Executive Turntable: BMG Staple Exiting; SiriusXM Veteran Signing Off; Island Def Jamming With New VP

3 May, 2024

It’s time for another spindle around the Executive Turntable, Billboard’s comprehensive(ish) compendium of promotions, hirings, exits and firings — and all things in between — across music.

BMG‘s longtime communicator extraordinaire Steve Redmond is stepping down later this month after a dozen years working with the Berlin-based music giant. Redmond began consulting for BMG in 2012 out of his native London before decamping to Germany four years later to officially join the company as senior vp of global corporate communications. He was elevated to evp of GCC in 2021 and over the years has helped shape the company’s image and strategic messaging through countless signings, acquisitions, global initiatives and, most recently, the transition to new CEO Thomas Coesfeld following the exit of founding chief Hartwig Masuch. Redmond got his start in music in the ’90s, first as editor and then publisher of the Music Week group of magazines. He later put in four years as director of communications and development at UK label trade body BPI before launching the consultancy career that eventually led him to BMG.

“Steve Redmond has played a pivotal role over more than a decade in helping define BMG as a new kind of music company,” said Coesfeld, who took over for Masuch in 2023. “Most recently, over the past months, he has provided excellent media counsel and support to the BMG board.”

Redmond, whose successor will be announced soon, added that “as BMG enters a new phase and the entertainment industry on a broader level enters a new chapter, this is the ideal moment to move on.”

Meanwhile…

Twenty years and 12 titles later, Joe Verbrugge is set to retire as SiriusXM‘s chief commercial officer this summer. The satellite radio giant announced in an SEC filing this week that the executive will step aside on June 27, when his current contract expires, and that the decision is “not the result of any dispute or disagreement with us.” Verbrugge, who is based in NYC, joined XM Radio in September 2004 as a vp of special projects and rose to svp of automative partnerships by the time XM merged with Sirius in mid-2008. Since then, he has risen to evp of sales, evp & GM of emerging business, evp & division president, and evp of digital subscriptions before taking over as CCO in June 2022. Prior to joining XM, he was a senior associate at The Dealy Strategy Group in Washington D.C. Around the time of that promotion, he also joined Stride’s board of directors.

Island Records promoted Jenny Gorotiza to vp of marketing at the UMG label. Gorotiza, who joined Island in 2021 as senior director of marketing, is based in New York and will continue to spearhead campaigns for roster artists including Lauren Spencer Smith, Shawn Mendes, Jessie Reyez others. “Jenny is part of the foundation of the Island Records team at a pivotal time for our label,” said Jay Schumer, evp and head of marketing and business development. “We couldn’t be more excited to acknowledge her passion and tenacity in driving A-level campaigns for our artists.” Gorotiza got her start in music as an intern at Island Def Jam nd later worked at 12Tone Music Group before rejoining the Island family.

Concord reconfigured its streaming and data analysis team, naming Brad Clark as senior vp of streaming and data analysis, and Kristen Reed as vp of data analytics and research. Clark will report to newly appointed chief executive of Concord Label Group Tom Becci, with Reed reporting to Clark. Clark previously spent more than two decades at Universal Music Group, managing revenue, data and commerce. Reed previously served six years in data analytics and research at Universal Music Group. –Jessica Nicholson

Kim Noltemy is leaving the Dallas Symphony to become president of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Starting in July, Noltemy will be tasked with finding the replacement of LA Phil musical director Gustavo Dudamel, who is heading east to become MD of the New York Philarmonic. Noltemy, also a veteran of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, has been with the Dallas Symphony since 2018.

NASHVILLE NOTES: Black River welcomed Lizzie Greene to the team in the newly created position of manager of digital marketing. The Nashville-based pro will focus her efforts on developing and executing digital strategies to boost the careers of Black River roster artists. Greene’s priors include Beautiful Digital, Crowdsurf and TikTok. She cab be reached at lgreene@blackriverent.com … SoNash Publishing is now Ace High Music — and with a new name the creative company welcomes Chris Poole as partner and vp of publishing and artist development. Poole arrives from BMG, where he rose to senior director of A&R during a five-year stretch. He can be reached at poole@acehighmusic.com … Kellie LaJack joined Black River as director of Northeast promotion, based in Nashville. The 10-year vet was most recently at 16Camino as senior director of promotion and marketing.

Music community startup We Are Giant appointed Meta and Reddit veteran Andy Yang as executive chairman of the board of directors, effective immediately. WAG also punctuated its ongoing expansion with the addition of Kelly Duroncelet as business development and Dasean Barnes as head of marketing. “Andy, Kelly, and Dasean have been impactful players across the tech and music spaces, and as a result, have helped elevate and scale some of today’s most well-known platforms,” said CEO Andy Apple. “Their diverse career backgrounds and deep experience will help shape We Are Giant as we continue to grow, create robust and sustainable communities, and help our artists build successful careers.”

SphereTrax hired Helen Wiltshire as head of sync, sales and marketing of the two-year-old music licensing marketplace. Wiltshire was most recently the international sync manager at Warner Chappell Music, where she worked to secure deals with major artists (Radiohead, George Michael, Stormzy, etc) and brands (Facebook, FIFA, LEGO and more). At SphereTrax, which was founded by composer and sound designer Sefi Carmel, Wiltshire is tasked with bulking up and marketing its gallery of original soundtracks and songs to the film, TV, games and other creative outlets. “Enabling and championing creativity is at the heart of what we do,” he said. “I want to make sure that music buyers & licensors are as engaged with that as our amazing community of musicians are.”

BOARD SHORTS: Bart Friedman stepped down as chair of Works & Process, an NYC-based independent non-profit that champions performing artists and their creative process from studio to stage. Stephen Kroll Reidy succeeds Friedman, who held the role since 2008 … The Mechanical Licensing Collective wants your picks for publisher candidates to join its board of directors. There are two spots on the board for publisher reps. The MLC has six committee publisher seats open. Submit your candidate(s) here … Peloton is shaking up its board of directors.

Diana Garcia joined Brown Sellers Brown as director of streaming relations and director of marketing. Over the course of her career, Garcia has worked on marketing strategies for a range of artists and brands including Madonna, Kanye West, Dolly Parton, Conagra Foods and Wrangler. At BSB, she’ll manage manage campaigns and DSP relations across the firm’s two labels: Quartz Hill Records and Stone Country Records. “Diana is bringing a very high level of passion, enthusiasm, and knowhow to our team,” said partner Benny Brown. Garcia can be reached at diana@brownsellersbrown.com.