Welcome to an exciting edition of Executive Turntable, Billboard's comprehensive(ish) roundup of promotions, hires, departures and firings — and everything in between — across music. Check out this year's Pride List of top LGBTQ+ executives in the industry. We also have a weekly interview series featuring a single executive and a regularly updated gallery honoring many of the industry faces we've lost over the year.
Big Loud Records are promoted Stacy Blythe in promotion staff, effective immediately. Like her recent collaborator Patch Culbertson, she reports directly to collaborators Seth England, Joey Moi and Craig Wiseman at the Nashville-based label. Blythe joined Big Loud in 2015 and most recently held the position of svp of radio promotion. She and her promo team are credited with pushing two dozen No. 1 singles at radio during her nine-year run, starting with Chris Lane's “Fix” and most recently Post Malone and Morgan's “I Had Some Help” Wallen. In addition to Wallen, Big Loud's roster includes ERNEST, HARDY, Lauren Alaina, Lily Rose, Maggie Rose, HIXTAPE and more. Blythe is an accessory in various Advertising sign lists of influential figures including Women In Music, Indie Power Players and Country Power Players; “Stacy believes day one in Big Loud,” England said. “He is not only a radio expert, but a relationship builder and investor in people, as well as a pioneer in the industry at large who helped us build this company from the ground up. Stacy is an integral part of our organization's success, and on behalf of all partners, we are honored to continue to grow with her.”
After about 18 years in Japan's music industry, first at MTV, then Universal and Amazon before spending the last two years in the C-suite at Warner Music Japanveteran executive Kazuhiro Shimada takes a break Shimada said earlier this week that Tuesday (July 9) was his last day as WMJ's chief operating officer, a position he takes up at the end of 2022 after a famous two years as director and general manager of Amazon Music Japan. Prior to that, he oversaw business affairs at UMG for a decade, and was then chief strategist at MTV Networks Japan. “I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all my colleagues, business partners, artists and artist managers who have supported me throughout,” he said. “I plan to take a break for a while to recharge and look forward to the next challenge in the near future.”
Guitar Center determined Adolfo Rodríguez as Executive Vp and Chief Technology & Information Officer, with immediate effect. Reporting to CEO Gabe Dalporto, Rodriguez will leverage his senior leadership experience gained at companies such as Advance Auto Parts, Citrix and IBM to develop and execute innovative technology developments at the musical instrument retailer. Guitar Center's biggest competitor in online retail is Sweetwater, but in-game — it has more than 300 stores in the U.S. — the company is set to be the only major player following the pending closure of all Sam Ash stores. “I am thrilled to be joining Guitar Center at such a pivotal time in its history,” said Rodriguez. “As a passionate musician and advocate for leveraging technology to drive business growth, I am eager to combine my professional experience with my personal experience.”
Sony Music Latin-Iberia are promoted Sergi Reitg to vice president of premium content, a role in which he will oversee various audiovisual initiatives across Spain and Mexico. Based in Spain, Reitg reports to Fernando Cabral, SML-I's EVP of strategic partnerships. Reitg has spent the past six years leading the company's premium content team in Spain – recent productions include the documentary Sintiéndolo Mucho and the MAX series Acoustic Home – and will now expand his responsibilities overseas to North America. “Sergi's vast experience and innovative approach to film and television make him the perfect creative for this role,” Cabral said.
The Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum said the longtime executive director Chris Joslin will step down later this month. Joslin, who joined the Owensboro, Ky.-based organization. in 2015, he headed to suburban Nashville to oversee development and fundraising for Mission Lazarus, a faith-based nonprofit with operations in Honduras and Haiti. During his tenure, the Hall moved offices, rebranded, launched a magazine during the pandemic, and transformed its signature ROMP Festival into a premiere destination event for bluegrass fans. “Chris has led our organization through a critical time, and under his stewardship the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum has grown into a destination for bluegrass music fans from around the world,” said Chris Love, chairman of the board. of Bluegrass Music Hall. of Fame & Museum.
NASHVILLE NOTES: Red Street Records are promoted Cambria Sojka as creative director, serving both country and Christian rosters at the label founded by Jay DeMarcus. In close cooperation with Sojka was recently hired Gianna Robinson as the label's digital content coordinator. Both report directly to VP Michael Steele … Former RCA Nashville promotion representative Dennis Rees joined the artist management company Neon Coast. Their marquee artist? RCA Nashville superstar Kane Brown … Business management company FBMM is promoted based in Nashville Beth Tyson and based in New York Brian Gordner to associate the business manager from the account manager.
There was a C-suite shuffle in the Muse Group, home to musician-centric digital tools like Ultimate Guitar, MuseScore, and Audacity, as well as sheet music editor Hal Leonard. Joining the company as head of development is Sven Arens, who will oversee the acquisition, engagement and retention of Muse applications and products to lead a team. He arrives from Spotify, where he led the streaming giant's subscription development team. Hal Leonard is stepping down as the publisher's longtime CFO Debbie Dickelman, who is now CFO of the whole shebang. After all, Mo Chahdi joined Muse as COO after a 20-year career that included stints at AI company Aspen and Dell Technologies. “Sven, Mo and Debbie bring deep and diverse experience to our senior leadership team,” said Eugeny Naidenov, CEO of Muse Group. “Their visionary approach, proven success in scaling businesses and passion for our mission will be invaluable as we continue to evolve to better serve our global community of musicians, educators and students.”
Nielsen hired advertising veteran Akhil Parekh as head of digital product solutions, responsible for overseeing the audience measurement company's ad products, as well as forging strategic partnerships. He joins from French advertising group Publicis Groupe, where he was most recently executive vice president and managing director… Nielsen also announced that the former executive of Snapchat, Chime, AOL, Spotify and HuffPost Jaren Grusd has joined the company as CEO of its metadata unit Gracenote. The data company was previously headed by Sujit Dasmunshiwho now assumes the role of chief operating officer.
Music Cinq are promoted Diana Schweinbeck from marketing director to senior director of artist and label services. In her new role, Schweinbeck and the company will focus on streamlining the end-to-end release process for Cinq artists and labels. Prior to joining the Los Angeles-based distributor, label and publisher, Schweinbeck ran Schweinbeck, LLC, where she offered branding and management services to emerging artists. “Diana is a seasoned operator with artist management experience and a strong network, making her ideally placed to understand the artist's needs and lead this division,” said Barry Daffurn, president and co-founder of Cinq Music.
Evelyn Ingram joined the Austin-based venue booking software company Prism.fm as senior director of strategic partnerships. Ingram is a business veteran, most recently at EventBooking and earlier at Ungerboeck and Momentum Technologies, and has maintained a “very friendly rivalry” with Prism.fm CEO Matt Ford for years, he said. “One of my favorite parts of running a company is building an amazing team, and Evelyn certainly adds to that,” added Ford. “Her experience, her love of life, the intelligence in her approach… Very excited for the future!”
General Counsel to former Directors Guild of America David Corduner they joined KM&M as a partner in Los Angeles in the firm's entertainment and employment practice. Most recently, Korduner served as svp and associate general counsel of labor relations at indie studio Fifth Season. “David's impressive experience in union relations, contract negotiations and overseeing legal and labor matters in the entertainment industry complements our entertainment industry practice,” said Bill Zuckerman, KM&M's managing director and head of the entertainment group. .
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James Dolan
