Virgin Music President Jacqueline Saturn on Navigating COVID, a Rebrand & the Distribution Craze

Before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, Caroline Distribution staffers were able to renovate their floor of the famed Capitol Tower to meet their particular needs: open floor plan, no offices, a collaborative environment where sharing ideas freely became paramount. So when office life shut down, president Jacqueline Saturn did what she could to try to preserve some of that open-air feel in which her team had begun to thrive: she invited the staff to her back yard, where a friend had a banner made with the division’s logo that hung above an area where her team could work outside.

“People really needed a safe space, so that’s how it started — we could have people spaced here, people could wear their mask and be six feet apart and that was the beginning of it,” she tells Billboard. “It really made people feel like we could still operate how we used to. When you’re creating that environment that is all about teamwork, all about collaborative energy, all about ideas, talking to the person next to you, and then that goes away, immediately I was just like, ‘We have to keep people’s belief in the system at a high level.’”

Midway through the pandemic, Caroline also got an overhaul, and a new name: Virgin Music Artist & Label Services, which Saturn now oversees in the U.S. as president. Virgin — part of the Universal Music Group under the Capitol Music Group umbrella — launched last February with divisions in Japan, U.K., Germany and France and across Latin America, with additional territories like Australia and Brazil added over the course of the year, largely built upon Caroline’s existing foundations to give indie artists and labels access to services from the overall UMG system, including distribution. And the rebrand came with the added cache of the global institution associated with Virgin Records founder Richard Branson, who opened his original record label in the U.K. in 1972 with acts like the Sex Pistols, David Bowie and, through the years, Janet Jackson and Aaliyah.

“What the name Virgin represents and how important it is to entrepreneurs around the world has resonated with so many people,” Saturn says, one year after the rebrand took effect. “I think it was even bigger than what we imagined, with not just the name change, but just where you felt like everyone was believing in what we were doing.”

The change also came amid a surge in interest in the world of distribution, with some established players launching new distribution wings and divisions; others acquiring indie distribution companies; and standalone distributors raising millions in investment, all while more independent artists seek alternative ways of navigating the business. Meanwhile, Virgin has been busy on its own front with its partnerships with Quality Control (Lil Baby, Migos), 10K Projects (Trippie Redd, Internet Money, iann dior) and Photo Finish Records (SHAED, McKenna Grace), among many others; signing LAUV and Maggie Lindemann; and working with Acraze, whose song “Do It To It” featuring Cherish is the most-streamed dance/electronic song of the year so far in the U.S., according to MRC Data, at over 37 million streams in 2022 alone.

Saturn spoke to Billboard about Virgin’s one-year mark, the surge in interest in independent distribution and the global reach of the company, all while her staff continues to meet and work in her back yard (and, yes, that Caroline banner was updated with a new Virgin one). “When you’re stuck at home, sometimes your brain isn’t as creative — you need to feel that energy from other people,” she says. “It really changed everything for us and really helped us stay connected, stay motivated, stay driven, stay safe and continue our productivity so that we could really deliver.”

It’s been a year since Virgin’s rebrand was announced. How has that gone?

I think that when the change came, [it was] not just the name but some of the ways we were structuring things as a global network. It’s been so exciting to be a part of that around the world. And also our ability to be the best global label services company out there. We’ve been able to hire more people and grow the company. There was an energy behind the change, and we still feel it. It comes with so much opportunity.

What is the power of that brand name around the world?

It’s huge. When we were building the company and trying to show what we stand for — being part of the independent community but being the best-in-class label services around the world — when you have a name like that, it makes sense and it really adds value. And suddenly it opened us up to a lot and connected the dots in what we’ve been doing and what we’ve been building to how we operate globally. We’ve already had some incredible success stories and incredible artist and label partners, but it certainly opened up that conversation for a lot of new opportunities. And it still is.

The announcement also came with news of a global structure and new territories were brought on throughout the year. What has that allowed you to do differently?

I just feel like our communication and our ability to really focus on the artist development process around the world is at an all-time high. We can identify opportunities or songs popping off in Indonesia or the U.K. or Australia and we just know how to tell that story around the world. I’ve got to be honest, it’s been so exciting and a lot of fun and very fiery, but it also is a part of how we’ve been able to build the company and hone in on that communication, which is so important, and that has grown and changed in the best way possible. Like, I look back a year and I’m so proud of all of our growth. Especially where we’ve been in the pandemic, to know our systems and communication globally is so on point, that’s such an important thing when you’re talking to artists and label partners who really want to break globally. They want to know that that is something that’s as important to you as it is to them.

Over the last several years, as more and more artists are seeking an independent route, has Virgin added services or support?

We’re so lucky to get to work with so many independent artists, but they have massive ambitions and goals and dreams that they, too, want to deliver on. And for us, we knew that we wanted to be the best in class, the best in services, that we could operate as “a label,” even though it’s just services, and help these labels achieve their goals. I would say that in the job that I’ve been doing they want all the services and they want that extra team and extra muscle to help them drive their business while they’re doing what they do best, which is being an incredible artist and executing their vision. But there’s so many other things that they want our help with. But it’s been an incredible marriage. Yes, we’ve grown and we try to elevate our game at all times. That means bringing in new people, that means thinking differently, that means being on top of everything so that we can offer those services to artists immediately.

There have been several leadership changes at Capitol since Steve Barnett left. Has that been difficult?

The new head of Capitol, Michelle Jubelirer, and I have been working closely together since I was in the building, so I’m so excited for her. When I was being courted to leave New York and Sony to come over to the Capitol Music Group, I remember Michelle coming to New York and having dinner with me, that was our first meeting. So we’ve been really connected since 2013. So to me, this feels more incredible than ever and I’m so excited for everything she’s going to do.

In January, in an interview for our Power List, UMG chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge singled out Virgin as a point of pride for him in the past year, saying “we know what our ambition is for Virgin in the future, which is gonna be something.” What does that mean to you?

It just means this area of the business is so important to him and to all of us, and that’s why we continue to have success stories and grow and scale the business. I mean, it makes me happy — I’ve heard that personally as well. But I think it’s an exciting time for this area of the business, I really do. I always say, the music business is a wonderful place. There are places for every artist for what they want, no matter what route you go. That’s what I love about it. Because I’ve been in the business for a minute. But to be able to look an independent artist in the eye and be like, “We’re going to be here for you, we’re going to execute your vision and we’re going to give you as much help as you need or want and do this with you,” and make good on your word, is powerful. Because there are so many artists out there who have built their careers and they want to continue it.

It seems recently that everyone wants in on the distribution space, with some distributors being acquired by larger companies and others taking on millions in investment. Have you seen that as well?

[Laughs] Yeah. Like I said, it’s an exciting area of the business and a lot of people are trying to find an entrance point. I would tell you that it’s extremely challenging. It’s a lot of work. This job is not for everyone, but it’s for me. I would say that every job in the business is hard, I just know how dedicated we are and how hard we work and that this business is 24/7. We’re proud of the hard work we put in, we’re proud of the relationships. If you ask people, they would say, any issue or concern, at any time, you’re going to be able to reach people. That’s the kind of company we run. And sometimes people will say to me, “We’re going to get into [distribution],” and I’m like, “Be careful.”

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