Musical chairs -- Week 7 of 2021

USA

Composer and producer Quincy Jones, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, producer and songwriter Jimmy Jam and Run The Jewels rapper Killer Mikehe are among the personalities that have been appointed to the new advisory board set up by the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA). See TicketsCEO Boris Patronoff will chair the board, which will gather executives from all sides on the music sector, such as Lyte CSO Lawrence Peryer and eTix CEO Travis Janovich from the ticketing business; YouTube Global Head of Music Lyor Cohen and Spotify's Ed Suwanjindar from the music streaming platforms; label and music publishing executives like Sony Music Publishing SVP Amy Cranford and Interscope/UMG VP of touring and special events Erika Spieldoch. Other industry figures on the board include Portia Sabin (Music Biz Association), Janette Berrios (Symphonic), Michele Ballantyne (RIAA), Tiffany Kerns (CMA), Wendy Ong (Tap Management) and Richard Burgess (A2IM). The new advisory board will lend insights to both NIVA and the National Independent Venue Foundation (NIVF).

Music publishing expert Richard Rowe is leaving Round Hill Music, the company he co-founded of in 2010, alongside CEOJosh Gruss and President Neil Gillis. According to MBW, Rowe is "on his way to another significant company in the music industry." Rowe has a long career in music publishing, in particular working for Sony/ATV.

Kate Durio has been appointed CEO of Sound Diplomacy for North America and the Caribbean. Based in Lafayette, Louisiana, she will expand the organisation's presence in the region, advising local authorities and policy-makers on how to grow music and night time economies in cities and regions. Prior to joining Sound Diplomacy, Durio was the Chief Cultural Officer and advisor to the Mayor-President of Lafayette. She reports to Shain Shapiro, Founder and Group CEO of Sound Diplomacy Holdings.


Brian Harris Frank has been appointed COO of Shelter Music Group, the BMG-supported artist management company led by Carl Stubner. In his new role, Frank will be responsible for overseeing service functions used by the company's 61 management clients. Shelter has offices in Nashville and Los Angeles. Frank previously served as EVP, Marketing & Strategy at Warner Bros. Records.

Downtown Holdings-owned rights management company Songtrust has promoted Lisa Robinson to Vice President of Income Tracking, Anna Bond as Head of the newly created department Creative and Partnerships, and Rob Wetstone to Global Head of Client Relations. “The appointments of Lisa, Anna, and Rob are reflective of our departments’ ongoing expansion as we work daily to ensure that songwriters around the world are able to collect their music publishing royalties from as many pay sources as possible," commented Molly Neuman, President of Songtrust.

Universal Music Group's label Def Jam Recordings has promoted Marisa Lauro-Norris to senior vice president of international marketing. Based in New York, will lead all international marketing activities at the Def Jam label, and will report to interim chairman/CEO Jeff Harleston.

Russ Thyret, who was chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Records between 1995 and 2001, has died at the age of 76 following a long illness. "Russ Thyret was a pivotal figure in the history of the Warner Music family," said Warner Music Group.

SWEDEN

After seven years in the role, Karsten Dyhrberg Nielsen will be stepping down as CEO of Swedish rights society STIM in May, following the decision by the organisation's board to set out a new strategic direction for the organisation through a new CEO. The society said the decision had been reached "in dialogue and agreement" with Nielsen. Said Nielsen: "I have carried out most of the changes that I envisaged when I started at STIM. Now, as we formulate a new strategic direction, it is time for me to step aside and let a new leadership take over to advance STIM even further." The Board of Directors has initiated a process to recruit a new CEO. "I would like to thank Karsten warmly for his brilliant contributions to STIM and all our members during his seven years as CEO, he will leave a considerable void. Karsten has implemented tremendous changes in STIM, leading to increased revenues for creators and publishers and an operation focused on the needs of both the right holders and our customers," said Carina Brorman, Chair of STIM.

UK

Nadia Khan, founder of Womxn In CTRL and owner of the label CTRL Records, has been named Chair of the Association of Independent Music (AIM), which represents independent music companies in the UK. Khan replaces Peter Quicke, co-CEO of Ninja Tune. “I’m honoured to be the new chair of AIM and to be working more closely with CEO Paul [Pacifico] and the AIM team," said Khan, who added: “I hope in 2021 to see more womxn in the industry in senior positions and roles, and will continue my work to champion womxn in music.”

Merlin, the digital licensing partner for independents, has promoted Chaida Kapfunde (pictured, below) to Director, Technology & Business Solutions. Based in London, he report directly to CEO Jeremy Sirota. Since 2017, Kapfunde has served as Merlin’s Head of Technology and Development, overseeing the organization’s needs in infrastructure and product development and overseeing the engineering team. Merlin has also promoted Chris Tarbet to Director, Commercial Partnerships. In his elevated position, Tarbet will lead the global team that supports Merlin members. Tarbet previously headed the organisation’s Global Member Operations division. He reports to Jim Mahoney, SVP, Member & Partner Success.


AFRICA

CD Baby is expanding its international artist services team by bringing in music business manager Sakhele Mzalazala as its first hire in Africa. Based in Johannesburg, he will be reporting to VP of International Development Heli Del Moral. He will be responsible for growing the distribution and services company for independent artists in South Africa and other markets across Southern Africa, including Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Swaziland, and Namibia. “African artists have impacted music around the world, and we’re thrilled to find the right representative to help them understand how CD Baby can support their careers and creativity,” said Del Moral. Mzalazala has worked with Yourself Management, Xhentsa, and Koloni. CD Baby is part of AVL, a company owned by Downtown Holdings.