BMG announced on Monday (Dec. 10) the hire of Eric Scott as svp, rights administration and royalty services. He will be in charge of BMG U.S.' publishing royalties, master royalties, mechanical licensing and copyright administration. Scott will report to Ben Katovsky, BMG chief operations officer, and Joe Gillen, evp and chief financial officer, North America.
Scott previously worked as the vp, publishing royalties and client services, BMG U.S. where he was in charge of the U.S. publishing royalty department and has been with the company since 2011.
Pandora announced on Tuesday (Dec. 11) the hire of Akim Byrant as top 40 coordinator for the company's curation team. He will work closely with Tiana Lewis, head of pop programing, and Alex White, curation programing chief.
Bryant previously worked in programming at BET Soul.
AWAL announced Tuesday (Dec. 11) the opening of a new office in Toronto, Canada, set to open in early 2019 with the aim of growing the company's North American presence and providing greater resources for artists in Canada.
"In the last year, we’ve made a series of moves to strengthen our global artist services to help them thrive across the globe," said AWAL CEO Lonny Olinick in a statement. "As a result, the AWAL business has more than doubled. AWAL’s expansion to Canada’s number one music market reasserts our commitment to support artist and label clients globally."
The company also announced open roles in marketing, client relations, A&R and more to be based in the office, all of which are available for review via the Kobalt website.
"The Canadian market is incredibly robust and diverse," added AWAL President, North America Ron Cerrito. Toronto is home to some of today’s biggest acts and we’re lucky to work with some independent trailblazers who have gotten their start in the city, ranging from deadmau5 to Mormor.
VidCon announced on Monday (Dec. 10) the hire of Sarah Tortoreti as vp, marketing. She will oversee of managing and developing the company's brand and global marketing strategies. In the newly created role Tortoreti will report to Jim Louderback, VidCon's general manager.
"As a seasoned marketing and live events leader, Sarah brings a wealth of experience to VidCon as we expand the brand’s offerings around the world," said Louderback in a statement. "Her background shaping real-world experiences for the digital-first generation will be an essential part of accelerating our growth as we gear up to celebrate our 10th Anniversary in 2019."
The company also hired Natalie Schaefer as the director of creator partnerships, Julia Maes as the executive producer of VidCon US, Wendi Ekblade as the director of security and Celine Sargent as the executive producer of VidCon London and Australia.
Qwire announced on Tuesday (Dec. 11) the appointment of Joy Marcus, venture partner at Jerusalem Venture Partners, and Howard Appelbaum, president of Nielsen Entertainment, to the board of directors.
"Qwire is set to be an industry leader in transforming music-for-media to the benefit of all parties -- production studios, writers/composers, music publishers, and Performance Rights Organizations," said Marcus in a statement. "I am very excited to be part of this adventure as a member of Qwire’s Board."
"It is exciting to join the board of Qwire," added Appelbaum. "The team is top-notch and they are creating solutions to real problems for music licensing and royalty reporting that streamline processes resulting in important efficiencies and faster, more accurate accounting."
The company is currently working on qwireCue, which will automate the cue sheet and reporting process.
Partisan Records announced on Wednesday (Dec. 12) the hire of Sara Dempsey as the director of sales. She will report to Andy Hsueh, label manager, and Zena White, global managing director.
"Sara’s unique talent and experience is perfect for our growing label in the evolving landscape," said White in a statement. "She is a star in her field and is set to drive forward our sales across all formats. We’re very lucky to have her."
Dempsey will be responsible for the company's sales and streaming strategy. She has 14 years of sales experience and previously worked as the associate vp, sales and marketing at ABKCO.
"I am ecstatic to join the Partisan team," added Dempsey. "I've long admired Partisan, not only for their amazing roster and brilliant A&R, but for the passion and innovation they bring to their campaigns. They're great people doing great work."
Music manager Kristen Ashley announced the launch of 11/10 Management on Wednesday (Dec. 12). She added JT Pratt to the teamed and signed longtime client Mitchell Tenpenny.
"It’s a dream to work with a team like this," said Tenpenny in a statement. "I’m just excited about the future as the sky is the limit with this group."
The company also partnered with 377 Management/Red Light.