I.M.P. has promoted Angie Chamberland to the role of general manager of Washington, D.C.’s legendary 9:30 Club. The move was announced by Ed Stack (pictured above, left, with Chamberland) — who started in 1995 as pizzamaker and door staff at the club’s former location and was named GM in 2002 — to allow him to focus on managing production efforts across all of I.M.P.’s venues; the 9:30 Club, the Lincoln Theatre, The Anthem, and Merriweather Post Pavilion.
“With this new position as head of production, the time has come for someone who can focus on the rigors of the general manager position with more clarity and attention than someone as easily distracted by a good load-in such as myself,” said Stack. “Angie has been working side by side with me in production for the past several years. She cut her teeth on the road before joining the 9:30 Club seven years ago as a door staffer and a stagehand, rising to crew chief and then night manager while taking over merch management responsibilities throughout the pandemic. I’m confident she’ll excel in this new role.”
“I grew up absolutely obsessed with bands and music and have spent my adult years with an insatiable hunger for a good live show,” said Chamberland. “Coming to work for I.M.P. in 2015 was a move that immediately felt totally right. I’ve been lucky enough to come up through the ranks in various departments, and I’m constantly blown away at the variety of great bands we bring through and the incredible multi-faceted people I get to work with every day – all while welcoming a diverse crowd of people into our ‘house’ every night.”
+ CD Baby has created an Artist Engagement and Education team, led by podcast host Kevin Breuner, who as part of this initiative has been named senior VP of artist engagement and education.
“We want to be a resourceful guide through an increasingly fractured and complicated landscape,” explains Breuner. “By investing in and uniting everything from our blogs, podcast, conference, and community, we hope to empower musicians with practical know-how and, hopefully, inspire them to pursue their musical ambitions and achieve success on their terms.”
“Kevin has used the DIY Musician podcast and blog, as well as our annual conference, to demystify distribution, monetization, and promotion and help make success in this atomized music economy—however an artist may define it—accessible to all artists, regardless of whether they use our services or not,” notes CD Baby President Joel Andrew. “Because we’re all artists ourselves, we see our mission as sharing what we know as broadly as possible. Now we’ll be able to bring even more energy to empowering and uplifting the diverse international community that CD Baby serves.”
+ IngroovesMusic Group has signed a global distribution deal withRun-It-Up Records, the independent label founded by Stanley “Citi” Atwaterin 2017. The label’s hits include F.L.Y.’s anthem,“Swag Surfin’,” YungManny’s“Clap For ‘Em” (featuring Flo Milli), “Nasty Freestyle” byT-Wayne and Trinidad Cardona’s“Jennifer” and “Dinero,” among others.).
“Citi has built a powerful roster of artists backed by one of the most knowledgeable executive teams in the indie sector,” saidBob Roback, CEO ofIngroovesMusic Group. “Run-It-Up is setting up to have an amazing future, and we look forward to sharing our global knowledge and expertise to ensure that it does.”
+ Better Noise Music has promoted both Melanie RodriguezandAisha Aga to the role of vice president and welcomes Trish Sterling to the company assenior label manager. Rodriguez, who has been with the label since 2019, is now VP of label management this month and Aga, who joined in 2021, is now VP of internal communications.
+ Round Hill Music Nashville has announced the appointment of industry veteran Mike Whelan to the position of senior VP and general manager. He joins Round Hill Nashville from MV2 Entertainment and will report directly to COO Steve Clark. He has previously held roles at PolyGram Music Publishing, Acuff Rose Music and Sony Music Publishing, where he rose to senior VP of creative services. During his career he has worked with artists such as Kenny Chesney, Eric Church and Jordan Davis.
Whelan said “I attribute my success to being surrounded by writers and artist of such great calibre. I owe it all to them.”
Wednesday, March 23
Julian Lennon has signed a new global recordings agreement with BMG, with a new album — his first since 2011’s “Everything Changes” — set for release later this year. The new album deal follows the release of Lennon’s cover of Radiohead’s “Karma Police,” featuring Nuno Bettencourt, which the twoperformed on AXS TV as a charity benefit for Crew Nation during the pandemic.
Lennon’s new music arrives on the heels of his first-ever NFT drop, “Lennon Connection.” The auction featured 1 of 1 digital art pieces created from his personal and physical memorabilia collection, including Paul McCartney’s handwritten notes for the famous Beatles’ song, ‘Hey Jude’, which was originally written for Julian himself. He is also a New York Timesbest-selling author, a photographer and philanthropist via his White Feather Foundation, which partners with philanthropists and charities around the world to raise funds for various humanitarian projects in four major areas: clean water, the preservation of Indigenous cultures, the environment, and education and health.
“After working on new music for the past few years, I am happy to have found the perfect partner in BMG, to help me bring this work to light,” said Lennon.
+ The Songwriters Hall of Fame has announced that aBillWithersScholarshipwill be included in itsscholarship program. The scholarships are presented prior to the SHOF’sJune 16th Annual Induction & Awards Gala being held in New York City.A2005 Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee as well as a 2015 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee,Withers is best known for hits like “Lean on Me” and “Use Me” but released eight studio albums during the 15-year period in the ‘70s and ‘80s before he retired from the music industry.
According to the announcement, “The recipient of the BillWithersScholarship, as intended by Marcia and their daughter, singer/songwriterKoriWithers, will be one whose work reflects the eloquence of songwriting together with the spirit and soul that defines the songs of BillWithers.”
Marcia Withers said of her late husband, “Bill always referred to himself as a ‘word snob.’ He loved language and he loved storytelling. It was evident in his ability to articulate complex emotions and perspectives in a simple way that could be universally understood. Sting once said that the ‘hardest thing in songwriting is to be simple and yet profound’ and Bill did that very well.
“I feel so blessed to have been able to witness his gifts up close for so many years. He was a solitary songwriter who spent so much time in his head before putting pen to paper. He was a discerning listener who would appreciate the words of his fellow songwriters who had coined a unique phrase,”she continued.
Tuesday, March 22
Multi-platinum-selling rapperTrippieRedd, one of the first signings to10K Projects, has re-upped with the company in a “long-term deal that will keep him at the label for years to come,” according to the announcement.
In just five years, Trippie has released four studio albums, six mixtapes, eight EPs and almost three dozen singles — not to mention countless guest appearances —adding up to 15 Platinum and 8 Gold certifications.
“We launched 10K Projects as a label where artists have complete creative freedom and the support to realize their vision,” said the label’s founder and CEO,Elliot Grainge. “TrippieRedd has thrived under these conditions, releasing a lifetime’s worth of music in just five short years and becoming a singular voice in contemporary music.”
TrippieRedd commented: “Elliot signed me when I was 16. From the start he’s always pushed me to do everything on my own terms which is the most important thing to me. I’m grateful to have had him as a partner for this long and excited to make more hits with 10K and keep growing together.”
+ Australia and New Zealand’s leading concert promoter, Frontier Touring, has unveiled a new leadership structure for the company, which “has been created to ensure the [company’s] legacy, mission, and culture is preserved and nurtured following the passing of its founder Michael Gudinski in March of 2021,” according to the announcement.
Frontier’s executive team will be comprised of four members of the current leadership team, all of whom are elevated to new roles within the company: Dion Brant as CEO, COO Susan Heymann, CMCO Reegan Stark,and CCO Andrew Spencer.
The Executive Team will report to the Frontier Touring Board, comprised of AEG Presents chairman-CEO Jay Marciano, Mushroom Group chairman-CEO Matt Gudinski, AEG Presents Asia Pacific president-CEO Adam Wilkes and Frontier Touring CEO Dion Brant.Wilkes will assume the role of Frontier Touring chairman and also becomes chairman of its board.
Matt Gudinski says: “I couldn’t be happier announcing our new Frontier Executive team.MushroomGroup is built on our great people, which is something we’ve always valued first and foremost. I’m thrilled that moving forward Frontier will be led by four incredibly dedicated, experienced, and strong leaders in Dion, Reegan, Susan, and Spence, working closely with myself, Adam, and the AEG Presents team. Frontier was founded on strong relationships, an artist-first approach and a never-ending passion for music and I know Dad’s legacy and the future of Frontier is in safe hands. There are exciting times ahead for the company.”
+ Music agent Clint Wiley and music brand partnerships executive Julie Sturdivant have joined Creative Artists Agencyin the company’s music touring department. They will be based in the agency’s Nashville office.
Wiley, who comes to CAA from Artisan Agency, began his career at Third Coast Artists Agency, before working at APA and Paradigm. His touring roster of country and rock artists includes the Mavericks, Raul Malo, Asleep at the Wheel, Ray Benson and McKinley James.
Sturdivant joins CAA from digital marketing agency Marbaloo Marketing. She began her career on-air as “Julie The Intern” at KOST 103.5 in California and later joined Universal Music Group-Interscope Records. She will help lead brand partnership efforts for CAA’s Nashville roster of artists, including Tim McGraw, Zac Brown Band, Carrie Underwood, Carly Pearce, Kelsea Ballerini, and Maren Morris, among others.
+ Sony Music Publishing has promoted Thomas Krottinger to vice president of creative, the company announced Tuesday. based in Los Angeles, Krottinger has worked alongside top songwriters and producers such as Burns, who recently co-wrote and produced “Rain on Me” by Lady Gaga; Plested, who co-wrote “Before You Go” by Lewis Capaldi; and Fran Hall, who recently co-wrote the viral hit “Fingers Crossed” by Lauren Spencer-Smith. He also helped sign Salem Ilese, known for her recent hit “Mad at Disney,” as well as Elie Rizk, who co-wrote “Build a B**ch” and “Inferno” by Bella Poarch alongside Ilese.
He also has worked closely with seven-time Grammy nominee Olivia Rodrigo, who signed with SMP last year. Krottinger first joined the company in 2017 as senior manager of international A&R. Prior to joining SMP, he worked at Prescription Songs, and began his industry career at CAA.
+ Verve Label Group has announced that Rachel Stoewer Poston has joined the company as senior VP of marketing for Verve, Impulse! and Verve Forecast Records. She will be based in New York and report to Jamie Krents, head of Verve, Verve Forecast and Impulse! Records.
Most recently, Poston was VP at Sony Music’s the Orchard, where she helped launch the company’s Artist & Label Services division for the U.S. Previously she spent five years overseas in London working for Cooking Vinyl and Glassnote Records and held earlier roles at Sony Music and Republic Records.
Krents said “We feel beyond fortunate to have an executive like Rachel joining the team. Her creativity and experience working across a wide variety of artists and releases align perfectly with the evolving and eclectic nature of Verve, Impulse! and Forecast.”
+ Brigette Boyle has been promoted to executive VP of media operations for WarnerRecorded Music. In her new post, she will oversee 10 departments that support production, studio operations, release management, catalog ingestion and more forWarnerRecorded Music labels and affiliates. She will report to Matt Flott, executive VP and CFO forWarnerRecorded Music.
Flott said, “Brigette is an exceptional, highly-regarded leader with deep knowledge and technical skills. Under her guidance, we’re overhauling our supply chain, centering it around development to help us reach our operational goals faster. I’m looking forward to seeing her continue to excel in this new role.”
+ Missing Piece Group has announced new promotions and staff hires: Erik Andersenhas been promoted to senior director of publicity,Justin Schmidthas been promoted to director ofpublicity, andBryan Roshas been added to the Nashville publicity team following his tenure with the Americana MusicAssociation.
“One of Missing Piece’s greatest strengths is the continuity of our team; I’m extraordinarily grateful that as we enter our 12thyear of business that many of our executives have been with the company since its earliest days. Both Erik and Justin areseasoned, exceptionally talented publicists, and along with our GM Joe Sivick and head of marketing John Hammond havebeen essential in making this company what it is today,” says CEO Michael Krumper. “At the same time, I’m thrilled for us to be adding a new publicist to our growing presence in Nashville, led by our Director of Publicity Michelle Steele. Bryan’s backgroundworking for the Americana Music Association makes him a natural addition to the company.”
+ Veteran radio promotion executive John Boulos has announced a new consulting firm, JBoulos Music LLC. The new venture will tap into Boulos’s 40+ years of experience in the music industry with the aim to develop and break new artists, as well as mentor young executives in the business, according to the announcement. JBoulos Music will encompass three different verticals inclusive of mentorship, artist development, and strategic promotion campaigns.
Most recently,Bouloswas executive VP of promotion at Arista Records under Sony Music Entertainment. Prior to Arista Records,he spent 11 years at Roadrunner and Atlantic Records, preceded by posts at Capitol, Warner Bros., Epic, Virgin, Mercury, Island, RCA, Inner City and Vanguard. Over the course of his career,Bouloshas worked with artists such as Twenty One Pilots, Charli XCX, Panic! At The Disco, Paramore, Jason Mraz, U2, Wiz Khalifa, The Rolling Stones, Bonjovi, U2, Lenny Kravitz and Madonna.
+ WarnerMusic Group has entered into an agreement to acquire Qanawat Music, a leading music distributor in the Middle East and North Africa.The deal, which is expected to be completed “soon,” will seeWarnerMusic significantly expand its presence across the region, with Qanawat Music becoming the company’s key local distributor.
Qanawat Music was a division of Qanawat FZ LLC, a leading regional digital mobile solutions provider. The company was founded by Adnan Al-Obthani, who will remain CEO of Qanawat Music following the acquisition, while also continuing to work for Qanawat FZ LLC. Qanawat Music will operate as a standalone company under theWarnerMusic Group umbrella.
Al-Obthani says: “WarnerMusic has a long-term vision for developing the market here in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as a commitment to connect Arabic artists with a global fanbase. We’ve built this business up over 20 years and were determined that we would only partner with a company that we could confidently trust to look after our artists’ best interests.”
Alfonso Perez-Soto, WMG’s president of emerging markets, recorded music, adds: “With this new deal, we have a massive opportunity to export exciting talent from the Middle East and North Africa – there is an important and growing Arabic diaspora worldwide that we can tap into and which will help amplify the music.This acquisition will also seeWarnerMusic expand its footprint in the region, gaining representation in Dubai, Cairo and Casablanca for the first time.”
