Executive Turntable: CMG Names Digital Marketing SVP, Atlantic Taps Viral Marketing Head

Rebecca “Dimplez” Ijeoma was named senior vp, digital marketing & content development at Capitol Music Group (CMG). Ijeoma will co-lead the company’s digital department alongside CMG senior vp, digital strategy, business development & operations Nicholas Osborne out of CMG’s Hollywood headquarters.

In the role, Dimplez will be tasked with strengthening marketing collaborations with digital and social media partners through campaigns and projects, while focusing on direct-to-fan engagement and commerce on a marketing campaign level.

Dimplez’s hire marks a return for the executive at CMG, where she previously served as director, digital marketing from early 2017 through more than half of 2018. In that role, she was a key force in launching R&B singer Queen Naija, among other projects.

Most recently, Dimplez headed up her own marketing agency, IJEOMA, for four years. During her time there, she and her team handled lifestyle marketing, brand partnership and digital strategy agency for RCA Records, digital and social media strategy for Warner Music Group and commercial sales and DSP strategy for Rostrum Records, among other companies. While leading the company, Dimplez personally spearheaded all marketing, digital and project efforts with DJ Premier on the release of hip-hop duo Gang Starr’s 2019 comeback album One Of The Best Yet.

“Dimplez is a culture-builder and thought-leader in the digital space, and she is bringing to CMG all of the qualities that are synonymous with our new era: She is an artists-first executive who is highly innovative, creative, resourceful and inspiring to all who have the pleasure of working with her,” said CMG chair & CEO Michelle Jubelirer and president Arjun Pulijal in a joint statement.

“Capitol Records was the first major label I ever worked for, so this is a full-circle moment for me,” said Ijeoma. “Capitol Music Group has always represented the superstar artists that impact music for generations to come, and I could not be more excited to be rejoining the team!”

Before her 2017 hire at CMG, Dimplez served in roles in various parts of the music industry, including at Yo! Raps magazine, The Smoking Section (now Uproxx) and as director, digital marketing for Ne-Yo’s Compound.

In the wake of her departure at IJEOMA, the agency will continue under the leadership of Ijeoma’s former partner, John King.

Brian Dackowski was elevated to the newly created role of executive vp, viral marketing & analytics at Atlantic Records.

In the role, Dackowski will join Atlantic’s marketing senior leadership team alongside the label’s other marketing heads. He’ll continue leading his current roster while working with the entire marketing staff to identify and market both frontline and catalog opportunities on the viral side. Additionally, he’ll be overseeing a marketing analytics team and the video content team, who will focus on opportunities to build fanbases for Atlantic artists via short-form content on TikTok, Reels, Shorts and more.

Dackowski joined Atlantic in 2004 and went on to develop and launch the label’s new artist development incubator The Shop. More recently, he partnered with the A&R and digital marketing departments to amplify opportunities for Atlantic artists across various platforms.

Larry Mestel, founder and CEO of Primary Wave Music, was appointed to the board of directors at the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA). Coming in with 30 years of experience on both the label and publishing sides of the business, Mestel brings a well-rounded perspective to the board.

Irwin Robinson, NMPA board chairman, said of the appointment, “Larry has always had great vision about where the business is headed and has closely fostered the careers of some of the most talented songwriters in the world. I am thrilled to welcome him to the board and know he will make an immediate impact as we confront so many exciting changes and massive challenges.”

The association’s president and CEO, David Israelite, added, “I have known and respected Larry for many years and am so excited to have him on our board as we lead the charge for music creators to be properly valued, a mission Larry takes very seriously. He has been a strategic leader in all facets of our industry and was ahead of the curve on many of the biggest trends we’re seeing today. Known for his passion and commitment to creators, his insight and experience will be huge assets to our leadership.” – Kristin Robinson

Warner Chappell Music promoted David Goldsen to A&R head, Australia and vp, creative.

With the promotion, Goldsen will relocate from New York to WCM’s Los Angeles headquarters, where he’ll lead the A&R strategy for Australia while continuing to support the company’s U.S. and UK efforts. He’ll report to WCM co-chair and CEO Guy Moot while also working closely with WCM Australia managing director Matthew Capper, WCM North American president Ryan Press and WCM UK managing director Shani Gonzales as they look to connect WCM’s Australian songwriters with artists and songwriters in other countries.

“With music becoming increasingly more global, we’re prioritizing our A&R efforts in Australia, which is exploding with incredible talent,” said Moot and Warner Chappell co-chair and COO Carianne Marshall in a joint statement. “David has already built an internationally recognizable roster with acts like Tones and I, Vance Joy, and Cavetown, so his transition into this role is a natural one. His relationships and creative expertise will bring exciting international opportunities to both our current Australian hitmakers and future signings, connecting them with our global roster and beyond.”

“This is an incredible opportunity to help local songwriters broaden their reach and collaborate with different artists, writers, and producers across borders and genres,” added Goldsen. “I’m equally as excited to continue working closely with Ryan and Shani to introduce our U.S. and international writers to Australia’s explosive music scene and exceptional talent.”

Goldsen, who joined Warner Chappell in 2009, currently manages Tones and I, Cavetown, Nathaniel Rateliff, Vance Joy, Mitski, Two Feet and The Knocks for the company.

Wasserman Music hired two new agents and promoted six employees to agent. Matt Elam joined the Wasserman team after more than a decade at WME, while Sahil Mehta comes over from Madison House, where he developed a roster of primarily electronic music artists over the last three years.

Stephanie Aristakesian, Zach Berkowitz, Alex Guaraldi, Daniel Lee, Leigh Millhauser and Jeff Molek will move up the ranks at Wasserman and work as agents. Aristakesian, Berkowitz and Millhauser launched their careers with agency AM Only, which joined Paradigm in 2017. Wasserman Music acquired Paradigm’s live roster in 2021. Lee worked in the talent and comedy departments before landing on music at Paradigm in 2017. Molek launched his career with Chicago concert promoter mP Productions before moving to The Windish Agency in 2013. Guaraldi is now an agent in Wasserman Music’s corporate and special events department.

In addition to the eight new agents, Wasserman Music promoted Antonio Dell’Aglio to director, touring and Mohammad Shah to manager, touring. Dell’Aglio worked across electronic and Latin music with clients including Tiësto, David Guetta and DJ Snake. Shah liaises with Wasserman Music’s business & legal affairs team on issues affecting agent teams and is a member of Wasserman’s DE&I council.

“At Wasserman Music, we take great pride in emphasizing mentorship and positive career growth for all our people,” said Wasserman Music executive vp and managing executive Lee Anderson. “We’re so proud of this newly promoted group of agents, who’ve been important members of this team for years and are all richly deserving of this next step.” – Taylor Mims

The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) revealed its 2022 Black Independent Music Accelerator (BIMA) advisory council.

Those named to the council include Fotemah Mba, A&R head, general market, Cinq Music Group; Courtnay Moriarty, senior digital rights manager, Pex; Kristine Mbadugha, manager, independent music partnerships, YouTube Music; Henoch Moore, creative director and A&R for NA, Warp Records; Madeline Nelson, head of indies, Amazon Music; Taryn Brown, founding principal, Taryn Brown & Co.; Marcus Hollinger, senior vp, marketing, Reach Records; Rachel White, director, social marketing & community engagement, Sub Pop Records; and Omega George, vp marketing, label relations & strategic partnerships, MNRK Nashville.

“I’m joining the council because I am passionate about amplifying anti-racist efforts within the music industry,” said White in a statement. “BIMA’s initiative removes barriers to entry and provides one-on-one industry mentorship for Black-owned businesses, which is an invaluable step towards equitable access.”

Moriarty added, “After being involved with BIMA’s inception, I’m so excited that it’s continuing into a second year. Seeing this program get closer to achieving its original vision is so inspiring and I can’t wait to meet the next group of fellows.”

“I’m joining the council because I am passionate about the progression of Black-owned businesses within the music industry,” said Mbadugha. “BIMA is an impactful initiative founded on the principle of amplifying black voices and I want to support that.”

In addition to its advisory council, BIMA revealed its 2022 BIMA fellows, who will take part in an initiative designed to amplify Black voices in the independent music community.

The 2022 fellows are: Formation Creative, MuSample, CleerKut, Mission Road Sound, Aces Nation, Good Stuff, The Bassline Group, Lend Me Your Ear, Like The Singer Records, Family First Music Group, TEAM, SAY THX, Culture Villains and 7000COILS.

Joshua “J1” Raiford was promoted to vp, music programming at SiriusXM/Pandora. He was previously director, hip-hop at Pandora and program director of SiriusXM Pandora Now.

Raiford will create new programming and content opportunities across the SiriusXM and Pandora platforms in his new role. He will continue to be responsible for hip-hop content on Pandora and programming for SiriusXM Pandora Now but will focus more on creating unique internal and external content and programming opportunities across both platforms.

“I promise to continue to innovate, work diligently and be an advocate of Black Culture within the company and music business as a whole, as well as create opportunities for the next wave of leaders and talent,” said Raiford in a statement.

YMU launched a new label, AmperSounds, that will serve as a home for new and emerging talent from YMU’s own management roster and beyond. The label will be led by Alistair White, head, streaming and audience at YMU.

The AmperSounds launch includes a global partnership with Believe to lend its expertise in A&R, marketing, digital exploitation and promotion and to manage and oversee all aspects of the new label’s artist campaigns. The partnership will be led on the Believe side by senior label manager Samantha Connaughton.

White joined YMU when the company acquired Machine Management in 2018. He has worked on numerous releases for YMU artists, including Clean Bandit.

Along with the launch, AmperSounds also announced it signed Irish singer-songwriter Lucy McWilliams and Essex indie-pop artist Oli Fox.

“We already have a wealth of amazing in-house talent at YMU, which has a fantastic track record of overseeing all aspects of numerous successful campaigns, so it made complete sense to launch our own label which can be a launchpad for new and emerging talent that we already represent or other great artists we discover,” said White in a statement.

Music Venue Trust (MVT) announced several changes to its board of trustees, including the appointment of new co-chairs Bonita McKinney and Phyllis Belezos, who jointly succeed Sarah Thirtle in the role. Meanwhile, Scott Taylforth joined the board as treasurer.

McKinney, who is label & partnerships manager at Ingrooves, joined MVT as a trustee in 2019. Belezos is the director of Heliocentric Entertainment, a music talent booking & consultancy agency. She became an industry patron for MVT in 2013 and joined the board of trustees in March 2019.

According to a press release, both McKinney and Belezos played a key role within MVT throughout the pandemic, including work on the successful #SaveOurVenues campaign.

Taylforth serves as finance manager, UK client settlements at Ticketmaster.

Stepping down from the board after four years is Bengi Unsal, formerly head of contemporary music at Southbank Centre. Unsal, who is now director of the Institute of Contemporary Art, moves to the role of industry patron of MTV.

MVT will continue to develop its board. Those interested are being directed to visit musicvenuetrust.com/team/.

Travis James has left UTA to join Action Entertainment Collaborative (AEC), which was founded last year by Nick Meinema and partner Greg Baker. James will bring country artists John Michael Montgomery, John Anderson, Collin Raye, Aaron Tippin, Confederate Railroad and The Kentucky Headhunters to the boutique agency.

“I met Nick in 2014 and worked with him daily through 2020,” said James in a statement. “The pandemic changed the touring landscape forever and gave many of us enough pause to reprioritize our approach to booking. I’m a ‘Greatest Hits’ agent. My passion and happiness lies within the box set artists. As I looked around town, it was no surprise that Nick, Charley and staff were redefining that agency model in a way I’ve never seen.”

AEC’s Nashville-based office also represents Trace Adkins, TLC, Terri Clark and Lonestar.

James can be reached at travis.james@action-ent.com and at 615-208-9596.

Big Machine Label Group (BMLG) hired Rick Myers as senior vp, finance. Myers will oversee the company’s finance and royalty departments and will report to BMLG CEO/chairman Scott Borchetta, as well as HYBE America CFO Eric Holden.

During his 25 years of industry experience, Myers has served as founder/president of 12South Financial; vp, corporate controller and program management officer for Integrity Music; owner/operator of Solomon Financial; and most recently, as COO/managing director of Courage Music.

“Rick has an incredible reputation for leading successful finance teams with integrity,” Borchetta said in a statement. “He will be a great asset to our team, our artists and our partners as we continue to grow our footprint in music and beyond.”

“I am excited to join Big Machine Label Group and continue the legacy that Scott Borchetta, Andrew Kautz and the rest of the team have built. I am honored to serve this dream team,” Myers added. – Jessica Nicholson

Nashville-based business management and consulting firm O’Neil Hagaman promoted Craig Owens and Sam Powers from principals to co-heads of the company’s intellectual property group (formerly the special projects division). In their new roles, Owens and Powers will oversee all aspects of intellectual property issues for O’Neil Hagaman’s clients, including purchase and sale of publishing, overseeing the administration of active artist-owned labels and more.

Owens has worked for O’Neil Hagaman since 1994, while Powers has worked in the special projects division since 2007.

“Everyone who knows Craig and Sam knows that they are the backbone of this growing area of our business. Truthfully, I have been working in support of their front-line efforts for many years. We are pleased to formalize their leadership positions in this area,” said O’Neil Hagaman co-founder and partner Kerry O’Neil. – Jessica Nicholson

Brian Thiele joined Curb/Word Entertainment as vp, Christian promotion, and Jeri Cooper was promoted to senior vp, Christian promotion. Jen Allen and Samantha Evangelista will continue in their respective roles as national director, promotion and coordinator, national promotion.

It was concurrently announced that Black River Christian artist Hannah Kerr, known for singles including “Warrior” and “Split The Sea,” also joined the Curb/Word Entertainment roster.

“We welcome Hannah to the Curb | Word family,” said Mike Curb, chairman of Curb/Word Entertainment. “Black River has done a tremendous job establishing Hannah, and we look forward to building on that success in the future.” – Jessica Nicholson

The Syndicate hired Shane Greenberg as senior manager, publicity.

Greenberg arrives at the company from Planetary Group, where he served as head of the press department and spearheaded PR campaigns for clients including The Babe Rainbow, Parisian record label Kitsuné Musique, Lisa Heller and Vapors of Morphine. Before that, he was junior publicist at Grandstand.

Greenberg started his career in 2013 at the indie record label and boutique PR agency Friends of Friends. He started interning at Motormouth Media the following year before moving to Grandstand in 2017.

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