Justin Kalifowitz becomes Executive Chairman of Downtown Music Holdings; Andrew Bergman promoted to CEO

By Emmanuel Legrand

Justin Kalifowitz (pictured below, right), the founder and current Chief Executive Officer of Downtown Music Holdings, will take on the new position as Executive Chairman of the New York-based independent music company. Current Chief Operating Officer Andrew Bergman (pictured below, left) will assume day-to-day responsibilities as the company’s CEO, effective September 1.  

  The company said in a statement that Kalifowitz will continue "to focus on driving strategic development, leading Downtown’s Board of Directors and working together with Bergman and the executive team on transformational growth opportunities for the company."

  Kalifowitz created the company 14 years ago and has served as CEO since its inception. Over the years, Downtown morphed from a traditional music publishing unit to a service company for the independent sector, with a wide range of affiliates: Songtrust (rights management), FUGA (digital distribution), CD Baby (distribution), among others.

Expand Downtown's market position  

  "Downtown has always set ambitious goals both internally and with respect to our role in driving equity and innovation across the music industry," said Kalifowitz. "As we continue to expand our market position by empowering entrepreneurial creators and their partners, Andrew’s unrivaled knowledge of the business coupled with his operational excellence make him the perfect choice as our next CEO."

  He added: "With Andrew managing day-to-day operations for Downtown, I'm looking forward to continuing to work closely together in advancing the organization's strategic development at an accelerated pace." 

  Bergman commented, "I feel very fortunate to continue my 14 year collaboration with Justin in my new role as CEO and I am excited about what we will accomplish together in Downtown’s next growth stage. With an exceptional team, global operations, industry leading technology and substantial capital resources, Downtown is well positioned to continue expanding our role as the leading service provider to the global music industry."

Providing solutions for creators

  Bergman served as served as outside legal counsel for Downtown when the company launched and he formally joined Downtown in 2008 as General Counsel and Executive Vice President. He was promoted to COO in 2014. Most recently, Bergman has architected Downtown’s M&A integrations and operations spanning more than 500 employees on six continents.

  Downtown said it manages more than 23 million music assets on behalf of over one million artists and enterprise clients hailing from 145 countries from a catalogue that spans 100 years of popular music, including music for film and television.

  "With a strong foundation centered around service, Downtown provides solutions for creators and businesses at all stages including distribution, rights management, royalty collection, creative marketing and promotional services," said the company in a statement. "As creators of all types increasingly look to maintain ownership of their music IP, Downtown’s size, scale and business model uniquely enable clients to retain their rights for the long term while enjoying the operational benefits historically associated with traditional music companies."