Welcome to a hot edition of Billboard's comprehensive(ish) Executive Turntable, covering music industry promotions, hirings, departures, firings and everything in between. Check out our Pride list of this year's top LGBTQ+ executives in the industry. We also have a weekly interview series that shines the spotlight on one executive, and a regularly updated gallery honoring the many industry figures who've passed away throughout the year.
Big Loud Records has promoted Stacey Brice to Executive Vice President of Promotion, effective immediately. Like Patch Culbertson, who was also recently promoted, she will report directly to Nashville-based label partners Seth England, Joey Moi and Craig Weisman. Brice joined Big Loud in 2015 and most recently held the role of Senior Vice President of Radio Promotion. She and her promotion team are credited with propelling 24 No. 1 singles to radio during her nine-year tenure, starting with Chris Lane's “Fix” and most recently with Post Malone and Morgan Wallen's “I Had Some Help.” In addition to Warren, Big Loud artists include Ernest, Hardy, Lauren Alaina, Lily Rose, Maggie Rose and Hicks Tape. Brice has been named to various Billboard lists of influential executives, including Women In Music, Indie Power Players and Country Power Players. “Stacey has been a believer in Big Loud since the beginning,” said England. “Not only is she a radio expert, but she's also a relationship builder, investor in people and overall industry pioneer who has helped build this company from the ground up. Stacey has been integral to the success of our organization, and on behalf of all our partners, we are honored to continue to grow alongside her.”
Kazuhiro Shimada, a veteran executive who has been at the forefront of Japan's music industry for nearly 18 years, first at MTV, then Universal, Amazon and, for the past two years, as a senior executive at Warner Music Japan, is taking a leave of absence. Shimada announced earlier this week that Tuesday (July 9) was his last day as WMJ's chief operating officer, a position he took on in late 2022, after more than two years as director and general manager of Amazon Music Japan. Prior to that, he headed operations at UMG for 10 years and served as vice president of strategy at MTV Networks Japan in the 2000s. “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all my colleagues and business partners who have worked with me so far, as well as the artists and artist managers who have supported me all this time,” he said. “I'm taking some time off to recharge my batteries and look forward to my next challenge in the near future.”
Guitar Center has appointed Adolfo Rodriguez as executive vice president and chief technology and information officer. Reporting to CEO Gabe Dalporto, Rodriguez will develop and execute innovative technology at the musical instrument retailer, bringing his senior management experience from companies such as Advance Auto Parts, Citrix and IBM. Guitar Center's biggest competitor in online retail is Sweetwater, but in the brick-and-mortar business, the company has more than 300 stores in the U.S. and is set to be the only major player to compete with Sam Ash as the company looms on the brink of closing all of its stores. “I am excited to join Guitar Center at such an important time in its history,” Rodriguez said. “As a passionate musician and advocate for leveraging technology to grow business, I am looking to blend my professional knowledge with my personal experience.”
Sony Music Latin Iberia has promoted Sergi Leitog to Vice President of Premium Content, a role in which he will oversee various audiovisual initiatives across Spain and Mexico. Based in Spain, Leitog will report to Fernando Cabral, SML-I's Vice President of Strategic Partnerships. Leitog has led the company's Premium Content team in Spain for the past six years, with recent work including the documentary “Sintiéndolo Mucho” and the MAX series “Acoustic Home.” He will now expand his remit overseas to North America. “Sergi's extensive experience and innovative approach to the film and television industry make him the perfect creative for this role,” said Cabral.
The Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum announced that longtime executive director Chris Joslin will retire later this month. Joslin, who joined the Owensboro, Kentucky-based organization in 2015, will be based outside Nashville and oversee development and fundraising for Mission Lazarus, a faith-based nonprofit working in Honduras and Haiti. During his tenure, the Hall of Fame relocated its offices, rebranded, launched a magazine during the pandemic and grew its signature ROMP festival into a premier destination for bluegrass fans. “Chris led our organization at a pivotal time, and under his direction, the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum has grown into a destination for bluegrass music fans from around the world,” said Chris Love, president of the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
Nashville news: Red Street Records has promoted Cambria Sojka to creative director, responsible for both country and Christian artists at the Jay DeMarcus-founded label. Working closely with Sojka is newly hired Gianna Robinson as the label's digital content coordinator. Both will report directly to vp Michael Steele… Dennis Reese, former senior vp of promotion at RCA Nashville, has joined artist management company Neon Coast. Their marquee artist? RCA Nashville superstar Kane Brown… Business management firm FBMM has promoted Nashville-based Beth Tyson and New York-based Brian Gordner from account manager to associate business manager.
Muse Group, home to digital tools for musicians such as Ultimate Guitar, MuseScore, and Audacity, as well as music publisher Hal Leonard, has made some changes in its executive ranks. Sven Ahrens has joined the company as chief growth officer, overseeing the team driving acquisition, engagement, and retention for Muse's apps and products. He joined from Spotify, where he led the streaming giant's subscription growth team. Replacing Hal Leonard is Debbie Dieckelman, the publisher's longtime chief financial officer and now CFO for the entire company. Finally, Mo Chaddy joined Muse as COO after a 20-year career at AI companies Aspen and Dell Technologies. “Sven, Mo, and Debbie bring deep and diverse experience to our senior leadership team,” said Eugénie Naydenoff, CEO of Muse Group. “Their visionary approach, track record of business growth and passion for our mission will be invaluable as we continue to evolve to best serve our global community of musicians, educators and learners.”
Nielsen has hired advertising industry veteran Akhil Parekh as chief solutions officer for digital products, responsible for overseeing the audience measurement company's ad products and developing strategic partnerships. He comes from French advertising conglomerate Publicis Groupe, where he most recently served as executive vice president and managing director. Nielsen also announced that Jaren Grusd, a former executive at Snapchat, Chime, AOL, Spotify and Huffington Post, has joined the company as CEO of metadata unit Gracenote. The data company was previously led by Sujit Dasmunshi, who became chief operating officer.
Cinq Music has promoted Diana Schweinbeck from director of marketing to senior director of artist and label services. In her new role, Schweinbeck and company will focus on optimizing the end-to-end release process for Cinq's artists and labels. Prior to joining the Los Angeles-based distributor, label and publisher, Schweinbeck ran Schweinbeck, LLC, providing branding and management services to emerging artists. “Diana is a seasoned operator with artist management experience and a strong network that understands the needs of artists and is perfectly suited to run this division,” said Barry Daffurn, president and co-founder of Cinq Music.
Evelyn Ingram has joined Austin-based venue booking software company Prism.fm as senior director of strategic partnerships. Ingram is an industry veteran who most recently worked at EventBooking and previously at Ungerboeck and Momentum Technologies, and has long had a “very friendly rivalry” with Prism.fm CEO Matt Ford, he says. “One of my favorite things about running a company is building a great team, and Evelyn definitely contributes to that,” Ford adds. “Her experience, love of life and intelligence in her approach… I'm excited for the future!”
Former Directors Guild of America general counsel David Corduner has joined KM&M in Los Angeles as a partner in the firm's entertainment and labor law practice. Corduner most recently served as senior vice president of labor relations and associate general counsel for indie studio The Fifth Season. “David's significant experience in union relations, contract negotiations and overseeing legal and labor issues in the entertainment industry complements our firm's entertainment labor law practice,” said Bill Zuckerman, managing partner and entertainment group leader at KM&M.
In case you missed it:
James Dolan Universal Music UK has restructured its operations into what CEO David Joseph calls “two new powerful front-line label groups”: Island EMI Label Group, headed by Lewis Bloom, and the newly formed Polydor Label Group, led by Ben Mortimer. James Dolan has been given a three-year contract extension to continue running Sphere Entertainment, and BMI has appointed Tom Kershaw as chief technology officer and Justin Rohde as chief transformation officer. Last Week on the Turntable: Bertelsmann appoints BMG boss to board
Source link