Music Industry Moves: Nate Albert Named President of Giant Music; Warner Chappell Music Signs Kenya Grace

The Azoff Company has tapped A&R executive Nate Albert as the new president of Giant Music, the independent record label home to Mitch Rowland, K. Flay and more. Albert joins the Giant music team which includes co-founder Shawn Holiday, Matt LaMotte, and Charles Hamilton, among others.

Albert previously developed and signed artists including Omar Apollo and Teddy Swims for Warner Records. He was also an A&R executive at Capitol Records and Republic Records where he signed the Weeknd and Maggie Rogers.

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In a statement shared with Variety, Irving and Jeffrey Azoff, commented, “Nate invests his time, energy, and love into everything he touches. We can’t believe how lucky we are to be bringing him into the Giant family. Please hurry up and send this release out before he changes his mind.”

Added Albert, “I am thrilled to help build a new label from an artist’s and manager’s perspective in 2024. Irving and Jeffrey have a sterling reputation as defenders of artists’ rights and that spirit and point of view will continue to thrive at Giant Music. The goal is not just to create another option for the creative community, but to create a place for the creative community to call home.”

+ Warner Chappell Music (WCM) has signed an exclusive worldwide administration agreement with electronic/alt pop artist, producer, and songwriter Kenya Grace.

Her single “Strangers” marked the first and second time a song solely written, produced, and sung by a woman topped the Hot Dance/Electronic and the UK Singles charts, respectively

Gabz Landman, VP of A&R for WCM, and Xavier Champagne, senior director of urban A&R, said, “Kenya has set a remarkable path for herself, writing and producing her own music in its entirety. To be a record-breaking female producer, songwriter, artist, and DJ is a special and rare achievement. Her music is honest and true, and we couldn’t be more excited to join her on this journey.”

Born in South Africa and raised in Southampton, England, Kenya Grace graduated from the Academy of Contemporary Music in England and began building her social media following by posting snippets of her songs. By 2022, she released the single “Oranges,” which amassed one million Spotify streams, followed by “Afterparty Lover” and “Meteor.” In 2023, she signed with Warner Records’ flagship dance label, Major Recordings, and released her major-label debut, “Strangers.” She also embarked on her first tour, with shows in London, New York, and Los Angeles. This year, she plans to release her debut album and tour across five countries including France, Spain, and Germany.

+ Arista Records has appointed Sharon Timure as head of marketing and Kelsey Hession as publicity lead. Both are based in New York and will report to David Massey, president and CEO, and Veronica Sanjines, general manager.

Timure joins Arista after a nearly 20-year tenure at Island Records where she worked in both tour marketing and strategic marketing and focused on building the careers of hit artists including Shawn Mendes, The Killers, Bon Jovi, Fall Out Boy, Demi Lovato and newcomer Lauren Spencer Smith. Hession joins Arista after four years heading up the publicity department of Glassnote Records where she worked across the label’s roster including Phoenix, CHVRCHES, Jade Bird and Silvana Estrada.

In their new roles, Timure and Hession will work across the full Arista roster including multi-platinum marquee artists such as Måneskin, JP Saxe, Tai Verdes, and rising talent such as Lola Brooke and Paul Russell.

+ The Beatport Group has promoted Matt Gralen to president and Helen Sartory to chief revenue officer at the company, with both continuing to report to CEO, Robb McDaniels.

Gralen will work collaboratively with McDaniels on group-wide strategy while retaining his role as chief financial officer, and Sartory will oversee all of the company’s revenue units, including Beatport, Beatsource, Plugin Boutique, Loopcloud, LabelRadar, and Beatport Amp. Sartory will be responsible for driving the next phase of The Beatport Group’s growth strategy.

“Matt and Helen have proven themselves as trusted leaders through building out our product portfolio, supporting our diverse team and culture, and delivering profitable growth,” said McDaniels. “We believe that, just as streaming revolutionized the music industry in the previous decade, a significant shift to more engaged and interactive experiences is coming. DJs are the originators of this movement and all types of creators and fans are joining. I am pleased to have Matt and Helen take on expanded roles as we continue to invest in this future.”

Before this new role, Gralen served as executive VP of corporate development at UnitedMasters, a distribution platform for independent artists. Gralen also served as VP of strategy and operations at Mass Appeal, an entertainment company focused on hip-hop culture.

Sartory joined Beatport 18 months ago and most recently served as senior VP of creator services, consolidating the company’s DJ and producer brands under a single division. Before joining Beatport, Sartory led the U.S. expansion of The Rattle, an incubator for music technology startups and independent artists.

+ Warner Music India has promoted Sujal Parekh to general manager of operations for Warner Music India and other territories in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). He will report to Jay Mehta, managing director of Warner Music India and SAARC territories.

Parekh has served as Warner Music India’s head of finance since February 2021. Effective immediately, Parekh will pivot to spearhead artist management, digital operations, legal affairs, publishing, live events, people initiatives, and strategic mergers and acquisitions.

Said Parekh, “I am excited to have this opportunity to spearhead Warner Music India’s comprehensive operations, ensuring that we deliver even more support to our artists and develop our amazing team. This will enable us to offer even more incredible music to fans in India and around the world.”

Mehta adds, “I’m delighted to announce Sujal’s elevation to general manager, operations. We believe in empowering our team by offering greater responsibilities and nurturing leaders within the organization. This marks a pivotal moment as Sujal’s leadership will help guide many aspects of our business. His expertise will be vital as we strategically expand our local operations and empower our artists and partners to leverage Warner Music’s global resources to deliver unparalleled success.”

Wednesday, Jan. 10

Joe Gallo has been promoted to general manager of Columbia Records following his stint as the label’s executive vice president/head of sales. During his decade-plus tenure at the label, Gallo has led campaigns for Adele, Beyoncé, Harry Styles, Miley Cyrus, Lil Nas X, Polo G, blink-182, Tyler, The Creator and Rosalía, among others.

Working out of Columbia’s New York offices, Gallo will continue to work across the entire roster and will oversee label operations in his new role. He was previously upped from senior VP to his former role in 2022.

“Spending the last ten years in a commercial role allowed me to work with teams across the label and its storied roster,” said Gallo in a statement. “I’m excited for the opportunity to expand upon Columbia’s foundation and be a part of its future. I want to continue to raise the bar of success for our artists and am proud to work alongside the best team in the business. I’m grateful for the guidance, trust and support that Ron Perry and Jen Mallory entrust in me and consider it a privilege to call this place home.”

+ Merlin has announced its new Board Members — a set of industry leaders from the independent music industry in 12 different countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America and Oceania — in alignment with the new year.

The Merlin Board is elected from and by its membership, which represents tens of thousands of independent record labels, distributors, and rightsholders from around the world. In a press release, the company explained nearly half of the Board Members have been elected or appointed for their first term, with 10 members returning to serve another term.

Newly elected to the Board are: 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 (UK); and Megan Jasper, CEO, Sub Pop (US).

Board Advisors appointed this year are Jennifer Newman Sharpe, General Counsel, Exceleration, and Dorothee Imhoff, CCO, FUGA.

Returning to the Merlin Board are: Pascal Bittard, Founder and CEO, IDOL (France); Marie Clausen, Managing Director North America, Ninja Tune (US); Tom Deakin, Head of EMEA, AudioSalad (UK); Chris Maund, COO, Mushroom Music (Australia); Carlos Mills, Founder, Mills Records (Brazil); Louis Posen, President & Executive Director, Hopeless Records (US); Michael Ugwu, CEO, Freeme Digital (Nigeria); Darius Van Arman, Co-CEO, Secretly (US); Horst Weidenmueller, CEO & Owner, !K7 (Germany); and Justin West, President & CEO, Secret City (Canada).

Darius Van Arman was reappointed as Chairperson by the Board for a second term.

+ Prajin Parlay Inc., the management company led by George Prajin, has announced the signing of Código FN, a Mexican norteño group. They join artists including Peso Pluma, Santa Fe Klan, Jasiel Nuñez, Tito Double P, Dareyes de la Sierra and more. Prajin Parlay Inc. also works in partnership with Peso Pluma’s record label Double P Records.

The five-member group comprised of Ernesto Tito León, Danny León, Ramiro Luna, Martín Parra and Manuel Villalpando, has a 15-year legacy and boasts a catalog that blends Latin American rhythms into into the traditional norteño genre. Some of their most successful singles include “Billetes Verdes,” “Ando Bien Al Tiro,” “Soy El Ratón” and “Mood Malando.”

+ Gibson Brands, Inc., the world’s most iconic instrument brand, today announced that it has confirmed Luke Ericson to the role of chief operating officer, reporting to Cesar Gueikian, president, and CEO of Gibson Brands.

Acting as Interim COO since May 2023, Luke has reorganized the business with the creation of the COO office around manufacturing, planning and supply chain, and enterprise solutions, globally.

“I am excited to confirm Luke as our permanent Chief Operating Officer,” said Gueikian. “Luke’s overall experience as an operations expert, successfully serving in multiple leadership roles, uniquely positions him to drive operational excellence for Gibson. I have full confidence in Luke’s ability to lead our office of the COO, and Gibson, into the future.”

Luke joined Gibson from the global private equity firm KKR, where he was an operating partner. During his time at KKR, he partnered closely with the management teams at KKR Investments to develop and execute growth strategies.

+ Genesis Garcia, formerly associate director of publicity at RCA Records, has joined public relations company Orienteer. She brings rapper Teezo Touchdown to the Orienteer roster.

Before her two-and-a-half-year stint at RCA, Garcia worked as a manager in media and artist relations at Def Jam Recordings. She has worked on campaigns for Grammy-nominated artists Steve Lacy and Victoria Monet.

+ TuneCore, owned by Paris-based Believe, has named Akhila Shankar as the company’s new head of TuneCore, South Asia. Shankar will report to Tash Shah, TuneCore’s VP of international, as well as Vivek Raina, managing director, Believe India.

As head of TuneCore, South Asia, Shankar (based in Mumbai) will be responsible for growing and managing the company’s artist roster in the region and providing support through localization efforts, partnership opportunities, and the development of innovative marketing campaigns on behalf of TuneCore and its artists.

Previously, Shankar served as director of international at Luminary, where she led the company’s expansion and subscription growth in international markets, increasing Luminary’s native footprint from 11 to 60 global markets. Shankar’s appointment follows the departure of former Head of TuneCore, South Asia, Heena Kriplani who is leaving the company to relocate overseas.

Tuesday, Jan. 9

Tom Sansone has been named SoundCloud‘s new chief financial officer/chief operating officer, it was announced Tuesday by CEO Eliah Seton.

“Tom is a proven global executive with a highly differentiated and relevant skill set that includes accelerating business transformation, establishing operational and financial discipline and executing strategic alternatives,” said Seton in a statement. “Now that we are a profitable growth company and in control of our own destiny, Tom will be a key partner in helping us realize SoundCloud’s unique opportunity and industry-changing vision.”

Sansone brings more than 20 years of global financial and operational experience. For the last seven years, Sansone served as CFO of Kobalt Music Group where he was a key architect of the company’s restructuring and profitable growth and capital planning. Before that, Sansone was COO and CFO of Gilt Groupe.

Sansone will now help drive the execution of SoundCloud’s operational rigor, corporate development, mergers and acquisitions, in addition to assuming responsibility for its financial performance and capital structuring. He will report directly to Seton.

Added Sansone, “I am passionate about helping businesses realize their potential and am incredibly excited about the opportunities for SoundCloud. The evolution of the business has been exciting to see and the company remains one of the most trusted brands for creators and super fans of music discovery. I’m looking forward to working with an incredible leadership team and Board to execute on the strategy to empower artists and fans to share and connect through music and to build on our strong financial footing.”

+ Alfredo Delgadillo has been appointed president and CEO of Universal Music México.

Previously Universal Music México’s managing director, Delgadillo will assume responsibility over Universal Music Group’s regional Mexican label, Fonovisa-Disa. The Mexico City-based executive will continue to report directly to Jesús López, chairman/CEO, Universal Music Latin America & Iberian Peninsula.

“We are in a unique moment of growth for Latin music and Regional Mexican music, so this new responsibility comes with an even stronger commitment to continue growing the success and reach of our artists both in Mexico and around the world, alongside growing our live and management businesses,” Delgadillo said in a statement. “Now with the addition of the Fonovisa-Disa labels, I am looking forward to working closely with its leader Antonio Silva, for whom I have absolute respect and their entire team, to ensure that the legacy of Fonovisa-Disa, as the symbol and leader of Regional Mexican music, continues to grow and expand to the rest of the world.”

After a 10-year run with EMI Music México, Delgadillo returned to Universal in 2013 (when UMG acquired EMI) as general manager of Universal Music México, and in 2017 was promoted to managing director.

+ France-headquartered streaming service Deezer has tapped Ivana Kirkbride as its new chief commercial officer.

As the company continues to expand its presence globally, Kirkbride — who has previously held positions at Google, Verizon Communications and Meta Platforms — will spearhead Deezer’s global partnership businesses and manage the company’s global partnership organizations across Europe, Latin America and North America. The company has already launched partnerships with Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group.

Kirkbride will report to Stephane Rougeot, deputy chief executive of Deezer.

+ The Familie, a sports and music agency, is headed to Nashville with a pair of new hires.

Royce Risser, who was previously executive VP of promotion at Universal Music Group, will be the agency’s head of Nashville and executive VP of country music, as Chase Berlin joins the team as an artist manager. Risser will be overseeing and executing Nashville office operations, in addition to leading the development of The Familie’s new country division. The Familie’s roster currently includes artists like Machine Gun Kelly, Avril Lavigne, Jaden Hossler, Games We Play and sombr.

As The Familie’s first artist manager in Nashville, Berlin will work under Risser to sign and develop promising country artists and build out the genre’s division for The Familie. Upon moving to Nashville, Berlin began his music industry career at WME (William Morris Endeavor) where he worked as an assistant before joining The AMG (The Artist Management Group) as an artist manager, working with artists like Kat & Alex and Jordan James.

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