forgiveness not permissionâ â dating back to the old Facebook motto of âmove fast and break thingsâ â which often meant that music and other media would be used without licenses, and recompense, while an app or platform found its footing and users, due to the high expense of licensing media catalogs. That tended to result in contentious licensing negotiations when such apps or platforms became too big to ignore â and, on occasion, lawsuits if such companies continued to utilize music and media without agreeing to deals with rightsholders.
Merlin Connect is trying to smooth that process for both new startups and its members, offering flexible terms and licenses that also get rightsholders paid as a startup develops.
Trending on Billboard
âOur overarching goal is to discover new opportunities for music monetization,â Merlin CEO Jeremy Sirota told Billboard in an exclusive statement. âMany emerging technology platforms lack access to, or do not even realize, how quality music can help them build and retain new audiences, resonate with cultural movements and drive their growth. Our members are handpicking a curated catalog of music that is perfect for any platformâs evolution⌠By bringing independent music to new spaces, weâre delivering exclusive opportunities for our members, ensuring they are at the forefront of innovation.â
Merlin says the program will be aimed at creating fair value for music, as well as marketing opportunities and the development of relationships with the next generation of platforms early on in their existence. On the other side of that equation, it will allow the platforms to have access to a simplified process within which they can utilize fully-licensed independent music and explore collaborations with Merlin members, and find ways âto maximize the impact of music on their platform,â according to a press release.
âThe industry has been in need of an easier way for new platforms to access high-quality music and, in turn, foster growth for quite some time,â Ninja Turn managing director North America Marie Clausen said in a statement. âI am excited to see the Merlin team taking such a visionary approach to exploring new business opportunities. Itâs a crucial step to ensure that new commercial opportunities have the best chance to succeed and diversify and secure new income streams for Merlinâs members. From an independent point of view, this initiative is excellent news â especially given the current market challenges.â
Emerging platforms will be able to apply, after which their application will be reviewed and Merlin will âselectively engage with the most promising platforms,â the organization said. Merlin will prioritize a platformâs potential for innovation and evolution; its leadership and the resilience of its team; with the goal of a more sustainable and ethic industry.
âAs one of the founders of Merlin, Iâve had the opportunity to support the incredible growth of our organization from its inception to now,â !K7 founder Horst WeidenmĂźller said in a statement. âMerlin has always been dedicated to empowering independence, ensuring that its members receive the access and opportunities they deserve. With the launch of Merlin Connect, we are taking a significant step forward in this mission.â
Added Hopeless Records founder Louis Posen, âHopeless is a passionate and longtime supporter of Merlin and its mission to ensure the fair value of music for the independent music community. With Connect, Merlin can now expand the reach of membersâ music into new areas where music fans interact with the music they love. We are excited to see Merlin Connect open new doors for our artists and bring their music to innovative platforms around the world.â
Some of the most important workplace skills can only be learned on the job â from building relationships with colleagues to positioning yourself for a promotion to dealing with long hours to being able to tell if a work situation is truly strange or totally normal.
But for women â many of whom find it easier to confide in other women at work â finding a colleague to figure these things out with can be harder in a male-skewing industry like the music business.
A 2023 study conducted by Luminate, Tunecore and Believe found a host of female-specific challenges in the music industry, including increased instances of sexual harassment, ageism and unequal representation along with a persistent wage gap. These challenges are particularly acute in the indie realm, where, despite some improvements, senior leadership continues to be largely male.Â
âIndependents tend to be niche spaces and our company sizes are smaller,â says Katie Alberts, COO of the Atlanta-based Reach Records. âIf you have a historic trend of men being in leadership and your company only has 10 people, you might not have that female executive within your company as an example for other women.âÂ
Trending on Billboard
To take on the issue, Merlin, the digital music licensing partner for independent labels, launched a new mentorship program for women, Merlin Engage, early last year. The program paired 18 executive-level mentors with mentees from around the indie label space for a six-month program designed to offer community, leadership skills and advice on how to thrive and rise within the industry and the indie space in particular. The program was initiated by Marie Clausen, managing director of Ninja Tune North America and a Merlin Engage mentor. The 2024 Merlin Engage program starts March 20.Â
When she applied for the debut program, Magali Ould of Secret City Records was in discussions with upper management about a possible promotion. âWeâre 14 employees,â she says. âItâs not a huge company, so every promotion is crucial.âÂ
Magali Ould and Katie Alberts
Nadia Zheng; Courtesy Photo
Secret City president/CEO Justin West, whoâs also a Merlin board member, suggested that Ould apply to the Engage program to connect with other women in leadership roles. Ould was accepted and paired with Jenna LoMonaco, the head of U.S. marketing at digital distribution service ONErpm. Over the next six months, the pair regularly spoke on the phone, discussing things like how to build and demonstrate leadership skills, how to prioritize, personality management within the company, public speaking, and presenting skills and relationship building.Â
Having a mentor, Ould says, gave her a âbetter understanding and perspective on what it takes to be upper management.â It also helped her score the promotion she was aiming for: Secret City GM. Â
Ould says working with LoMonaco also helped her see that many of the situations she was dealing with at work, and which seemed potentially unique to her work life, were actually common. Ould says this understanding enhanced her confidence, particularly in moments when she would have previously second guessed herself. She says this knowledge and confidence have helped her stand her ground as a woman in a leadership position. Â
âJenna said, âDonât mistake my kindness for weakness,â which was very helpful for me,â Ould recalls. âI think women can be perceived as being nice, but then we donât take our space so people might think they can just get their way. This experience showed me how to be caring and also how to still get sâ done.âÂ
Alberts of Reach Records served as a mentor in the program and says the experience was extra special because her mentee was pregnant. As such, the pair not only talked about professional goals, but also created a plan for her transition back into work after maternity leave and adjusting to life as a working mom. While the official program is over, Alberts and her mentee are still in touch on work and life matters. Â
âTo see that we did the prep work for a smooth transition back to work, then seeing her reintegrate into working life as a new mom, is super cool,â says Alberts. Â
In addition to ongoing one-on-one meetings (for which mentors and mentees set their own schedule), the debut Engage program included three program-wide meetings over Zoom, with participants from across the United States. along with cities including London, Brussels and Cape Town, South Africa. The second Engage program will include 15 mentor-mentee pairings, with participants from 10 countries and 28 different Merlin-affiliated companies. Â
Alberts, whoâs returning as a mentor, says there wonât be any major changes to the program except for potentially more of the program-wide Zoom meetups given how much information was mined from hearing about other mentor/mentee experiences. These wider meetings also allowed for participants to collaborate across companies and territories, with the diversity of Merlin affiliated labels allowing for noncompetitive knowledge sharing. Â
âWeâre able to learn and grow from each other through this exchange of information,â says Alberts. âLike, âHey, we made this mistake on this platform, or hereâs how we optimized in this in a really interesting way.ââÂ
âThat allows us to pool resources,â she continues, âAnd I think thereâs a lot of alignment with Merlinâs vision in that too, because itâs about the collective weight of independents together.âÂ
Merlin, the global digital licensing agency for the independent music industry, has unveiled its new board â one that doesnât feature co-founders Martin Mills and Michel Lambot.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The new board comprises leaders from the indie sector in 12 different countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America, and Oceania, and includes six new faces.
Exclusively revealed by Billboard today (Jan. 10), Merlin welcomes new board members Golda Bitterli, VP of sales, Revelator (Israel); Jeffrey Chiang, director of global business, Fluxus (South Korea); Fer Isella, founder and CEO, limbo music (Spain); Irina Lipczyk-Kolakovska, digital distribution lead, e-muzyka (Poland); Simon Wheeler, director of global commercial strategy, Beggars (U.K.); and Megan Jasper, CEO, Sub Pop (U.S.).
They join returning Merlin board members Pascal Bittard, founder and CEO, IDOL (France); Marie Clausen, managing director North America, Ninja Tune (U.S.); Tom Deakin, head of EMEA, AudioSalad (U.K.); Chris Maund, COO, Mushroom Music (Australia); Carlos Mills, founder, Mills Records (Brazil); Louis Posen, president & executive director, Hopeless Records (U.S.); Michael Ugwu, CEO, Freeme Digital (Nigeria); Darius Van Arman, co-CEO, Secretly (U.S.); Horst Weidenmueller, CEO & Owner, !K7 (Germany); and Justin West, president & CEO, Secret City (Canada).
Van Arman is reappointed as chairperson for a second term, having first joined the board in 2015, and playing an âinstrumentalâ role in guiding the organizationâs strategic direction, reads a statement.
Additionally, Jennifer Newman Sharpe, general counsel, Exceleration, and Dorothee Imhoff, CCO, FUGA, are appointed board advisors this year.
Merlinâs board is elected from and by its membership, which represents tens of thousands of independent record labels, distributors, and rightsholders, including K7!, Because Music, Beggars Group, Better Noise, CD Baby and Downtown Music (including FUGA), Exceleration, and many others.
In the upcoming year, explains Merlin CEO Jeremy Sirota in a statement to Billboard, the organization âis committed to fostering meaningful, sustainable and value-driven member growth.â
Its mission, âto support labels and distributors who invest in artists and their unique cultural contributions. By associating with members who invest in high-quality music around the world, Merlin aims to strengthen its network, while offering unparalleled access and benefits to our members, and enriching the global music landscape.â
Sirota and Merlin also pay tribute to outgoing board members Martin Mills (Beggars), Merlin co-founder, board member and former chairperson, and Michel Lambot ([PIAS]), Merlin co-founder and board member, two giants of the independent music community whose âlong-standing leadershipâ helped members âaround the world own their independence.â
Also, Sirota points to the completion last year of the initial build of a Data Warehouse, which should enable Merlin to make âsignificant strides in data, analytics, and insights to further advance our mission and our members.â In 2024, âwe will now start to provide actionable insights derived from our collective data,â he adds. Part of that plan includes expanding Merlinâs data and insights team, which in time should âdeliver insights that help our members make informed decisions and foster growth.â
Adam Wright, a veteran executive at several agencies and major labels, has been appointed chief financial officer of indie rights non-profit Merlin, succeeding Helen Alexander, who exits the organization after five and a half years.
Wright arrives from CAA, where he oversaw brand licensing in Europe, Middle East, and Africa as the firmâs director of finance. Previously, Wright held top-tier positions at Sony Music, handling operations across Australia, New Zealand and Singapore; and at Cooperative Music (now [PIAS] Cooperative), which was UMGâs indie-focused global licensing and distribution network until being sold in 2013.
Based in the UK, Wright will be responsible for all of the orgâs financial, treasury and tax functions on a global basis. He arrives at a time of growth for Merlin, which says it has added 37 new members since last summer and is coming off deals and/or partnerships with Pinterest, Twitch Lickd and others.
â[Wright] is highly respected in his field and brings the right blend of long-term thinking, technical skills, and impressive leadership to benefit Merlin, its members and our partners around the globe,â said Jeremy Sirota, Merlin CEO.
Wright added that he was thrilled to return to the indie sector. âIndependentsâ passion for music is only matched by their level of innovation and entrepreneurship,â he said. âItâs a privilege to join Merlin as they continue to deliver on that ethos on behalf of their members and digital partners around the world.â
Warner Music Group (WMG) is collaborating with NFT marketplace OpenSea to enable select WMG artists to build and extend their fan communities in Web3. Under the partnership, WMG artists will be offered early access to OpenSeaâs new drops product along with improved discoverability, personalized storytelling on customized landing pages and OpenSeaâs safety and security features. They will also receive dedicated support and best practices from the OpenSea team while enjoying their own dedicated drop pages to host limited-edition projects. The first collection will be a collaboration between Warner Records UK and Web3 company Probably Nothing, which recently launched Probably a Label, a Web3 record label in partnership with Warner Records.
Audius, a decentralized music community and discovery platform for developers, artists and fans, acquired virtual music experience platform SoundStage.fm. Based in Barcelona, SoundStage.fm offers interactive experiences for fans â enabling engagement through dancing and live-reaction based functions â while providing new branding and monetization opportunities for artists. The platform has featured artists including Firebeatz, Kill Paris and ill.Gates.
Independent digital music licensing partners Merlin signed a new partnership with China-based short-form video platform Kuaishou. Under the agreement, Merlin membersâ music will be available across Kuaishou products including Kwai and SnackVideo. Kuaishou boasts over 1 billion monthly active users across the globe, according to a press release.
Exceed Talent Capital, a platform that enables people to purchase SEC-compliant shares of talent, partnered with Lil Durk to offer an IPO for his upcoming OTF collaboration release of the song âBedtimeâ with his artist Doodie Lo, allowing fans to participate in revenues of royalties from the song. To celebrate the partnership, Lil Durk and Exceed will release the âTrenches All-Access Passâ NFT, enabling exclusive access to the private Grand Theft Auto roleplay server built by Lil Durk and his OTF Gaming company. The Exceed presale will grant immediate lifetime access, limited edition in-game wearables and offer holders first dibs on shares from the music IPO.
Sony Music Entertainment Middle East and Kuwait-based creative studio, music and video production company Ghmza partnered to produce music and promote emerging Khaleeji pop artists across the Middle East. Actor and Arabic pop singer Bader Al Shuaibi and Kuwaiti singer, songwriter and TV personality Bashar al-Shatti will be the first two artists to work with Sony under the new partnership.
FaZe Holdings, parent company of gaming and youth culture platform FaZe Clan, will develop original content, private fan events, exclusive merchandise and more in partnership with Xfinity. Under the deal, Xfinity will become the official internet and mobile provider for FaZe Clan. The two companies will also host The Gig, a series of private music and gaming-crossover events for college students, featuring hip-hop artist and longtime FaZe Clan family member Offset. Fans in attendance will have the opportunity to meet FaZe Clan members, learn about exclusive Xfinity offers for students and more. The first show will take place Nov. 3 at Bostonâs MGM Ballroom, followed by a second at the Tabernacle in Atlanta on Nov. 10. The two companies will additionally produce an original series, Rig Raiders Brought to you by Xfinity, featuring FaZe Clan members and special guests delivering game set-ups for underserved creators and communities. Xfinity branding will also be integrated into FaZe Clanâs ongoing programming across all channels and content.
Community-driven, open-source artificial intelligence company Stability AI announced $101 million in funding. The round was led by Coatue, Lightspeed Venture Partners and OâShaughnessy Ventures LLC. The company will use the funding to accelerate the development of open AI models for image, language, audio, video, 3D and more, for consumer and enterprise use cases worldwide. Stability AI is the company behind Stable Diffusion, a free and open-source text-to-image generator that launched in August. Stability AIâs consumer-facing product DreamStudio boasts over 1 million registered users across more than 50 countries, according to a press release.
Sony Music struck a joint venture with Josh and Sam Fluxgold under the banner Oneway Records to sign and develop artists in Israel. The JV will focus on artists with international appeal. (Variety)
Dim Mak En Fuego â the Latin imprint of Steve Aokiâs record label Dim Mak â has signed Ecuadorian-Colombian producer and DJ 2DEEP. The co-owner of reggaeton-electronic event Reggaetonlandia, 2DEEP most recently co-produced Natanael Cano and Aokiâs âNataaoki,â which dropped earlier this year. Heâs slated to release his freshman EP next year, his first project under Dim Mak En Fuego. 2DEEP is the first producer/DJ to join the labelâs roster, which includes artists such as Andrezka and AquihayAquihay. â Griselda Flores
Melle Brown and ESSEL are among the first signees to Parachute, Virgin Music UKâs new distribution and artist services arm for dance and electronic artists with crossover appeal. The imprint is inspired by the late â70s sounds of Casablancaâs Parachute Records. The first unofficial single from Parachute was Brownâs âFeel About Youâ feat. Annie Mac. It was followed by ESSELâs âDonât Walk Away.â
Volumetric capture and immersive content company YOOM, formerly known as Tetavi, raised $15 million from investors including Jimmy Iovine, Finneas OâConnell, SpringHill Company CEO Maverick Carter, Darkroom CEO Justin Lubliner and Main Street Advisors founder, chairman and CEO Paul Wachter. All have signed on as strategic partners, joining the companyâs largest existing investors and shareholders including Insight Partners, Marc Rowan and Aaron Stone.
Musician and Web3 artist Daniel Allan signed with CAA for representation. According to the agency, Allanâs NFT music projects have generated over $700,000 and more than 20 million streams worldwide. Like his sophomore EP Overstimulated, his latest EP Glass House was released with the use of NFTs on Sept. 30.
Session and Songwriters of North America (SONA) partnered to make Sessionâs app, Session Studio, available to all SONA members. Session Stuio allows SONA members to capture song and recording data at the point of creation and deliver it downstream to managers, labels, publishers, CMOs and digital service providers. Members will also have access to Session Studioâs collaboration tools. Exclusive resources will be rolled out to SONA members as part of the collaboration.
American Idol runner-up HunterGirl signed with 19 Recordings/BMG. The singer-songwriter released her debut track on the label, âHometown Out of Me,â on Friday (Oct. 21).
Oak View Group (OVG) signed an exclusive multi-year arena naming rights agreement with Baltimore-based CFG Bank. Under the deal, OVGâs forthcoming arena in the city will be renamed CFG Bank Arena. The venue is projected to open in February 2023. The agreement includes prominent exterior and interior signage, exclusive benefits to CFG Bank clients, cardholders and employees and the launch of a new community engagement program. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
The Hives signed with Matt Greer at ATC Management. Greer will co-manage the Swedish five-piece rock band alongside Brian Message and Courtyard Managementâs Chris Hufford. The band was previously managed by Cyndy Villano at Do Good Work Management.
Production music company KPM Music launched a Web3 community that will offer music creators the opportunity to purchase digital collectibles entitled KPM Music Genesis Collection, including music from KPMâs âGreensleevesâ series. The collectibles will be available exclusively on TuneGO, a Web3 platform operating on the Flow blockchain.
Indie singer VĂRITĂ partnered with Troy Carter and Suzy Ryooâs Venice Music. Venice offers tools, services and support on part with major labels while allowing artists to retain ownership and creative autonomy over their work.
J-Pop star Ado signed with Geffen Records. Ado â the voice actor behind the lead character in One Piece Film Red, the 15th film in the blockbuster Japanese franchise â provided vocals for seven songs featured in the film and on its official soundtrack.
Vietnamese/Chinese-American artist Spence Lee, formerly known as Shotta Spence, signed with 88rising in partnership with Mike WiLL Made-It/Ear Drummers Records. He will release his latest single, âOn God,â on Friday (Oct. 28).
Turkish rapper and DJ Lil Key signed with Atlantic Records Germany, marking the first time the label has signed an artist from outside Germany.
CD Baby signed an agreement with fan engagement platform Laylo to offer CD Baby users an exclusive discount on Layloâs Pro tier. Laylo allows artists to notify their fans about new music releases, content, merch and event announcements via text, email and Facebook Messenger.
Nettwerk Records signed Massachusetts-based lo-fi artist and music producer Towerz and Mississippi-based rapper/singer/producer Laeland.