RCA Records confirms an appointment, a promotion, and a new JV label.
Archie Davis will serve as Senior Vice President of Marketing at RCA Records. He’ll oversee marketing campaigns for the company’s artist repertoire, ensuring artists are supported by the right creative resources to grow their brands and careers. Davis currently serves as CEO of Six Course, Inc., a creative agency and production company.
In addition, Camille Yorrick will now serve as Executive Vice President of Creative Content at RCA Records. She previously served as Senior Vice President of Video Production. Based in New York, Yorrick will curate and manage creative partnerships with RCA’s roster and top-tier content creators. She’ll also oversee the label’s premium content strategy, creating, designing, and managing various programming to be distributed via third-party outlets.
RCA has also entered into a new joint venture label with Davis dubbed Six Course Music Group. The label will live within Six Course, Inc., where Davis will discover, sign, and develop artists under the Six Course Music Group/RCA Records imprint.
SAG-AFTRA makes a new hire.
Rebecca Greenberg will serve as Executive Director of the Music Department at SAG-AFTRA. She’ll oversee the performers union’s activities in the music industry, including the negotiation and the administration of bargaining agreements with major and indie labels, artist and performer relations, and collaboration with the organizing and government affairs departments. Greenberg will report to CEO and General Counsel Duncan Crabtree-Ireland and Chief Contracts Officer Ray Rodriguez.
The Fader names a new top editor.
In a newly created role, Eric Sundermann will serve as Head of Content at The Fader, per Billboard. He’ll oversee content across various company extensions, including print, digital, social, events, film and TV projects, branded content, and The Fader Shop, among others. Sundermann will also work on widening the company’s audience. He’ll report to Andy Cohn, President and Publisher.
NAB confirms a new board member.
Leonard Wheeler, President and General Manager of Mel Wheeler, will serve on the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Radio Board of Directors. He assumes Jim Watkins’ board seat.
Eventbrite loses a top executive.
Frans Jonker, Ticketscript’s founder and Eventbrite’s Vice President and General Manager of Continental Europe, has left the company.
He told IQ,
“My work here is done. The values and mission of the company I have established will continue as part of Eventbrite.”
ONErpm confirms a new hire.
Martin Price will serve as Head of Operations and A&R at ONErpm. He’ll lead the company’s newly opened office in Kingston, Jamaica. Price will establish ONErpm’s presence in the Reggae, Dancehall, and Urban markets to reach new genres and global audiences.
Scooter Braun’s SB Projects confirms a top appointment.
Tony Bracy will serve as Vice President of Marketing and Promotions. He joins from Capitol Records. Bracy will oversee radio promotion, streaming, and marketing initiatives for SB Projects clients.
Blockchain network poaches a top Spotify musician, an executive from YouTube, and makes several new hires.
DA Wallach, a former Spotify Artist-in-Residence, and David King, who developed YouTube’s Content ID, have joined JAAK, a blockchain network startup.
In addition, Dom Lovett, Universal Music Publishing Group’s former Head of UK Copyright, will serve as JAAK’s Head of Music Copyright.
Additional hires include Hari Ashurst-Venn, Alina Colceag, Samir Rashed, and Philippe Rixhon.
Gigmor adds a veteran technology specialist.
Erik Neff will serve as Chief Technology Officer and Head of Product at Gigmor, a live music marketplace. The 10-year veteran has overseen UX Design at Twitter, Foot Locker, Tom’s Shoes, and VMWare. At Gigmor, he’ll build a SaaS-powered marketplace.
Billboard Media Group names a new editorial director.
Hannah Karp will serve as Editorial Director at Billboard Media Group. She previously served as Billboard News Director and has also served at The Wall Street Journal.
Secretly Group confirms major structure, including staff additions.
Jon Coombs, former Managing Director of Secretly Publishing, will now serve as Vice President of A&R at Secretly Group per MBW. He’ll oversee the A&R team, including Eric Deines – Jagjaguwar’s A&R and Communications Director in Bloomington, Indiana – Katie Garcia – Secretly Group’s A&R Director in Brooklyn – and Secretly Group A&R Adam Nealon in London. Coombs will report to Co-founder Chris Swanson.
The restructure will combine label-side A&R and publishing-side A&R at a single location.
Samantha Falco has joined Secretly Group as Sync Licensing Director in Brooklyn. She previously worked at Bourne Music Publishing.
In July, Charles Schoonover joined the publishing team as Creative Licensing Director of Film and TV.
Hannah Skolnick will join as Creative Licensing Director of Advertising, Trailers, and Games. She’ll join Schoonover at Secretly’s Los Angeles office.
Secretly has also poached Ophir Admony from Terrible Records. She’ll serve in the label group’s A&R team at Los Angeles.
In addition, Kathleen Cook will serve as Managing Director of Publishing and Sync. She previously served as Licensing Director. Cook will report to Co-founder and COO Ben Swanson.
Secretly Group includes labels Dead Oceans, Jagjaguwar, and Secretly Canadian.
BMG confirms major significant structural changes in the US.
BMG will split its US repertoire teams into three separate groups starting January 1st, 2019.
Thomas Scherer will lead the Los Angeles office as the new Executive Vice President of Repertoire and Marketing. A 30-year music industry veteran, he first joined BMG in 2008, serving at the company’s original headquarters in Berlin.
Scherer previously served as Executive Vice President of Frontline Publishing. He oversaw both the Los Angeles and New York teams as well as the international creative publishing teams. Scherer also drove BMG’s content deal with Chinese internet conglomerate, Alibaba.
Jon Loba and Kos Weaver will jointly take control of BMG’s repertoire in Nashville. They currently serve as Executive Vice President of BBR Music Group and Executive Vice President of BMG Nashville, respectively.
Weaver joined the company to run its Nashville publishing operation in 2013. Loba joined following BMG’s acquisition of BBR Music Group in 2017.
John Loeffler will run the company’s office in New York. BMG has also appointed Loeffler as Executive Vice President of Repertoire and Marketing. He’ll oversee music publishing and recorded music operations in the city, including S-Curve Records.
A music producer for TV and commercials for over 30 years, Loeffler joined BMG as a consultant in 2009.
In the new structure, all three key offices – Los Angeles, Nashville, and New York – will have the “same status” as BMG’s offices in the UK and Germany. The repertoire teams in each respective office will report to CEO Hartwig Masuch.
SoundCloud makes a new top hire.
Lisa Ellis will serve as Global Head of Music and Artist Relations at SoundCloud. She previously served at Sony Music Label Group, taking on multiple roles in different labels. At SoundCloud, Ellis joins the executive leadership team. She’ll lead the company’s global artist and label services team. Based in New York, Ellis will report to CEO Kerry Trainor.
Banc of California Stadium names its first VP.
Cori Gadbury will serve as the first Vice President of Marketing at Banc of California Stadium Entertainment (BOCS). She’ll oversee marketing and advertising operations for concerts and non-MLS sports events at Banc of California and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Gadbury previously served as Director of Marketing for 15 years at Live Nation. Based in Los Angeles, she’ll report to Adam Friedman, President of BOCS and Executive Vice President of LAFC Sports.
Marcus & Colvin adds a new associate.
Stephanie Westerman has been appointed Senior Associate at Marcus & Colvin, LLP. She previously served at Viacom where she handled content licensing for all programming. Westerman has also served at Concord Music in the Business Affairs department.
Kartel poaches a WMG executive.
In a newly created role, Damian Thomas will serve as Director of Global Digital Accounts at Kartel Music Group, a UK-based artist and label services company, per MBW. Thomas joins from Warner Music Group (WMG) where he served as Director of International Digital Accounts.
MIAF unveils its new board.
The Music in Africa Foundation (MIAF) has elected its new board representing the different music scenes across the continent.
Maimouna Dembele (Senegal) will serve as Chairperson. Serge Maboma (Cameroon) will serve as Deputy Chairperson. Joel Baloyi will serve as Treasurer (South Africa). Board members include Yusuf Mahmoud (Zanzibar), Ade Bantu (Nigeria), Ghita Kaldi (Morocco), Noemie Njangiru (South Africa), and Jens Cording (Germany). Njangiru and Cording will serve on the MIAF board on behalf of its founding partners, Goethe-Institut and Siemens Stiftung, respectively.
WMG poaches a Facebook exec and confirms a new appointment.
Starting on January 14th, Jess Keeley-Carter will serve as Senior Vice President of Global Digital Marketing at Warner Music Group (WMG) in London. She previously oversaw label partnerships at Facebook for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Keeley-Carter has also served at Universal Music Group for eight years. At WMG, she’ll join the label’s team of marketers, developing innovative, cross-territory strategies for the label’s roster.
In addition, Oana Ruxandra will serve as Executive Vice President of New Business Channels – Chief Acquisition Officer at WMG. She has previously served at Constellation Capital Management, BlackRock, and at Universal Music Group as Senior Vice President of Digital Strategy and Partnerships. In the newly created role, Ruxandra will attract non-traditional partners and identify unconventional A&R opportunities. She’ll also work closely with the digital strategy and business development team. Ruxandra will report to CEO Steve Cooper.
WMG’s Uproxx makes a new board appointment.
Warner Music’s Uproxx has named Charlie Corwin as the first member of its newly created advisory board. A long-time media veteran, he’ll lead the company’s expansion into film, television, and advertising. Corwin most recently served as CEO of Imagine Entertainment.
Music tech company poaches a Rolling Stone executive.
Michael Provus will serve as Chief Revenue Officer at Music Audience Exchange (MAX). The 20-year brand partnership veteran will grow the company’s sales and operations team. Provus will also oversee the development and execution of brand marketing programs, working with large consumer brands and their agencies to develop national marketing programs. He previously served as Chief Revenue Officer and Publisher at Wenner Media, Rolling Stone’s parent company. Provus has also worked at GQ, Vanity Fair, Esquire, and Dennis Publishing.
Intercept Music poaches former Sony Music executives as ambassadors.
As part of its deal with country music collective Studio3Bee, former Sony Music executives Skip Bishop, Butch Waugh, and Renee Bell will serve as Brand Ambassadors at Intercept Music, a social media marketing and distribution platform. They’ll work with contemporary artists in the Country, Americana, Bluegrass, Triple-A, and Texas genres.
iHeartMedia will lose its general counsel.
In a SEC filing last week, iHeartMedia has revealed Robert H. Walls Jr., the company’s Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary, will step down once iHeart emerges from bankruptcy. Paul McNicol will succeed him.
UMG ups a Decca executive.
Tom Lewis will now serve as Vice President of Decca Records, A&R, and Strategy. He first joined Universal Classics and Jazz fifteen years ago. Lewis will continue to report to Rebecca Allen, President of Decca Records.
Craft Recordings confirms a promotion.
In a newly created role, Michele Smith will serve as Vice President of Estate and Legacy Brand Management at Concord Music’s Craft Recordings per MBW. She’ll work with Craft Recordings as well as Concord’s theatrical properties, film and TV, direct-to-consumer, and publishing. Smith will drive revenue growth by maximizing Craft’s assets, explore ancillary rights, and create additional enterprise opportunities across multiple channels for Concord’s Music repertoire.
PRS for Music’s top leader will step down.
On the tenth anniversary of his appointment, Robert Ashcroft will step down as PRS for Music’s CEO in December 2019. The collecting society has yet to announce a successor.
Republic Records confirms a promotion.
Simon Katz will now serve as Vice President of A&R and Staff Producer at Republic Records. He previously served as Senior Director of A&R.
Red Light Management adds a veteran artist manager.
Pete Galli has joined Red Light Management, bringing three bands – the Bravery, the Airborne Toxic Event, and In The Valley Below – per Variety. He’ll serve out of the company’s Culver City office.
Big Loud Records hires a new top executive.
Candice Watkins will serve as Vice President of Marketing at Big Loud Records per All Access. She most recently served as Senior Director of Marketing and Artist Development at UMG Nashville. Watkins has also served at Red Light Management, Mozes Inc., Borman Entertainment, and Martingale Entertainment.
Downtown Music Publishing confirms a new appointment.
Delmar Powell will serve as Vice President of A&R at Downtown Music Publishing. He previously served as Director of A&R – Urban at Republic Records. Powell will scout and sign new artists, songwriters, and producers. He’ll also create opportunities for Downtown’s clients and copyrights in the global marketplace. Powell will report to Andrew Gould, Senior Vice President and Head of A&R.
Monument Records confirms a new hire and a promotion.
Casey Thomas will serve as Publicist at Monument Records. She joins the label from the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. At Monument, she’ll lead the label’s press operation, managing communications and press strategy for artists.
In addition, Joel Beaver will serve as Coordinator of Marketing. He previously interned and served as a temp for the label. Beaver will support Monument staff in all marketing efforts.
Both will report to Katie McCartney, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Label Operations.
Columbia Records confirms two promotions.
Jennifer Citron will serve as Vice President of Touring and Events. She previously served as Senior Director of Touring and Events.
Mary Madden will also serve as Vice President of Touring and Events alongside Citron. She previously served as Director of Touring and Events.
Both will lead new initiatives and strategies around live in order to drive fan engagement and bring value to artists. They’ll report to Ryan Ruden, Senior Vice President of Experiential Marketing and Business Development.
Sheridan Broadcasting names a new leader from the political arena.
Leroy Jones Jr. will serve as President of Sheridan Broadcasting’s Radio and Digital division. He has previously served as a legislative aide in the Senate and Congress. Jones Jr. will explore possible joint ventures and partnerships at Sheridan Broadcasting. He’ll also maximize relationships with sponsor brands.
Superadio Networks adds a new team member.
Julie Bell will serve as National Director of Content and Affiliate Relations at Superadio Networks per All Access. She’ll focus on programming as well as imaging and production services. Bell most recently served as Regional Director of Affiliate Relations at United States Radio Networks, covering the Northeast and Southwestern Regions.
Warner Bros. Records confirms a promotion and poaches a top exec from Scooter Braun’s SB Records.
Mike Sherwood will now serve as Senior Vice President of Revenue and Commercial Accounts at Warner Bros. Records. He’ll oversee new release and long-term strategies for artist campaigns across all commercial accounts with an emphasis on streaming. Sherwood previously served as Vice President of Revenue and Commercial Accounts for three years.
In addition, Michael Chester will serve as Executive Vice President of Promotion at Warner Bros. Records. He previously served as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Promotion at Scooter Braun’s SB Projects. At Warner Bros., he’ll oversee promotion initiatives and strategies. Based in Los Angeles, he’ll report to Co-Chairman and COO Tom Corson.
Nielsen poaches an executive from IBM to lead the company.
David Kenny will serve as CEO of Nielsen. He previously served as Senior Vice President of Cognitive Solutions at IBM. Kenny takes over for Mitch Barns, who stepped down on December 3rd. Barns will serve as an advisor for Kenny until December 31st.
AEG’s The O2 confirms two promotions and a new hire.
Steve Sayer will now serve as Vice President and General Manager of AEG Europe’s The O2 arena in London. He previously served as Commercial Director and succeeds John Langford, who was named Chief Operating Officer of AEG Europe.
In addition, Danielle Kennedy-Clark will now serve as Deputy General Manager. She previously served as Operations Director.
Gavin Brind will also serve as Finance Director for The O2 and SSE Arena at Wembley. He replaces Paul Reeve, who was recently named Chief Financial Officer at AEG Europe.
New ticketing startup confirms first hire.
Melissa Halling will serve as Customer Service Practitioner of Ticketing at The Ticketing Factory (TTF) per IQ. The ticketing apprenticeship was jointly developed by NEC Group and the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR) in the UK. Harling’s hire comes after she successfully completed the apprenticeship standard in customer service practitioner of ticketing.
Irving Azoff’s Madison Square Garden poaches an iHeartMedia executive.
Ami Patel will serve as Vice President of Artist Relations and VIP Services for the Forum in Inglewood, California. She’ll oversee all internal and external ticketing as well as on-site VIP and celebrity management. Patel joins from iHeartMedia, where she served as Director of National Entertainment. She’ll report to Darren Pfeffer, Executive Vice President of MSG Live for the Madison Square Garden Company.
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