Executive Turntable
AIM CEO Paul Pacifico to Step Down at End of 2022
Paul Pacifico will exit the U.K.’s Association of Independent Music (AIM) at the end of 2022, the organization announced Monday (Aug. 15). His departure coincides with the end of his second three-year term as CEO, which officially ends on Oct. 31, though he will remain in the role through the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition. During his tenure, Pacifico led AIM through such earth-shattering chapters as Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic. He also oversaw the establishment of a free Associate Membership tier and the launch of last year’s free Future Independents online conference to foster access to learning resources and networking opportunities for entrepreneurs and artists from diverse backgrounds. More recently under Pacifico’s leadership, the organization co-created a new MA ...
Provident Entertainment Promotes Holly Zabka to President, Terry Hemmings to Depart
Provident Entertainment president/CEO Terry Hemmings will exit the company at the end of August, while Holly Zabka has been promoted to president. Zabka will report to Randy Goodman, chairman/CEO at Sony Music Nashville. Over the course of two decades at Provident, Hemmings forged a roster of faith-based artists including Casting Crowns, CAIN, Kirk Franklin and Zach Williams. Zabka, a 14-year veteran of Provident, most recently served as senior vp of Essential Music Publishing and head of creative for Provident Label Group. During Zabka’s career at Provident, the company has earned over 60 No. 1 songs and partnered with artists and songwriters including Jason Ingram, Ethan Hulse and Matt Maher. Goodman said via a statement, “Over the last two decades, Terry has played an important part in ...
Verve Label Group Ups Jamie Krents to President of Verve Imprint, Dawn Olejar to GM
UMG’s Verve Label Group has promoted Jamie Krents to president of its Verve, Impulse! and Verve Forecast labels, while the company’s executive vp Dawn Olejar has added the role of general manager to her responsibilities. The New York-based executives will both report to Dickon Stainer, president and CEO of Verve Label Group and Universal Classics and Jazz. “These two exciting promotions mark a crucial moment in the evolution of Verve,” said Stainer in a statement. “Jamie Krents becoming President of Verve and Impulse! is a true testament to his unique and exceptional vision for artist development as these legendary labels enter a new era under his stewardship. Dawn Olejar is a role model for outstanding label management, and her new combined responsibilities as EVP and General Manager refl...
Who Will Lead Warner Music Next? The 12 Top Candidates to Fill Stephen Cooper’s Role
With the announcement last week that Stephen Cooper would be stepping down from his role as CEO of the Warner Music Group by the end of 2023, industry speculation has ramped up around who might replace him. Cooper took over WMG in the summer of 2011 at a time when the company and the music business at large were in very different places than they are now: industry revenues had been tanking for a decade with no end in sight; Spotify had launched in the United States just a month prior, with streaming still a speculative format; Warner was a newly private company under the umbrella of its then-new owner, Len Blavatnik’s Access Industries; and the music group, as with much of the recorded-music sector at the time, was struggling. Cooper at the time was chairman of the company’s board and had ...
Johnny Chiang Joins Pandora to Oversee Country Programming
Johnny Chiang is set to join Pandora in the newly-created role of senior director, country programming, on July 25. He will oversee programming for country music at Pandora, and will report to vp, programming Kevin Stapleford. Chiang will continue to be based in Houston. “Words cannot adequately describe just how thrilled I am to be joining the incredible country team that Kevin Stapleford is assembling at Pandora,” said Chiang via a statement. “I want to thank Kevin and Steve Blatter for believing in me and what my experiences and skill sets can bring to the team.” Chiang previously joined Red Street Records as vp, radio promotions and artist development in January, as the label’s owners, Dan Crockett and Rascal Flatts’ Jay DeMarcus, announced the label’s country division. Prior to his wo...
Red Light Execs Van Haze, Haley McLemore & JT Pratt Launch Otter Creek Entertainment
Three Red Light Management executives — Van Haze, Haley McLemore and JT Pratt — have launched Otter Creek Entertainment, their own management and strategic partnerships company. They bring with them their existing talent roster, including artists Roman Alexander, Maddie & Tae and Brett Young. “We are a small team and have always wanted to remain independent,” Haze tells Billboard via a statement. “The past few years brought us all closer and it just felt like the right time to do it.” Haze joined Red Light Management in 2015 and previously served as vp of promotion for MCA Nashville. He also made career stops at Capitol Nashville and Universal South. McLemore joined Red Light in 2014 and previously spent time at 377 Management and Mercury Nashville. Pratt spent over four years at Red L...
Universal Music Launches Media Platform to Better Connect Artists With Brands
Universal Music Group for Brands (UMGB) has launched an advanced media and data platform designed to more easily connect brands with exclusive UMG artist content, the company announced Wednesday (June 22). Called the UMusic Media Network, the platform will give brands access to UMG’s inventory of music video content spanning all leading social platforms as well as UMG data and insights, allowing them to hyper-target audiences at scale. Content offered through the network will include official music videos, songs and lyrics videos, artist vlogs and lifestyle content from UMG-owned platforms including Rebel Labs, Mercury Studios and Polygram Entertainment. The network will also offer branded content and partnership opportunities across all of UMG’s labels and artists. UMGB claims to boast te...
SiriusXM’s Senior Director, Country Programming JR Schumann to Exit
JR Schumann, senior director of country programming at SiriusXM, will exit his role July 15, the company has announced. SiriusXM’s vp, programming, Darrin Smith, will then oversee those channels on an interim basis. “After almost seven years, I’ve decided to leave SiriusXM and pursue other opportunities and adventures,” Schumann said in a statement. “I’m beyond proud of everything my team and I have accomplished and wish everyone at SiriusXM nothing but continued success.” Schumann joined SiriusXM in December 2015, and his role included overseeing SiriusXM’s country and Christian programming, as well as the Elvis Radio channel. Prior to his role at SiriusXM, Schumann served as operations manager for Cumulus Media’s Dallas stations, as well as program director duties for country stations KS...
Executive Turntable: Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus Launches VC Music Startup; S10 Promotes Four
Veeps founder & COO Sherry Saeedi, Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus and Lippman Entertainment partner Nick Lippman launched Verswire, a new venture capital music startup, with Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz serving as a strategic advisor. The company’s founding team also includes director of A&R and branding Myia Ingoldsby as well as numerous advisors and investors including Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman and tour manager Gus Brandt. Verswire is described as a development incubator for both emerging and established artists that tailors a custom investment for each, including “funding, resources, tools, mentoring, support from prominent music executives and an ecosystem to own and operate their businesses within while allowing them to keep majority ownership of their masters,” according to a pre...
Creem Entertainment Hires Former VICE Publisher John Martin as CEO
Creem Entertainment has announced a raft of new hires, led by former VICE publisher John Martin as CEO, the company tells Billboard. Additionally, BMG Cypress Ascendant Holdings — a partnership between music manager Tautua Reed, former music executive/agent Paul Coyne and investment fund Cypress Ascendant led by businessman Bill Trzos – have come on as investors in the venture. In his new role, Martin will work alongside Creem Entertainment chairman JJ Kramer — son of Creem magazine’s co-founder and publisher Barry Kramer — as well as the magazine’s original editor Jaan Uhelszki. Martin worked in senior leadership roles at VICE Media for 18 years, starting in sales and events before working his way up to publisher. While at the company, he co-founded Munchies, a food and drink joint ventur...
Anchor Co-Founder Michael Mignano Resigns From Spotify
Michael Mignano, co-founder of the popular podcast creation platform Anchor, which was acquired by Spotify in 2019, submitted his resignation last week, a company spokesperson confirmed with Billboard. Mignano’s departure was first reported by The Verge. It is the latest shake-up on the podcasting side of Spotify. In April, a pair of top executives — Courtney Holt, head of talk partnerships, editorial and global markets, and Lydia Polgreen, managing director of Gimlet, which Spotify also acquired in 2019 — both announced plans to leave the company. Mignano founded Anchor with Nir Zicherman eight years ago. “We tried to start podcasts of our own… only to become discouraged by the complicated process and expensive hardware we found ourselves endlessly researching,” the two wrote in 2019...
Jordan Hallpike Joins WME UK Office as Crossover Music Agent
WME today announced that Jordan Hallpike has joined the company as a crossover agent in the music department, based in London. In his role, Hallpike will focus on forging new creative opportunities on behalf of WME’s client roster in addition to serving as a lead for business development projects. Hallpike comes to WME with over 10 years of experience across the music and creative sectors in Europe. He has served as the director of music at the Ibiza Rocks Group where he was responsible for talent booking, event programming, and creative direction. Hallpike is also the co-founder of the creative studio Midnight Movement, where he worked with Live Nation, Island Records, Sky, ITV, and Warner Music Group. Hallpike’s hire comes on the heels of several key promotions in the agency’s musi...
