It's time for another pivot around the Executive turntableBillboard's comprehensive(ish) rundown of promotions, hires, departures and firings — and everything in between — across music.
Warner Music Group has big plans for the sonically rich markets of Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka — and is putting longtime Warner Music India director Jay Mehta responsible for these efforts. His launch Warner Music South Asia is the company's support of the living traditions and significant potential of music markets across the region, home to more than 400 million people, as well as the dynamic diasporas around the world that support local artists. The new subsidiary will operate out of Dubai and be headed by Mehta, who adds managing director of Warner Music South Asia to his business card, but will continue as MD in India and work closely with Alfonso Perez Soto, the president of emerging markets of WMG. Warner isn't exactly starting from scratch in the region, having announced a partnership with Pakistani music production company Giraffe earlier this year and acquiring a majority stake in Sri Lankan digital music company Divo in 2023. WMG and Giraffe's first project is season 15 of the popular musical performance series Studio coc In Pakistan. “I am very happy to launch Warner Music in Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and other SAARC regions,” said Mehta. “These are exciting markets with brilliant artists who have historically not had the opportunity to connect with the global music industry. All of that is set to change.”
Based in Mumbai, Mehta has been racking up wins since launching on Warner Music India in March 2020. yuuust before the pandemic brought the world to a standstill. Within the first six months of WMI's existence, the company entered into a licensing agreement with Mumbai-based Tips Music and quickly entered into a series of collaboration agreements to distribute increasingly popular Indian local music and founded Maati, a company dedicated to Indian folk music. . In 2022, WMI signed an exclusive partnership with local label Jjust Music in a bid to boost its share of the Bollywood music market. Last year, WMI partnered with Warner Music Canada to launch 91 NORTH RECORDS to empower artists of South Asian heritage. And earlier this year, WMI expanded its partnership with Global Music Junction (GMJ), the music and entertainment subsidiary of JetSynthesys.
“This is an important moment for Warner Music,” said Simon Robson, president of international, recorded music. “We are now open for business in a number of countries that have rich musical traditions and strong global connections through their extensive diaspora. We are already working on exciting projects in Pakistan and other territories and many more are coming.”
In the meantime…
SESAC's music services division is growing with a new hire and two promotions. This week, the growing team welcomed Andy Bodkin as president of International, where he will focus on growing the services division — with a portfolio that includes HFA, AudioSalad and Audiam — on a global scale. Bodkin was previously Group CEO at music publisher Out of the Ark, but for most of his career (over 18 years) served as an executive at Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI). In addition, SESAC was promoted Rose Cooked to CEO of music services, where she will work with the company's entire portfolio, which also includes Mint and Rumblefish, to improve efficiencies in licensing, royalty collection and management services. Cook previously served as co-head of licensing at SESAC Performing Rights before being promoted to svp of SESAC Music Group operations in 2022. She reports to SMG COO Malcolm Hawker. After all, Monica Hertz is being promoted to senior director of operations, where she will report to Cook and focus her efforts on developing the company's shared services platform. He joined SESAC in 2017.
Jenny Pfaff
Jonathan Weiner
Warner Chappell Music are promoted Jenny Pfaff to the executive of strategy, integration and operations. In her elevated role, Pfaff will continue to lead the publisher's people strategy, as well as annual goal-setting initiatives and WCM's new data-driven, songwriter-focused Business Intelligence division. A WCMer since 2019, Pfaff joined as people strategy leader before being promoted to senior vice president. In 2021, he added head of global strategic integration and operations in its title. Prior to WCM, Pfaff ran her own HR firm (pfaff HR) and worked for 17 years at PwC, Activision Blizzard, Northrop Grumman and other companies. The 2022 Billboard Women in Music honoree continues to mention CEO Guy Moot and COO Carianne Marshall. “Jenni has been on this journey with us from the beginning, helping to change the way we operate as a global team so we can continue to do great work for our songwriters and their incredible songs,” Moot said. and Marshall. “She is deeply committed to Warner Chappell and has spearheaded initiatives that allow us to be more collaborative. Technology, business and data go hand in hand, and so does the work we do with Robert [Kyncl] and the team will help shape the future of music publishing.”
BMI veteran Erin Crawford was promoted to assistant vp of affiliate customer service experience, placing her at the forefront of the performance rights organization's new customer service initiative that includes a call center and hotline (844-BMI-4255). The call center team should be fully staffed by June and will include bilingual agents and expanded hours, PRO said. Crawford joined BMI in 2020 as executive director of distribution and administration services, where she led teams responsible for author and publisher relations and online services support. Prior to BMI, she spent 18 years at The Nielsen Company, rising to svp and general manager of Nielsen Music — an important position managing relationships with Advertising signlabels, publishers, promoters and other music companies.
French music conference and festival Mum said the co-founder Daniel Colling has decided to retire and will hand over ownership of the 15-year-old event to co-founder Fernando Ladeiro-Marquez. Joining him for the 2024 edition, to be held in Paris October 16-18, will be Emmanuel Legrand as coordinator of the MaMA conference, Emily Gonneau as curator, and Flavien Appavou and Elise Jacob as coordinators. “We will continue to honor MaMA's legacy as a key industry gathering,” said Ladeiro-Marques. “We also want it to be the premier forum to explore the future of our industry and the place to invent the music business of tomorrow. In addition, the MaMA festival will continue to showcase emerging artists at a time when exposure windows are needed more than ever.”
TABLE SHORTS: Round Hill Music added ex American Idol judge Randy Jackson and management John Greenberg as consultants. In the roles, Jackson and Greenberg will support Round Hill's executive team in deal sourcing and artist relations… CEO AI Fund Andrew Ng replaced former MTV CEO Judy McGrath Amazonof the board of directors… The National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) in Nashville was elected Brian Sexton and Keri Floyd Kelly on its board of directors. Both will serve three-year terms.
RoExthe tech startup behind the AI-powered mixing platform Automix has been hired Jason Reed as head of development and operations. Reed will focus on developing RoEx's audio production tools, as well as building B2B partnerships around the company's audio engine API, Tonn. Reid arrives from the Roundhouse Trust, where he was senior product owner. His previous positions include Head of Technology at Domino, Head of Global Marketing at FUGA and Head of Digital at Ministry of Recording. Reed is based in London and reports to RoEx chief David Ronan.
ICYMI:
Silvia Modelo
