Sony Music Germany
It’s time for another spin of Billboard’s Executive Turntable, our comprehensive(ish) rundown of music industry promotions, hirings, departures, firings and everything in between.
Sony Music Germany has appointed Jean-Sebastian Permal and Jenny Walzer to run the label giant’s newly launched electronic music label, noted. records. Permal, VP A&R Europe and Africa, will be in charge of A&R and strategy for the Berlin-based label, while Walzer, also Senior Product Manager at Sony Music, will be in charge of marketing and operations. The label’s first signing is DJ and producer Anfisa Lechago, whose first track on noted., “Feelin,” has just been released.
According to IFPI’s latest world report, Germany is the fourth-largest market for recorded music, forecast to grow by 7% in 2023. Germany also has the most monthly dance music listeners on Spotify, according to figures from the annual IMS Business Report. Another key finding from that tome is that “the global dance music industry is now firmly in a post-pandemic growth phase,” with annual growth of 17% and a valuation of $11.8 billion.
“The electronic music genre has never been more powerful than it is today,” said Permal. “We recognized the need to provide a home for artists with strong and unique musical and visual identities. We are thrilled to have Anfisa Lechago as our first signed artist and are very enthusiastic about her project.”
meanwhile…
ASM Global has appointed veteran sustainability strategist Lindsay Aller as the company’s first chief sustainability officer. With more than 50 green-certified facilities already in its portfolio, Aller’s appointment speaks to the company’s “leadership and commitment to sustainability,” said CEO and president Ron Bentshon. Aller said he will continue to lead Honeycomb Strategies, a 14-year-old consulting firm that advises sports and events industry leaders on sustainability strategies. “I’m excited about the opportunity to spearhead ASM’s sustainability initiatives, working with our teams and communities across our more than 400 global facilities,” Aller said. “Providing our facilities team with the knowledge and resources they need will allow us to significantly accelerate our program’s progress.”
Reservoir has announced a string of key appointments at UK-based artist management company Big Life. The company said Kat Kennedy, Colin Roberts and Claire Kilcoase have been promoted to partner, with Kennedy taking on the new role of managing director. The trio have a combined tenure of almost 46 years at Big Life, no small feat. “They have all demonstrated incredible loyalty to the company,” said Big Life co-founder Tim Parry. “The long-standing relationships they have built with their clients are a testament to their dedication, thoughtfulness and expertise as managers, and we look forward to the continued success they will bring to the Big Life brand.”
Samantha Sklar
Position Music has promoted Samantha Sklar to vp A&R for the Virgin Music-distributed indie imprint. Sklar, who joined Position in 2022 after a fruitful tenure at Warner Chapple Music, recently secured a successful deal with Jack LaFranz, co-writer of Benson Boone’s hit “Beautiful Things.” During her time at WCM, the A&R exec notably signed Steven Kirk, co-writer of BTS’ “Butter.” Position Music head of A&R Mark Chipero called Sklar a “publisher through and through.” [who] They have an incredible drive to serve writers and create opportunities for them.”
Como No founder Andy Wood has announced he will step down as director of the UK-based Latin music promoter after 40 years, and Elena Beltrami has been announced as the new director. Wood will remain as a non-executive director. “I am humbled every day by the breadth of talent in Latin America and beyond, and I am blessed to be able to work with them,” said Wood. Wood founded Como No in 1985 and La Linea Festival, which recently celebrated its 24th anniversary. “It is an honour to be working in a culture I love, with my favourite artists, in this incredible city, with amazing audiences and supportive venues and partners.” – Griselda Flores
AIM and BPI have appointed Roxy Erickson as project manager for the strengthened Music Climate Pact, which was initiated by the two UK organisations and aims to rally the music industry together for joint action to combat the climate crisis. Signatories to the pact include BMG, Beggars Group, Ninja Tune, Partisan Records and Secretly Group, as well as the big three. Erickson is co-founder of Creative Zero, a collective of like-minded professionals working to “create positive environmental and social impact across the creative industries”, according to their website.
All in the family: Pam Starchio is Billboard’s new regional vice president of brand partnerships. The Chicago native joins Billboard after more than a decade at Condé Nast, where she oversaw Midwest sales for the media company’s broad portfolio of brands. The company also welcomes Lillian Gonzalez as its new Los Angeles-based e-commerce writer. Gonzalez was previously an associate producer at POPSUGAR, covering all things beauty and fitness (including the Dance Fitzer video series).
Joan Hunter and Renata Muniz have launched a new media and brand strategy agency called Out of Office Group. The partners, who previously served as VP of media and brand strategy at Def Jam Recordings, have hit the ground running and have already worked with several breakout artists, including KenTheMan, Shanae and Genia. Los Angeles-based Hunter and New York-based Muniz can be contacted at info@outofofficegroup.com.
Dan P. Carter, longtime curator of BBC Radio 1’s “The Rock Show,” has joined Spinefarm Music Group as Director of Artist Development. The London-based rock n’ roll evangelist will work with the Spinefarm team on artist signing and development, reporting directly to General Manager Jonas Nakusin. Spinefarm recently hired Leah Devine and Tristan Pratt as Marketing Managers. In addition to Bullet for My Valentine, Spinefarm’s current roster of artists includes Atreyu, Airborne, Killing Joke, Black Label Society and While She Sleeps.
Please & Thank You, an agency specializing in VIP events and experiences, has hired several experiential arts veterans. Meg Pollaro, who is vp of business development and partnerships at the Eddie Meehan-founded company, comes after senior roles at CAA, WME/Endeavor and Superfly. At P&TY, she will be responsible for connecting brands, consumers and artists. Jason Barrett joined as vp of strategic development after serving as general manager at WMX, Warner Music Group’s creative services division. In his politely named new job, Barrett will focus on signing long-term deals with artists, managers and agents.
Kendra Whitehead
Nashville news: Brown Cellars Brown has brought on Kendra Whitehead as director of artist relations and day-to-day management for Joe Nichols. The veteran radio promoter previously spent 11 years at BMG, notably Wheelhouse Records and Red Bow Records… Folk Alliance International has named Jennifer Law, who held the role on an interim basis, as executive director of the organization. She was previously FAI’s director of operations.
Recording Academy veteran Jeriel Johnson is celebrating early success after launching his own artist management and consulting company, Telescope Arts & Music Group. Johnson previously served as executive director of the Academy’s DC chapter and most recently as senior director at UMG. Johnson also co-produced the upcoming United States Army Field Band album and, as an artist, helped Shenseea write new songs for her upcoming album. Johnson can be contacted at jeriel@telescopearts.com.
Endeavor has hired public policy executive Matt Kaplan as vice president of government relations. Kaplan most recently served as public policy director at Meta and previously worked at Instacart and Lyft. In Washington, he worked for Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and the Biden-Harris campaign in 2020. His appointment at Endeavor was first reported by Variety.
Greg Castelman will join Park Avenue Artists as co-director of artist bookings, working with co-director Devi Reddy. Castelman has run his own booking agency for the past five years and brings to PAA a roster of artists that includes Brazilian singer Badi Assad and Ethiopian-American singer Meklit Hadero. “PAA’s approach reaffirms my confidence that artist managers and agents can be caring, positive and affirming of an artist’s journey,” said Castelman. “I’m excited to work with Devi and the agency to take on big challenges and capitalize on unique opportunities.”
BOARD UPDATE: IMPF, the trade association for independent music publishers, elected six new board members at its 2024 general meeting in Dublin: Emily Stevenson (Downtown Music Publishing), Rosa M. Vizcaino Gomez (Clippers Music Publishing), Claudia Mescoli (Curci Publishing), Tatiana Vukvic (Tin Drum Music), Cecilia Leon Rodrigo (Joaquin Rodrigo Publishing), and Dennis Andrikopoulou (D-Version Music Publishing). The National Association of Broadcasters elected five new board members to its NAB Radio committee: Mary Menna (Beasley Media), Chris Forsey (Saga Communications), Eric Helm (Townsquare Media), Tim Swift (Bonneville), and Jerry “J” Chapman (Woof Boom Radio).
Symphonic Distribution has hired BMG and UMG veteran Stephen Nightingale as vice president of A&R and business development in Canada. Reporting to Symphonic’s chief creative officer, Randall Foster, Nightingale will be responsible for expanding the company’s roster of independent music distribution and marketing companies and building partnerships in the region. Based in Toronto, Nightingale most recently served as vice president of recorded music in Canada for BMG. Prior to that, he held marketing and business development executive roles at Universal Music Group.
ROYALTY: Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have put together a new executive communications team. Charlie Gipson is communications director and will be the liaison for all media outlets in the UK and Europe. Kyle Boullier is deputy spokesperson and communications director for US media relations, based in Los Angeles. They replace Miranda Barbot, who has been promoted to vice president of programs and media operations for D&DofS.
In case you missed it:
Elliot Wilson Gary Roden has suddenly resigned as general manager of Oak View Group’s Co-op Live, the UK’s largest arena… Audacy has cut its workforce by “less than 2%”… Elliot Wilson has been appointed editor-in-chief of UPROXX, Hip HopDX and Dime magazine… Binetou Sila will head Def Jam Africa’s French-speaking efforts… Kelly Sky Fadloski has been named communications manager for AEG-owned Crypto.com Arena, the Peacock Theatre and LA Live. Last Week on the Turntable: The ‘Tiny Desk’ maestro has landed a new job
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