WME
It’s time to drop the needle on another Executive Turntable, Billboard’s weekly compendium of promotions, hirings, exits and firings — and all things in between — across the music business. There’s been quite a bit of staffing news this week, “Da Pope” included, so let’s get to it.
Downtown Music Publishing appointed Jason Taylor as vice president of business development, based in Los Angeles and reporting to chief creative officer Jedd Katrancha. Taylor, who brings prior experience from ICONOCLAST, Hipgnosis Songs Group and Big Deal Music Group, will focus on expanding DMP’s global roster, emphasizing legacy catalogs and B2B partnerships. Additionally, Bea Koramblyum was promoted to global head of business affairs and vice president of business development (GHBAVPBD for short), recognizing her role in strategic dealmaking and catalog growth. A newly appointed chair of the Music Business Association, Koramblyum has been key in deepening industry relationships. These appointments follow a strong year for DMP, including over 30 Grammy noms-noms and notable signings like Peso Pluma and Tori Amos. Katrancha praised both execs, saying “Jason brings a rare blend of creative instinct and commercial acumen, with a track record of cultivating long-term relationships and building enduring catalog value” and that “Bea’s expanded role is a reflection of the leadership and vision she has brought to Downtown for many years.”
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The change train keeps a-rollin’ at Audacy, with the departure of longtime chief technology officer Sarah Foss, effective May 2. Foss joined the company (then Entercom) in mid-2020 as chief information officer and helped guide the company through the pandemic. “We innovated. We cut costs. We modernized. We got scrappy. We held virtual planning events. We went back to the office,” she said in her announcement on LinkedIn. Taking over is Steve Rollins, reviving the CIO title, who will oversee all IT and technical operations at the radio and podcast giant. Rollins arrives from Gabstin LLC but he previously served as CIO of SESAC — where he worked with Kelli Turner, who replaced David Field earlier this year as Audacy’s president and CEO. The shakeup at Audacy has also seen the recent departures of CMO Paul Suchman (replaced by Jenny Nelson), COO Susan Larkin, chief digital officer J.D. Crowley, and general counsel Andrew Sutor (succeeded by Michael Dash).
Range Music launched a new composer division, expanding its music management services into film and television scoring. L.A.-based industry veteran Jeff Jernigan joins as the first hire, bringing a roster that boasts Steven Price (Gravity), Tom Howe (Ted Lasso) and Helen Park (KPOP). Jernigan, formerly with Kraft-Engel Management, will represent composers, music supervisors, songwriters and executive music producers, working alongside Leah Cook, Range’s vp of creative sync and strategy. Range already has a strong foothold in music supervision, with clients like Andrea von Forester (Yellowstone) and Jordan Carroll (Dear Evan Hansen), and Jernigan has worked with Range’s film co-presidents Fred Berger and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones on projects like La La Land and A Complete Unknown. “As the first hire for this division, Jeff brings with him a wealth of knowledge, an incredible roster, and vast experience working along our film division,” says Berger and RMP co-founding managing partner Matt Graham.
NASHVILLE NOTES: Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum curator of recorded sound collections Alan Stoker retired at the beginning of the month, exactly 51 years after he started with the institution. His audio preservation and remastering expertise has been applied to recordings by Hank Williams, Patsy Cline and Merle Haggard, among others … Prescription Songs promoted Kelly White to A&R Coordinator. Based in Nashville, she works with artists, songwriters, and producers across Atlanta, LA, and Nashville, including Big Boss Vette and Trent Dabbs. A Belmont University graduate, she recently organized a songwriting camp with Tay Keith’s Drumatized label and plans additional camps to support Nashville’s growing creative community … Christian imprint Centricity Music promoted five longtime team members to senior roles, including John Mays as president of A&R and Camy McArdle and Andrew Lambeth as co-GMs. John Stokes becomes svp of marketing and operations, and Chad Segura is now svp of publishing.
Reliant Talent Agency expanded its talent division with four agents. Scott Simpson has been named as head of talent, to lead Reliant’s Talent, Comedy, Unscripted Television and beyond. Also joining Reliant Talent Agency is Jonathan Perry, who will lead West Coast Talent, alongside talent agent Katie Edwards. Melanie Moreau will lead the Unscripted Department. Industry veterans, president Steve Lassiter and his partners Heath Baumor and Matt McGuire will lead the Nashville-based agency, which had a concentration in concert touring prior to this expansion. The new infrastructure will give the agency talent outposts in Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York and Tampa. –Jessica Nicholson
WME appointed Alexis Rosenberg as senior director of external relations in its Nashville office, a new role designed to enhance connections with the Nashville business and entertainment communities. Reporting to WME senior partners and Nashville co-heads Becky Gardenhire, Joey Lee and Jay Williams, Rosenberg will work with corporate communications and marketing to foster corporate partnerships, sponsorships and strategic relationships. She will act as a liaison across music, sports, and business sectors, boosting WME’s industry presence and client support. Rosenberg brings over a decade of experience in professional sports, including roles with the NBA’s Orlando Magic and Major League Soccer’s Nashville Soccer Club.
Ralph Torrefranca has been promoted to executive director of writer creative at Angry Mob Music Group, where he has been a key player since 2015. Torrefranca has significantly contributed to the success of hits like “My Fault” by Shaboozey and “She Likes It” by Russell Dickerson. He has also fostered the growth of writers and producers such as Bus and Bailey Bryan. In his new role, Torrefranca will continue to oversee the creative development of Angry Mob’s roster and expand his influence across company projects. He founded The New Normal, an inclusive writing camp that highlights underrepresented voices in music, with over 70% women participation and representation from over 10 cultural backgrounds. Torrefranca is based in L.A. and will continue to report to Angry Mob’s CEO Marc Caruso, who said “his ability to work with and develop relationships that reach the core of who our writers and artists are as humans and creatives is incredibly unique and unlike any other A&R in music publishing.”
RADIO, RADIO: Connoisseur Media acquired Alpha Media, forming a combined company under the Connoisseur name, led by CEO Jeff Warshaw. The new entity will operate 218 stations across 47 markets, covering 20% of the U.S., and rank among the top 10 U.S. radio groups by station count and revenue. The deal, subject to FCC approval, is expected to close in late 2025 … Hope Media Group promoted Jeff Evans to vp of radio, having joined as WayFM Network program director in July 2023. In his new role, he’ll oversee WayFM programming, all program directors, and the creative audio services department, enhancing talent development across the Houston media group’s brands, including WayFM, Vida Unida and the God Listens Prayer App.
444 Sounds, the label services and management firm founded by former HITCO marketing exec Joe Aboud, appointed Izzy Parrell as director of streaming and digital partnerships. Parrell will manage streaming and digital strategies, enhancing the firm’s focus on long-term artist development and fan engagement. Previously at Apple Music, she shaped the platform’s global editorial voice, specializing in viral and pop playlist curation. As part of Apple Music’s global programming team, Parrell worked on Apple Music’s Viral Hits playlist and contributed to the 100 Best Albums list. “I’m beyond excited to join 444 Sounds at such a pivotal moment.” said Parrell “This team is reshaping the future of digital strategy in today’s ever-evolving music landscape, and I’m honored to be part of a mission that champions creativity, culture, and community.”
Tresóna named Jann-Michael Greenburg as president of the specialty licensing company. Greenburg, who has served as vp of business affairs since 2017 and interim president since 2024, brings early-career experience as an analyst for Deloitte UK. Founded in 2009 and based in Scottsdale, Ariz., Tresóna uses proprietary technology to streamline music licensing, ensuring proper rights for performances and recordings. Mark Greenburg, Tresóna’s Founder and Chairman, praised Jann-Michael’s impact on the business and his commitment to fair remuneration for songwriters.
Dynamic Talent International further expanded its Nashville presence with the opening of its new office at 401 Commerce Street. The company has also hired Nashville-based agent Robert Baugh, who will work alongside fellow Dynamic Talent International representatives in promoting artists including Danielle Bradbery, Drew Green and Erin Kinsey. Dynamic Talent International has operated in Music City for the past decade and has been instrumental in the K-pop arena, helping P1Harmony become the first K-Pop act to play at the Grand Ole Opry and aiding K-Pop artists including Mamamoo. –J.N.
Alex Stolls is now partner at Boyarski Fritz LLP, a top music and entertainment law firm where he has worked since 2017. Specializing in entertainment and intellectual property law, NYC-based Stolls represents a high-profile roster that includes the Estate of Maurice White, Lil Kim, Will Smith, JISOO of BLACKPINK, and top producers like Louis Bell and Hit-Boy. He also serves as outside business affairs counsel for companies such as Create Music Group and BMG. His early career included roles at William Morris Endeavor and Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard LLP. Founding partner Jason Boyarski praised Stolls as a “homegrown success story,” citing his strategic thinking and key role in the firm’s growth.
ICYMI:
Andrew Spencer
AEG promoted Katie Pandolfo from Dignity Health Sports Park to GM of Crypto.com Arena in L.A., effective June 1, succeeding Lee Zeidman … AEG also announced that Andrew Spencer has been named chief operating officer of AEG Presents Europe … EarthPercent, the Brian Eno-founded org taking on climate change, appointed five new U.S. board members … and Sara Nix and Joe Mortimer were named co-heads of creative at Capitol Music Group. [Keep Reading]
Last Week’s Turntable: New Head of Lumineers Label
The Weeknd has signed with William Morris Endeavor (WME) in all areas, the agency announced on Thursday (May 1). He leaves Creative Arts Agency (CAA) after signing with them in 2021, having left WME. WME is also representing the superstar’s production company, Manic Phase, which produced his 2023 HBO series The Idol and his upcoming […]
Grammy-nominated artist mgk (formerly known as Machine Gun Kelly) has signed with WME for representation worldwide. The global touring artist and actor (real name Colson Baker) was previously represented by UTA. mgk has notched 19 Hot 100 hits including No. 4 entry “Bad Things” with Camila Cabello in 2017, 2021’s “My Ex’s Best Friend” with […]
Private equity firm Silver Lake has completed its acquisition of 100% of the stock of sports and entertainment giant Endeavor to take the company private in a deal that values it at $25 billion, the firm announced on Monday (March 24).
As part of the deal, Endeavor stockholders will receive $27.50 in cash per share, which represents a 55% premium to the company’s closing price of $17.72 on Oct. 25, 2023 — the day before Endeavor announced Silver Lake’s plans to take the company private.
Endeavor, which owns the talent agency WME, marketing agency 160over90, brand licensing agency IMG Licensing and more, will be renamed WME Group. Endeavor is the largest company in the media and entertainment sector ever to be taken private by a private equity sponsor, Silver Lake said in a press release.
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Silver Lake co-CEO Egon Durban said his firm has never sold a share in Endeavor since its first investment in the company in 2012, and over that time, Endeavor’s “revenue has grown by twentyfold.”
“Silver Lake has previously invested on six separate occasions to support Endeavor and now, with this latest investment, it is the single largest position in our global portfolio,” Durban added.
Endeavor founder and former CEO Ari Emmanuel will move into the role of executive chairman of WME Group. On Monday, Emmanuel cashed out a portion of his ownership stake in the company for $173.8 million, per a regulatory filing first reported by Variety. Patrick Whitesell, who was previously executive chairman of Endeavor/WME received a $100 million payout, Variety reported.
Following the deal Endeavor will hold on to its majority stake in TKO Group Holdings, a separately traded sports and entertainment company whose assets include wrestling promotor WWE and Ultimate Fighting Championship. The valuation of $25 billion includes TKO’s assets.
In addition to WME, 160over90 and IMG, Endeavor’s portfolio includes Pantheon Media Group, live event hospitality firm On Location and sports betting data firm OpenBet.
Led by co-CEOs Durban and Greg Mondre, Silver Lake has $104 billion in combined assets under management, and its portfolio includes stakes in companies including Oak View Group, Fanatics, TEG, Waymo, Stripe, Plaid, SoFi and Madison Square Garden Sports.
After a difficult 2024 in which a number of major festivals closed their doors for good, Coachella sales were down and Burning Man didn’t sell out, WME global head of festivals Josh Kurfirst says, “Protecting the health of the festival business has become central to everything we do.”
“It’s no longer an incoming call business,” says Kurfirst, the son of Gary Kurfirst, former manager of Talking Heads, the Ramones, Blondie, The B-52s, Jane’s Addiction and Garbage. Early on, the job of most festival agents, Kurfirst explains, was to field offers from festival talent buyers for artists on the WME roster, negotiate where the artist’s name would appear on the festival poster and review daily ticket sales drops. But as the market matured and evolved, he instructed his staff to get more aggressive about pitching WME acts to prospective buyers and finding opportunities for them to bookend tours and live shows around festival appearances.
“Everything is strategic,” he says. “It’s not, ‘Let’s just throw 300 bands on this festival because it’s easy.’ We don’t do things easy.”
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Despite the cancellations of such once-popular festival brands as Faster Horses, Sick New World, Something in the Water and Alter Ego, Kurfirst and his team have plenty of success stories to tell. This year, his team helped land Zach Bryan his first headliner date atop the Stagecoach festival, secure newcomer Benson Boone a top slot on the Coachella lineup, book The Killers as headliners for Lollapalooza and secure headliner slots for Luke Combs, Olivia Rodrigo, Hozier and Queens of the Stone Age at Bonnaroo.
2024 was a tough year for festival sales. What happened?
First, it’s important to acknowledge that the festival market has significantly increased in size in the last decade. When I first started, there was a smaller group of giant festivals that had most of the market share. Since then, we’ve seen the emergence of a middle tier, a lower tier, a genre-specific tier and a lifestyle branch of festivals. And those have taken some market share away from the crossover contemporaries — the Coachellas, the Lollapaloozas and the Bonnaroos of the world. There’s really something out there for everyone now as long as you’re willing to travel. Look at Morgan Wallen’s new Sand in My Boots festival on the same site as the old Hangout Festival, which had been a steady market for years. Some years it sold out. Some years, it came close, but it never blew out on the on-sale. All of a sudden, Wallen comes in and launches his own festival on the site and it sells out instantly.
Atop a bowl of all-access festival and tour laminates, Kurfirst displays a copy of photographer Lynn Goldsmith’s Music in the ’80s book, open to a shot of the Talking Heads, whom his father, Gary, managed.
DeSean McClinton-Holland
What did Wallen do differently from Hangout Festival?
Instead of trying to create an event that appealed to as many people as possible, Wallen created an event that overdelivered to his fan base. He rebranded the festival under his own name and booked more than a dozen similar artists that he believes will connect with his fans. [This year’s lineup includes Bailey Zimmerman, Post Malone, Wiz Khalifa and The War on Drugs.] If you’re a fan of Morgan Wallen, then you won’t want to miss out on the Sand in My Boots festival. And, by the way, if you live in the Southeast, it might be your only chance to see him play this year.
How are overall festival sales so far, compared with 2024?
Last year was interesting. It wasn’t just straight down. It was choppy water. This year is still early. Most of the festivals just announced their lineups, and from what I’m hearing, it’s been positive. The overall market feels like a bounce-back year, and a lot of that has to do with the headliners. We’ve had a solid crop emerge — Olivia Rodrigo and Hozier, for instance. To a young artist like Olivia, these festivals mean something. It’s a notch on her belt and a way to do something in her career that she hadn’t done before.
Kurfirst’s mother, Phyllis, created this framed collage that, in addition to ticket stubs from concerts that Gary promoted, depicts (clockwise from top) Phyllis and her pet huskies; Gary and Phyllis at his parents’ house; and at their alma mater, Forest Hills High School.
DeSean McClinton-Holland
How do you judge success at WME?
It’s not based on quantity or how many festival slots WME artists are on. We’re very selective. We’re building careers. And we want to make sure when it’s our clients, they’re in the right cycle in terms of their music cycle. Typically, that means the artist has new music ready for the fans to discover and plans for either touring or other dates that they want to build momentum behind. They’re going to play the right slot, they’re going to get the right billing, they’re going to get the right money. That’s the time to play the festival. If any of those things are off, we’ll just do our own thing — meaning, we’ll work with a promoter, headline our own tour and continue building their hard-ticket business, which is incredibly important for all our artists.
Are festivals still a healthy launching pad for an artist’s career?
They are a good developing mechanism for new artists, but again, it has to be the right moment. I don’t know that it would make sense to just throw a new artist that doesn’t have any music out on a festival [stage] at 12:30 p.m. when the doors open. That’s a wasted booking. It would be better for that artist to be in cycle, have music out, have some press, garner some reviews ahead of time, so people actually have the ability to do their research and [want to] show up in front of their stage.
Pillows commemorating Madison Square Garden shows by artist clients whom Kurfirst represents in addition to overseeing WME’s festival division.
DeSean McClinton-Holland
The festival market has had an uptick in cancellations in recent years. In that environment, how does WME maintain a positive relationship with promoters?
We look at the promoters as our partners. They’re not on the other side of the table; they’re on the same side of the table. We want them to succeed, and we have their backs. In return, they have our backs, too.
What does it mean to have each other’s backs?
With festivals, artists sometimes have to cancel. Sometimes they get sick, they break a leg, the album gets pushed. Sometimes it’s our clients. Sometimes it’s clients from other agencies. What we do in those situations is we don’t bury our heads in the sand. If it’s a Saturday at 3 p.m. or 7 p.m. or 7 a.m., we’re there for our buyers to fill that slot that suddenly becomes open. And because we book things through one point of contact, the buyer only has to contact one person at WME. That’s his partner, his festival agent, and that festival agent then canvasses the entire roster and can come back with real-time avails within hours.
Kurfirst with his four kids, from left: Landon, 17; Ariela, 11; Eden, 11; and Lucas, 21.
Courtesy of Josh Kurfirst
Are you bullish on the long-term prospects of the festival business?
It’s a very Darwinian environment out there and the strong will survive. There are times where we have to have tough conversations with our promoter partners and come to a fair settlement where our clients feel good, but where we don’t put the promoter out of business. Because that doesn’t help anyone. Make no mistake: When we do a deal, our clients are entitled to 100% of the money if a festival cancels due to poor sales. There are some reasons why a promoter can cancel, like a pandemic. But in most cases, if a festival is canceled, it’s due to poor sales or some sort of promoter breach, and our clients are entitled to 100% of the money. It’s our job to come up with a fair settlement where the client feels good and the promoter is able to get back up on their feet.
What’s one of the most important lessons your father taught you?
He taught me that loving what you do is the single most important decision we make as adults. If you don’t, you can’t bring passion to the job every day. He also taught me about not trying to be someone else. Don’t just go with the trend. He equated that in how he chose the artists he wanted to work with, whether it be the Talking Heads, the Ramones, The B-52s, the Eurythmics, Jane’s Addiction and Mountain. These bands weren’t genre-defining — they invented their genres.
This story appears in the March 8, 2025, issue of Billboard.
Richard Vega and Stephen Schulcz have been promoted to partners in the music divison at WME.
Vega is based out of Miami, where he relocated in 2024 as part of WME’s continued global expansion of the agency’s Latin business. His clients at the agency include Alvaro Diaz, Becky G, Café Tacvba, Humbe, Kevin Kaarl, LP, Saiko, Tainy, Will Smith and Xavi. Vega has worked with super producer TAINY since 2018 and has been one of the main strategists in shifting him into the live space, culminating last year with his first ever sold-out arena show in Puerto Rico to more than 17,000 fans, according to the agency. He has also worked with indie regional Mexican sensation Ivan Cornejo since 2022, taking him from clubs to arenas in a matter of years, and was an early believer in the corridos tumbados movement out of Mexico, signing top acts like Natanael Cano.
Vega began his career playing drums for various bands in Bogota, Colombia, and over time transitioned to the business side of the industry. After seven years in Colombia, he relocated to Nashville, where he graduated from Belmont University. After interning for a year at WME, Vega would go on to work for the agency in Nashville and Los Angeles.
Richard has played a major role in expanding the visibility of Argentine artists in North America and Europe. His client Khea performed across 11 countries in Europe in 2019, while two of his other clients, Bizarrap and Nicki Nicole, have both had major moments at Coachella.
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Schulcz, who is head of domestic festivals for the agency, oversees a roster that includes Givēon, Weezer, Kid Cudi, Swae Lee, Macklemore, Sam Fender, Livingston, Coheed and Cambria, Oliver Tree, ian, Nicki Nicole, Mike Campbell, Mark Ambor, Montell Fish, David Kushner, The Avalanches, Passion Pit and Jean Dawson. He has worked with Teddy Swims since 2020, helping propel his career from clubs to arenas in a matter of years. He also helped orchestrate Victoria Monét’s sold-out Jaguar tour.
Schulcz was born and raised in Los Angeles and graduated from the UCLA. He has been with the agency for more than a decade, starting right out of college in the mailroom.
WME has added veteran music agent Lance Roberts as a partner in its Nashville-based country music division. In addition to more than three decades of experience in the business, he brings artists including Chris Janson, Craig Morgan, Parmalee, Easton Corbin, Ian Munsick and Sammy Kershaw to the WME fold. Roberts began his career at the […]
Grammy award-winning, multi-platinum artist Maren Morris has signed with WME for representation globally. Morris was previously represented by CAA. Morris is currently managed by Red Light Management. In addition to her Grammy win, Morris has garnered five ACM Awards (including winning female artist of the year twice), five CMA Awards and three Billboard Music Awards. […]
For the second year, Billboard is presenting the peer-voted R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players’ Choice Award, an accolade chosen by Billboard Pro members to honor the executive they believe has made the greatest impact across the hip-hop and R&B music business over the past year. After three rounds of voting, Billboard Pro members have chosen WME partner […]
Billie Eilish and FINNEAS have a new touring and live events agent in William Morris Endeavor (WME), a representative for the two superstars confirms to Billboard. “While grateful to their former live booking agents at Wasserman, Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell have opted to have film, TV, and music handled by the same agency, WME, […]