Josh Remsberg was named senior vp, commercial revenue at Warner Records.
The Los Angeles-based Remsberg joins Warner from Universal Music Group’s Capitol Records, where he’s served as senior vp, commerce & business development since 2020. In his new role, he’ll report to and work closely with Warner Records executive vp, promotion & commerce Mike Chester to develop and implement the label’s new release and long-term sales strategy and artists campaigns across streaming, digital and commercial platforms and accounts.
Remsberg joined UMG in 2001 as an 18-year-old college representative at the University of Michigan. After graduating, he was hired as a field rep for Geffen Records in Detroit. He later worked for UMG’s distribution arm with a focus on the Republic and Motown labels. He climbed the company ladder to eventually become a lead on the marketing team at Universal Music Group Distribution (UMGD) before decamping for Capitol.
In his role at Capitol, Remberg worked with artists including Paul McCartney, Katy Perry and Halsey. He was also a co-leader of the label’s business development and innovation team.
In a statement, Chester called Remsberg “one of the most respected and accomplished execs in our business” who “brings a wealth of experience and perspective to his post.”
“The industry is evolving rapidly, and I’m looking forward to helping this great label seize every opportunity to do world-class work in support of our talent,” Remsberg added.
The distribution and payments platform Stem strengthened its artist and label strategy team with two promotions and one new hire.
Seth Faber, the company’s former East Coast head, was promoted to vp, artist & label strategy. Faber, who joined Stem in 2020, will now oversee the entirety of Stem’s artist and label experience and the expansion of its artist development services. Since joining Stem, Faber has signed artists including Foster The People, 3LAU, Morgxn and Rachel Platten.
Vivian Yohannes was hired as director, artist & label strategy, hip hop and r&b. A veteran of Epic Records and Motown Records, Yohannes joins Stem from indie label hardpink records, where she served as general manager.
Kylie Everitt was elevated to artist & label strategy manager. Everitt, who joined Stem in 2018 and has worked with artists including Brent Faiyaz, Due Saleh and Noname, will now be responsible for driving marketing campaigns for Stem’s roster of artists.
“As we continue to grow our distribution offering, we are committed to artist-centric thinking,” said Kristin Graziani, president, distribution at Stem. “Intelligently investing in Artist & Label services continues to be vital to our success. I’m excited to have Seth at the helm as we surround our artists with the strategic guidance and resources they need to grow their fanbase.” – Micah Singleton
Podcast production studio Audio Up hired PJ Bloom as co-president, music and Christine Kauffman as executive vp, brand strategy and partnerships. Bloom will serve as co-president alongside John Ingrassia, who joined the company in 2020.
Bloom’s extensive resume includes leading music supervision for the blockbuster Glee franchise. He’s a two-time Guild of Music Supervisors Award winner, two-time ASCAP Pop Award winner and four-time BMI Award winner. He was previously named to Billboard’s annual Power 100 list. At Warner Records, Bloom oversaw creative, marketing and licensing of the label’s roster in film, television, sports, gaming and soundtracks.
Kauffman’s recent roles include strategic marketing and brand positions at Island Records and music marketing and strategy agency Giant Step. At Island, where she served as senior vp of brand partnerships, Kauffman spearhead global marketing campaigns while overseeing initiatives like Island’s 60th anniversary events as well as the One Love Hotel in partnership with Primary Wave. Named a Billboard Branding Power Player in 2019, Kauffman has also worked at EMI Music, UMG, DreamWorks Records, iHeartMedia, Condé Nast, The Daily Beast and InStyle.
“Audio Up is on a unique and exciting trajectory as we build our array of entertainment titles,” said Audio Up founder and CEO Jared Gutstadt in a statement. “We have a 360 degree approach to our music based content, and having PJ and Christine in play represents just how TV, music and brands will become part of the Audio Up strategy. Having best in class music, brand and television executives on our side is a game changer, and will allow us true flexibility and autonomy as we grow our brand.”
Warner Music launched EH Brasil, a new label focused on the country’s Northeast region, which boasts a population of nearly 60 million. The new venture will be led by directors Samuel Pedro and Vinicius Lamournier Lopes De Araujo, who are both experts in music from the region.
To launch the label, Pedro and Lamournier Lopes De Araujo will collaborate with producer trio Mad Dogz, who have a successful track record working with artists in the region. Among others, they helped Mari Fernandez record the hit song “Ficante Fiel,” which boasts 33 million streams and 15 million YouTube views, according to a press release. They also recorded “Sem Querer Querendo” with Marcinho Sensação, generating nine million streams to date, and “Love Love + Eu” with Felipe Amorim.
EH Brasil’s first signee is Samarony O Vaqueiro, whose song “Linda Charmosa” is currently scaling the Brazilian charts. According to the release, it has generated over 4.5 million streams and 1.6 million YouTube views to date.
Brazil’s Northeast region is home to piserio, a genre of music that combines electronic keyboards with vocal harmonization, often played through a loudspeaker known as a paredão. The genre has helped shape a brega funk-influenced style known as pisadinha (small step), which has been gaining in popularity in recent years. Other popular styles in the region include bregadeira and vaquejada.
Sérgio Affonso Fernandes, president of Warner Music Brazil, said in a statement, “Brazil’s Northeast region is the birthplace of unparalleled talent and it deserves special attention from scouts, entrepreneurs and record labels. With that in mind, we’ve created the new EH Brasil label to discover and support artists from these very special genres who have the potential to become stars across the country and beyond.”
Purplebeat Music named Eric Daigle and Andy Friday as co-heads, creative at the Nashville and Los Angeles-based music publishing and management company.
The Purplebeat Music roster includes Shane Stevens and Nash Overstreet, as well as catalogs from writers including Angelo Petraglia and Ruby Amanfu.
Daigle joined Purplebeat Music in 2017 after working as general manager for artist development company Holy Graffiti (which he co-owns and founded with Stevens). Friday also joined Purplebeat in 2017, after serving as manager and senior director, new media at Bob Doyle and Associates/Major Bob Music.
Mike Doyle, Purplebeat Music general manager, said in a statement, “Eric and Andy are truly devoted to our writers and the success of their careers. They both have shown quick growth and clear insight on supporting and leading a creative team. They have hearts for music and minds for business. A very rare and valuable combination.” – Jessica Nicholson
Audio Engineering Society (AES) executive director Colleen Harper will step down from her role in March 2022 after three years in the position.
During her tenure, Harper worked with the society’s volunteer leadership, members and industry partners to shepherd the organization through a period of “rapid transition” due to the pandemic, according to a press release.
The AES board of directors is in the process of creating a search committee that will work with an outside search firm to select Harper’s permanent replacement. Bill Foster, an AES veteran who previously served as interim executive director during the search that led to Harper’s hire, has agreed to serve in the role once again following her departure.
“The AES has been privileged to have Colleen’s experience and unique skill set to rely upon during trying times,” said Josh Reiss, AES president. “Not only is the AES in the best financial position it’s been in for years, despite a global pandemic, but Colleen has also helped usher in forward-looking operational plans, procedures and practices that will further solidify the Society’s role as the world’s leading professional audio technological organization. On behalf of the Board of Directors, the Board of Governors and the Society’s membership, we offer Colleen our sincere gratitude and wish her well as her career takes her in new directions.”
“I care deeply about the AES, and I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished together,” Harper added. “The past three years have been a tremendously rewarding experience and some of the most challenging and enjoyable years I could have imagined. My decision to step down has been a difficult one, but I leave knowing that I have accomplished the goals established when I joined the AES. As I leave to pursue a new challenge, I am genuinely sad to leave the Society, its dedicated staff and leadership, and the wonderful community that has accepted me as one of its own.”
The Americana Music Association revealed its 2022 board of directors. Newly-appointed board members include Tressie McMillan Cottom (author, MacArthur “Genius Grant” Award recipient), Gina Miller (senior vp/general manager, MNRK Music [formerly eOne Music]), Andrea von Foerster (music supervisor, Firestarter Music) and Megan West (director, music label partnerships for Meta, Inc.).
Attorney John Strohm was elected to the board of directors for a second term, while the Board also approved its 2022 executive committee to include president Courtney Gregg (Carnival Music), past president Garth Fundis (producer/Slate Creek Records), president-elect Bruce Warren (WXPN, Philly/NPR), treasurer Kurt Vitolo (KV Financial Group) and secretary Lynne Sheridan (Grammy Museum). The executive committee’s new at-large members are Kim Buie (New West Records), Gail Gellman (Gellman Management), Shannon Sanders (BMI/producer) and Sally Williams (Live Nation).
The full list of the Americana Music Association’s 24-member board of directors is below:
Kim Buie, New West Records
Emily Cohen, Amazon Music
Tressie McMillan Cottom, Author/MacArthur “Genius Grant” Award Recipient
Garth Fundis, Producer/Slate Creek Records
Gail Gellman, Gellman Management
Brian Greenbaum, CAA
Courtney Gregg, Carnival Music
Mike Kopp, Kopp Management/Arts Advocate/Political Consultant
Jackie Marushka, Marushka Media
Gina Miller, MNRK Music (formerly eOne Music)
Mark Moffatt, Producer
Lindsay Reid, Thirty Tigers
Allison Russell, Artist
Shannon Sanders, BMI/Producer
Lynne Sheridan, Grammy Museum
John Strohm, Attorney
Jonathan Taplin, Annenberg Innovation Lab, USC
Kurt Vitolo, KV Financial Group
Andrea von Foerster, Firestarter Music
Bruce Warren, WXPN, Philly/NPR
Megan West, Meta, Inc.
Jody Whelan, Oh Boy Records
Rachel Whitney, Spotify
Sally Williams, Live Nation – Jessica Nicholson
Vinny Cinquemani joined Paquin Entertainment Group’s agency division as co-president alongside Julien Paquin.
Considered one of Canada’s top booking agents, Cinquemani has won Booking Agent of the Year at the Canadian Music Industry Awards a record 10 times. He comes to Paquin from S.L. Feldman & Associates, where he’s worked since 1994.
Cinquemani’s roster at Paquin will include The Offspring, Simple Plan and David Foster, among many others.
“I am thrilled to join the Paquin team,” said Cinquemani in a statement. “Gilles and Julien Paquin have been leaders in the entertainment industry for decades, and I am elated to take on my role as Co-President of the agency. This is a tremendously talented team and I’m excited to be here. I look forward to many more years of continuing to work with this nation’s premier artists and their management teams, as well as developing the new talent that this country has in abundance.”
REVOLT hired Diondre Lewis as consulting chief technology officer and Chantelle Silveira as senior vp, product management. Both will work closely with REVOLT CEO Detavio Samuels and the senior leadership team to support the company’s omnichannel digital roadmap and upcoming initiatives.
Lewis is an enterprise software expert with over 19 years of experience leading technology organizations both large and small. He is a subject matter expert and hands-developer with digital, gaming, mobility, cloud, blockchain and other distributed ledger technologies. He has served in roles at IBM, AT&T, Lowes, the Federal Reserve Bank, IBG Software, SavageX Fenty and several seed-stage startup operations. Additionally, he founded IBG Institute, a 501(c)3 public charity that has helped tens of thousands of BIPOC students land high-paying tech jobs through free tech training programs and mentorship.
Silveira has over 25 years of experience scaling content and commerce platforms. At REVOLT, she’ll help build a “world-class Product organization to support its omnichannel digital roadmap,” according to a press release. She was previously chief product officer at Ranker, where she launched Ranker Insights, a SaaS platform providing consumer tastes and preferences to entertainment marketers. More recently, she founded Watchworthy, a platform-agnostic TV show recommendation app powered by consumer opinion data. She has also held roles at Myspace, Shopzilla, Time Warner and FreeCreditReport.com. Currently, she serves as a board member at (and was an early investor in) Sabio, a coding bootcamp helping women and individuals from underrepresented populations transition into engineering careers.
Jasen Emmons joined the Grammy Museum as chief curator and vp, curatorial affairs, effective immediately. In his role, Emmons is the museum’s creative leader who provides an overarching vision for exhibitions that speak to music’s rich history as a cultural, social and economic change agent. He also serves as the primary host of its public programs. Emmons will lead the curatorial team of Nicholas Vega, curator and director of exhibitions; Kelsey Goelz, associate curator; and Hillary Morimoto, senior registrar and collections manager.
Prior to joining the Grammy Museum, Emmons spent two decades in Seattle at Experience Music Project, which is now the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP). As the museum’s director of curatorial affairs, Emmons played a key role in helping the institution evolve from its original focus on popular music to a broader lens of pop culture. During his tenure, Emmons oversaw more than 45 exhibits, including 11 traveling exhibits, and curated or co-curated nine exhibits, including Bob Dylan’s American Journey, 1956-1966 and American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music.
Emmons will report to Rita George, who was recently promoted to chief program officer. – Paul Grein
Nashville-based non-profit Music Health Alliance (MHA) announced one new hire and two promotions.
Shelia Shipley Biddy was promoted from COO to CFO, while Nikki Black was elevated from senior director, advocacy to vp, programs & policy. Biddy can be reached at shelia@musichealthalliance.com and Black can be reached at Nikki@musichealthalliance.com.
Meanwhile, Laura Flagler Crowell was hired as executive administrator to the MHA’s CEO. Crowell started her career in radio promotion at labels including Decca Records and Atlantic Records. She also served as an executive assistant at RPM Management and as an assistant at Pro Tours, Inc./Ken Stilts Management. She can be reached at laura@musichealthalliance.com.
Colby “Colb” Tyner was promoted to senior vp, programming at Radio One and Reach Media.
An industry veteran, Tyner has served in various roles at Radio One over the last two decades. His previous role was vp, programing at Radio One, where he increased ratings for several brands, wooed major talent for NTR events and TV One programs and launched nationally syndicated radio shows including The Morning Hustle and Get Up Mornings with Erica Campbell.
During his tenure, Tyner has provided leadership for revenue-generating programming and promotional initiatives and executive produced Reach Media’s podcast series, The Undressing Room, in partnership with Macy’s.
Tyner started his career as an intern and assistant program director at Philadelphia radio station WUSL and later served as a music director at Power 105 (WPPR) in New York City. He has also worked in the Cleveland market.
Downtown Music Holdings promoted Claire Jacobs to Downtown’s vp, international legal & business affairs and elevated Amber Charania to director, legal & business affairs.
Jacobs, who was previously corporate legal affairs head at Downtown’s FUGA subsidiary, will oversee all international corporate legal activities for Downtown. She joined FUGA in March 2019 and was instrumental in FUGA’s sale to Downtown while also leading FUGA’s international expansion and GDPR compliance. Prior to that, she was legal counsel at TPV Technology, Gibson Brands, Apple and TomTom NV. She is based in Amsterdam.
Charania was previously legal counsel for Downtown. In her new role, she’ll continue providing legal support across Downtown’s business in a variety of global legal and finance matters including mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financings and corporate governance. Charania joined Downtown in October 2020, having previously served as a corporate attorney at a large international law firm before spending several years in music law.
Kobalt promoted Emily Bines to vp, creative.
The Los Angeles-based Bines has signed several key Kobalt clients, including Clarence Coffee Jr, Nick Long and Channel Tres. She also works closely with Kobalt’s boutique publishing companies, including TruSauce, Orange Music, Zelig, 88 Rising and SheWrites Publishing.
Bines is the chair of the Kobalt Los Angeles Community Outreach Committee, through which she raises money for local charities including The Trevor Project and Midnight Mission. She is also co-chair of Kobalt’s DEI community task force. Outside of Kobalt, she’s a songwriter co-chair and Los Angeles chapter head for SheIs The Music, where she helps curate writing camps around the world.
The Latin Recording Academy tapped Isabel Paz as the organization’s new member service director, and Javier Parra as awards and membership analytics director.
Effective immediately, both Paz and Parra will work under the leadership of Luis Dousdebés, a 20-year veteran of The Latin Academy who serves as its chief awards, membership and preservation officer.
Paz previously served as associate director, publicity at Warner Music Latina, while Parra comes from Berklee College of Music, where he was assistant director of admissions.
“The addition of Isabel and Javier will no doubt continue to expand the talent and scope of experience within our membership team,” Dousdebés said in a statement. “Their roles will enhance our efforts to best serve and represent our diverse membership body as we begin this year’s awards process.”
The announcement of the new hires comes as The Latin Academy expands its membership, which is currently composed of over 4,000 members representing nearly 40 countries. According to the organization, the 22nd annual Latin Grammy Awards saw more than 20,000 entries across 53 categories, a double-digit increase from five years ago. – Griselda Flores
Warner Chappell Music Nashville promoted Jessi Vaughn Stevenson to senior director, A&R/digital. Stevenson, a Belmont University graduate, joined Warner Chappell Music in 2016 and most recently served as manager, A&R/Digital.
“I’m excited to make this announcement today as Jessi has been with Warner Chappell since day one of her journey on Music Row,” said Warner Chappell Music Nashville president/CEO Ben Vaughn (no relation). “Over the years she has developed her own style that is forward-thinking and hyper-focused on what’s best for our songwriters. She is a passionate songwriter fan and invaluable teammate to the entire Warner Chappell family.”
Vaughn Stevenson said, “I’m beyond excited and grateful for the opportunity to continue to grow with this incredible team. Ben, the team at Warner Chappell, and the songwriters inspire me every day, making this company a special place to be. I am dedicated and look forward to developing more innovative strategies for our songwriters that take their careers to new heights.” – Jessica Nicholson
Seasoned industry executive Ingrid Petri joined AEG Global Partnerships – a division of entertainment giant AEG – as vp, AEG global portfolio sales. Global Partnerships oversees worldwide sponsorship sales and activation for over 130 platforms across five continents and numerous other assets, including venues, sports franchises, events, tours, festivals and digital content, among other AEG holdings.
Prior to joining AEG, Petri spent eight years with the NBA as associate vp, business development and global partnerships. She has also worked for the NFL and Direct TV. At AEG, she will focus on building multi-property deals with major brands that span all facets of AEG’s sports and live entertainment business. Petri will work out of AEG’s New York office and will dually report to AEG Global Partnerships COO Nick Baker and managing director Andrew Klein. – Taylor Mims
BMG Nashville hired Kelsey Worley as creative director. Worley recently relocated to Nashville from Los Angeles and will report to vp, creative Chris Oglesby.
“I am thrilled to have Kelsey become a part of our BMG family,” Oglesby says. “Her experience and passion for songs and songwriters open up opportunities for our whole team.”
Worley, a Berklee College of Music graduate, most recently served as A&R manager for the rosters of Interscope Records, Geffen Records and Darkroom Records. – Jessica Nicholson
