Indie licensing body Merlin names Charlie Lexton COO

By Emmanuel Legrand

Independent labels licensing agency Merlin has promoted Charlie Lexton to the expanded role of Chief Operating Officer, overseeing Merlin’s deal-making efforts but also adding to his stripes oversight of Merlin’s Data Analytics practice alongside commercial and business affairs.

 Lexton will continue to lead Merlin’s licensing efforts with existing and new digital partners. Lexton continues to report to CEO Jeremy Sirota. Lexton joined Merlin as Head of Business Affairs in 2008, adding the role of General Counsel two years later. He was elevated to Chief Commercial Officer & General Counsel in May 2018. 

  Lexton will lead a London-based team that includes: Ryan McWhinnie(who is promoted to Senior Director, Business & Legal Affairs) and Marta de la Hoz (Head of Data Analytics), as well as new hires Shrina Patel (Director, Business & Legal Affairs), and Katie Eckett (Manager, Business & Legal Affairs). He will also be providing management and support across Merlin’s broader global team.

Provide additional value

  Merlin said that merging Data Analytics with Business Affairs will "help to drive, inform and sustain Merlin’s long-term commercial strategy and the areas in which Merlin can provide additional value to its members." Merlin’s Data Analytics practice, is used for analysis for deal-making and produces pricing and benchmarking data, as well as exploring genre, geographic and other trends.

  Under former CEO Charles Caldas and Lexton's leadership, Merlin secured licensing partnerships with the world’s main digital platforms, including Alibaba, Boomplay, Deezer, Facebook/Instagram, JioSaavn, NetEase, Pandora, SoundCloud, Spotify, Tencent, TikTok and YouTube Music.

  “Charlie is part of Merlin’s founding team and has been pivotal to Merlin’s success," said Sirota. "His promotion to COO ensures he remains central to our future. In the current circumstances, I think that continuity is especially important, with digital revenues such a lifeline to independent music.”