ONErpm has added digital marketing expert Jenna LoMonaco to their team as the new head of its U.S. marketing division.
LoMonaco’s experience at Glassnote Records saw her playing a key role in the careers of artists like Mumford & Sons, Phoenix and Childish Gambino. She also was a part of the new label services branch at Kobalt, handling digital strategy for artists including Martina McBride, Lenny Kravitz and New Kids on the Block.
In 2015, she joined Island Records’ digital marketing department working with newly signed Shawn Mendes and eventually went on to lead digital marketing campaigns for artists such as The Killers, Elton John, Bon Jovi, and Fall Out Boy.
As head of a new team, LoMonaco will oversee all domestic marketing, DSP, advertising and digital marketing strategy.
“I’m thrilled and honored to join the ONErpm team as head of U.S. marketing,” LoMonaco said in a statment. “ONErpm has built an incredible infrastructure that provides artists with a mix of one-of-a-kind tools and out-of-the-box marketing to bring their music to new audiences.”
LoMonaco will oversee a staff of over 25 marketing professionals in the USA, and will coordinate international releases with other offices around the world.
“Jenna’s unique mix of marketing creativity and pragmatism, combined with her natural leadership skills, makes her a great fit for ONErpm as we continue to evolve the level of services and marketing solutions we provide our artists and label clients,” stated Emmanuel Zunz, ONErpm’s CEO. “We are excited to have her onboard!”
Warner Music Mexico announced a shakeup in leadership, with longtime A&R director Alejandro Abaroa stepping down after a 15-year run, as well as the promotion of two veterans at the label.
The label said Abaroa will shift to consultant duties, focusing on several projects for a WMM roster that includes Jesse & Joy, Maná and other acts. Before joining Warner in 2005 he was a music producer at Televisa Ninos. Elsewhere, the label’s senior management team has been bolstered by the appointment of Alejo Mejia to vp, A&R strategy, and an extension of Miguel Vela’s role so that he now becomes vp, marketing & strategy and general manager, Central America.
Both Mejia and Vela will take up their new positions at the start of 2022, and report to Tomas Rodriguez, MD of WMM.
“Alejo and Miguel are amazing executives who’ve blazed a trail in the industry,” said Rodriguez. “I’m delighted that we’re able to continue to harness their expertise and experience on behalf of our artists. The music market is changing fast in Mexico and Central America and we want to ensure that we’re ahead of the curve when it comes to supporting our artists’ careers.”
Rodriguez also thanked Abaroa for his “huge contribution” to the label over the years. “We’re delighted that he’ll still be working with us as a consultant across a range of major artist projects,” he said.
Big Loud Records has promoted Patch Culbertson to Senior Vice President, General Manager, effectively immediately.
“The trajectory of this groundbreaking label has stayed true to its namesake. How? Great songs, great artists, and a world-class team,” shared Culbertson in a statement. “I am grateful every day to support the endeavors of our artists with colleagues who are simply the best in the business. Thank you Seth [England], Joey [Moi], Craig [Wiseman], and Austen [Adams] for this opportunity.”
In his newly created role as General Manager, he’ll oversee day-to-day operations, commercial tactics, and creative development for the Records roster – including Morgan Wallen, Jake Owen, Chris Lane, HARDY, among a slew of other talents.
“Craig [Wiseman], Joey [Moi], and I couldn’t be happier to continue our working relationship with Patch Culbertson,” adds Seth England, Partner/CEO of Big Loud. “Patch has been with the Partners since the beginning of Big Loud Records and has helped build the label into what it is today. We want to thank him for his years of service, and to the many more to come.”
Joe Calitri, President of Round Hill Records has hired industry veteran Brian Hay as the company’s new Head Of Catalog. In his new position, Hay will develop product and marketing plans around the company’s vast and growing catalog (that includes artists such as The Offspring, Bush and Estelle). He will also seek out catalogs acquisitions and focus on helping artists grow their audience and revenue.
Prior to joining Round Hill, Hay was SVP Commerce, Consumption & New Business at Rhino Records and spent almost a decade as VP of Global Account Management for WEA at iTunes.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Brian to our growing Round Hill Records team given his vast experience in modernizing catalog recordings for the digital age. His leadership skills, rational demeanor, and genuine passion for music history make him an ideal fit to oversee all aspects of our catalog division. We’re also stoked that Brian will be joining us here in Nashville at our new label HQ,” said Calitri.
“I’ve been really lucky to live in so many amazing places doing something I love: selling and marketing great music,” explained Hay. “The chance to live in a music first town like Nashville and get to work at an ambitious and rapidly growing label like Round Hill was just what I wanted as my next chapter. I worked with Joe when he was at FBR. He is a strategic leader who loves music and cares about people.”
Music industry veteran Anthony Martini has joined the music platform Slip.stream, as Chief Music Officer and Partner. Martini will build out the company’s frontline record label and develop new music products across the intersection of gaming, content creators and brands.
“As new technologies thrust art and entertainment into the future, we’re in the midst of a once-in-a-generation opportunity to innovate. The music fan experience needs freedom to be more dynamic. The reality is, people don’t just listen to music, they want to USE it. The more people can use music, the more exposure it gets, which increases an artist’s chance of success. Slip.stream is built on that premise.” explains Martini. “It never made sense to me how labels would pay an influencer to promote a song, but then penalize them if they promoted it for free. That’s the type of outdated model that I’m on a mission to change.”
“I’ve worked with Ant on a bunch of projects over the past 10 years while at Jingle Punks, but we always wanted to find a way to build something together. He’s always innovating and finding what’s relevant in music, tech, and culture which is right where Slip.stream sits. I’m pumped to have him onboard,” said Co-CEO Dan Demole.
Slip.stream was founded by David Carson, Co-CEO, whose previous credits include founding Fuse music television and the publishing media company, Heavy.com and New Stand.
“Ant sees the future of the music business very clearly. His ability to operate to where the puck is headed is extraordinary. He’s bringing his years of experience and his deep relationships in the industry to help build the future with us at Slip.stream. I couldn’t be more thrilled to work with him” added Carson.
Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) has promoted music publishing executive Lillia Parsa to Senior Vice President, A&R. Based in Santa Monica, she will continue reporting to David Gray and Walter Jones, Co-Heads of A&R.
Upon joining UMPG, Parsa’s first signing was then-aspiring creator Nija Charles, who has had several Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 Hits, multiple Grammy nominations, worked with Beyoncé, and recently co-wrote Ariana Grande’s “Positions.”
Gray and Jones jointly said: “It has been our pleasure to see Lillia become one of the most successful publishers in the music industry. Her ability to both sign and develop talented writers and producers is reflected in her chart successes over the past four years. We look forward to Lillia’s continued growth at UMPG and the value she will deliver as an A&R leader.”
In 2020, Parsa signed and began developing hitmakers Omer Fedi and Blake Slatkin who co-created The Kid LAROI’s “Stay” with Justin Bieber.
Parsa said: “I am honored to be a part of UMPG. This company places so much care into each writer and continues to deliver as a leader in the music industry. It has been such an incredible journey thus far, and I want to thank Jody Gerson, David Gray and Walter Jones for all of their support.”
Merlin, the independent’s digital music licensing partner, has hired Lauren Armstrong as Senior Programme Manager. Joining the company’s London office, Armstrong will work with Merlin’s collaborative global team, leading technology projects and initiatives to drive value for Merlin members.
In her new role, Armstrong draws from a well of experience in streaming media, having served as Senior Technical Project Manager at Disney Streaming Services and Senior Technical Program Manager at Hulu. She has also led teams as Project Manager across the retail and ticketing industries at Sugarfina, Ticketmaster, and Shopzilla.
Music publishers body ICMP has appointed Warner Chappell Music executive Daniel Lang to its Global Board. Lang, who is based in London, was recently promoted to the new role of vp of international digital licensing and society relations at WCM. He succeeds Jo Smith on the board.
“I’d like to place on record our earnest thanks to Jo Smith for her work at board level and extend the warmest of welcomes to Daniel Lang,” said ICMP director general John Phelan. “Dan’s knowledge, nous and drive will be a huge asset to us as he steps into the new role. We’re already getting down to work on our daily duty to defend the rights and value of the world’s music.”
Create Music Group has appointed Yoko Ihaza, Esq. as Vice President of Legal Affairs and Jason Zerden has been appointed Vice President of Business Development.
Ihaza and Zerden will work closely together to expand Create Music Group’s business development capabilities and broaden the company’s capacity to sign a larger volume of deals with artists, labels and other strategic marketing partners. Ihaza will report to Create’s Chief Legal Officer Jon Atzen, while Zerden will report to Create’s Chief Strategy Officer Sameen Singh.
“Yoko brings with her incredible negotiating skills and deep connections in the artist community,” said Singh. “Jason has a proven track record in working with major artists and brands. Together they form a new core deals team at Create that will play a pivotal role in our expansion plans. We’re thrilled to have them at Create.”
The Syndicate announced several promotions within their marketing department, highlighted by department head Amy Tremmel becoming VP, Marketing & Events, and new Director roles for Julia Galvin (marketing) and Kim Williams (Digital Marketing).
The Syndicate’s General Manager Graham Rothenberg shared in a statement, “Amy has exemplified leadership and forward-thinking during her time with The Syndicate. Under her guidance, The Syndicate’s marketing division has thrived, allowing the organization to move culture forward and her team to flourish.”
On the addition of Galvin, Tremmel said, “Julia’s career trajectory has skyrocketed over her six years at The Syndicate, beginning with the management of our 600+ nationwide street team to now leading business development for the marketing department including campaigns for Coldplay, Kacey Musgraves, and Disney Music Group. In recent years, she’s also been a driving force for Taco Bell’s Feed The Beat program. I’m excited to see her lead a team of people within the marketing department and push the limits of our work in events, street marketing, and media.”
Tremmell also added on Williams’ promotion saying, “Kim’s 10+ years of experience in social media management and digital marketing includes her recent work with Guns N’ Roses, Joe’s Pub, Central Park Summerstage and Whitney Cummings. She has grown into a natural leader of the digital team with her well-rounded, first-hand social media expertise and will certainly pave the way for the continuation of our digital team’s growth and success.”
YMU has promoted Chris Dempsey to the position of UK Managing Director where he will report jointly to Matt Colon, Global President of the company’s music division and Mary Bekhait, Group CEO of YMU.
Based in London, Chris (whose appointment is effective immediately) joined YMU in 2014 as a Director and during his time at the company has overseen the careers of Take That, Gary Barlow, James Arthur, Dan Caplen and Emily Burns among others.
Outlining his vision for YMU UK Chris said, “These are exciting times for YMU. We are committed to continued investment in our services teams across digital, streaming, commercial/brands and IP to generate more opportunities globally and provide our clients with the best expertise. We have a first class award winning management team, we’re ambitious and committed to being at the vanguard of artist discovery, breaking new talent and innovation for all our clients.”
Colon said, “This promotion is well deserved and recognizes the hugely important role Chris plays within our team. His experience, insight and leadership qualities will help us enormously as we continue to grow YMU into a formidable global presence.”
Dempsey added, “I’m delighted to take on this role to build on what is already a formidable music management division with a strong team and an incredible roster. It is a great opportunity to take things to the next level.”
Republic Records has appointed Meg Harkins as Senior Vice President of Marketing — as announced by Co-President Jim Roppo.
Harkins began consulting for the label in 2019, spearheading releases for everyone from K-pop powerhouses TWICE to reggaeton icon Daddy Yankee.
Regarding her hire, Roppo commented, “Meg is the rare marketing executive whose passion for music and drive align perfectly. She brings an immense level of excitement to every project, encouraging the same enthusiasm from the team at large. She’s galvanized the label’s seamless and successful expansion into both K-pop and Latin. We’re honored to officially welcome her to the Republic Records family.”
“Republic upholds an amazing tradition of excellence,” added Harkins. “It’s driven by striving creative minds who consistently break music. For me, this isn’t just about a song or album cycle; these artists are entrusting their creative lives to us. I respect that, and I love being a part of artists teams reaching their goals.”
UTA has made six new additions to their Nashville headquarters including Emily LaRose, Marissa Smith and Elisa Vazzana who join as Music Agents, Amy Lynch joins the Comedy Touring division as an Agent, Brandi Brammer will serve as Senior HR Business Partner, and Emily Wright serves as a Music Brand Partnerships Agent.
The announcement follows on the heels of the recent hiring of Nashville-based Scott Clayton as Co-Head of Global Music, Matthew Morgan as Co-Head of UTA Nashville, and Buster Phillips as a Rock Agent.
“We are honored to welcome this powerhouse group of industry professionals into our Music City headquarters,” said David Zedeck, Partner and Go-Head of Global Music. “The collective breadth and scope of our new colleagues will be a tremendous addition as we continue to expand our footprint in Nashville and beyond.”
Better Noise Music President Dan Waite, CEO Allen Kovac, and COO Steve Kline have welcomed Renaud Doucet, Samantha Gable, and Paul Cormack to the label.
Doucet joins as Managing Director, Europe; Gamble joins as Senior Director, Digital; and Cormack joins as Managing Director, Canada. Waite and Kovac have also announced a series of promotions, including Victor Lang as General Manager, GSA and Lexie Viklund as A&R Director.
Waite said in a statement, “Better Noise Music continues to expand internationally, providing deeper opportunities for streaming, marketing, promotion and sales for our acts. Our new hires of Paul Cormack, Renaud Doucet and the promotion of Victor Lang, will complement our international expansion which has recently seen Tim McLean Smith join as MD Australia and New Zealand, Joe McFadden overseeing LatAM, Claudia Mancino’s overseeing promotions for UK & Europe, and Henry Tongue’s promotion as Senior Director of International Streaming Strategy.”
Kline added, “These new hires and promotions come at an exciting time for Better Noise as we hit the 4 billion stream milestone this year. We’re pleased to have an all-star team onboard as we look ahead to priority projects from Five Finger Death Punch, The Hu, Nothing More and AWOLNATION, as well as label debut albums from developing artists Tempt, Eva Under Fire and Classless Act.”
Other recent internal promotions and additional new hires include:
Anne Wall, Senior Director, Licensing & Royalties
Ben Guzman, Creative Director
Ben Lifson, Director, Digital and Community Management
Amanda Meyer, Senior Manager, Streaming
Eoin Wenger, Senior Manager, Digital and Community Management
Sabine Leibig, Label Manager, GSA
Luke Hinz, Manager, Analytics and Streaming
Eliana Núñez, Coordinator, Publicity
Manny Unger, Coordinator, Production/Digital Content Assistant
Quality Control has added Lauren Walsh as Executive Vice President of Branding and Marketing at Solid Foundation Management, the management services arm of Quality Control.
With over 20 years of experience in the world of brand strategy and sports marketing, Walsh has worked with a wide array of NFL, NBA, and MLB players ranging from first round draft picks to Hall of Famers, Super Bowl Champs, and All-Stars.
“It’s truly a dream come true to be able to leverage my knowledge and years of experience within the industry to join such a powerhouse company,” said Walsh. “I fully believe in what QC stands for and am honored to have the opportunity to grow my career alongside the best in the business. I can’t wait to see what the future holds and am very appreciative of the entire QC Family for giving me this opportunity.”
Quality Control co-founder Pierre “P” Thomas says, “Lauren has a strong passion for giving back to the next generation of young men and women who want to build successful long-term careers in sports and entertainment. Her passion for aligning talent with high quality brands that share their values perfectly aligns with the principles that are the foundation of Quality Control.”
