{"id":58123,"date":"2023-11-03T12:06:35","date_gmt":"2023-11-03T16:06:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2023\/11\/03\/executive-turntable-guitar-center-leadership-all-shook-up-warner-classics-vp-comes-to-america\/"},"modified":"2023-11-03T12:06:35","modified_gmt":"2023-11-03T16:06:35","slug":"executive-turntable-guitar-center-leadership-all-shook-up-warner-classics-vp-comes-to-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2023\/11\/03\/executive-turntable-guitar-center-leadership-all-shook-up-warner-classics-vp-comes-to-america\/","title":{"rendered":"Executive Turntable: Guitar Center Leadership All Shook Up; Warner Classics VP Comes to\u00a0America"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\tIt\u2019s Friday! That means another spin around the Executive Turntable, Billboard\u2019s comprehensive(ish) compendium of promotions, hirings, exits and firings \u2014 and all things in between \u2014 across the music industry.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n\tGuitar Center<\/strong> tapped longtime board member Gabriel Dalporto<\/strong> to be the musical instrument re-and-etailer\u2019s new CEO, effective immediately. The appointment follows the sudden departure of Ron Japinga<\/strong>, who joined the company in 2014 and has served as CEO since 2016. The company gave no reason for Japinga\u2019s exit but did stress that he will no longer serve as a member of the board. Other changes in the offing include the return of Tim Martin<\/strong> as chief financial officer and the appointment of Ken C. Hicks<\/strong> as chairman of the board. Dalporto most recently served as CEO of online education platform Udacity, and he previously served in various senior roles at online lender LendingTree. He has been a member of the company\u2019s board of directors since 2018. Leading that board, effective immediately, will be Hicks, currently the executive chairman of Academy Sports. Additionally, Martin is back in the CFO spot, which he occupied from 2012-2022. (He spent his break from slinging guitars as COO and CFO of Torrid Holdings, a direct-to-consumer apparel brand specializing in plus-size clothing.)<\/p>\n

\n\tSean Michael Gross<\/strong>, the head of WMG\u2019s classical music unit in the UK, has added North America to his remit. As vice president of Warner Classics UK & North America<\/strong>, Gross will split his time between London and the States, and continue to report to Warner Classics president Alain Lanceron. The California native joined Warner in 2021 and in that short time has grown the label\u2019s market share and workeed with a roster that includes Fatma Said and Abel Selacoe, among others. Prior to joining WMG, Gross accumulated professional credits at IMG Artists, 21C Media Group and Askonas Holt. \u201cSean has been a tremendous asset to our global Classics team in the last couple of years,\u201d said Lanceron. \u201cHe is always at the forefront of change in the classical music sector, taking an innovative approach that embraces the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Bob<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tWhy Concord’s Round Hill Deal Marks a Major Moment for the Music Market, Affirms the ‘Underlying\u2026\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\n\tThe Orchard<\/strong>\u2018s largest office outside of NYC has given its co-leaders some title bumps. Effective immediately, Ian Dutt<\/strong> has been elevated from managing director to president of UK operations, while Chris Manning<\/strong> will now put managing director, UK and Europe on his business cards instead of general manager. Both are based in London \u2014 where they oversee a team of 150-plus employees and will continue to lead global efforts and day-to-day operations for the Sony-owned distribution company. Dutt joined Orchard in 2016 as part of its merger with Sony RED UK, where he was MD. Manning began his Orchard journey in 2008 and has held a plethora of positions there including label and operations manager, and senior director of international operations. They\u2019ll continue to report to Colleen Theis, president and COO. \u201cIan and Chris will continue to spearhead operations for our artist and label partners, expand our network, and seek out amazing independent talent in our second biggest market,\u201d said Theis. \u201cTogether, they are an unparalleled team who work tirelessly to connect our clients from the region to audiences worldwide.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBay Area indie label, publisher and distributor EMPIRE<\/strong> elevated industry veteran Elliott Peters<\/strong> to general counsel. Peters, who joined the company in 2020 and was most recently svp of global business, will now oversee EMPIRE\u2019s legal and business affairs and be the fine print point person for all deals with DSPs and retailers. Prior to EMPIRE, Peters spent nearly two years as vp of business and legal affairs at SoundCloud, and before that held executive roles at RDIO \u2014 as it was being sold to Pandora \u2014 and Apple. He kicked off his music industry career in 2000 at Warner Music Group and over the course of 10 years at the major, rose to svp of head of digital and legal affairs. \u201cElliott has been tremendous in helping EMPIRE scale globally,\u201d said EMPIRE CEO and founder, Ghazi. \u201cAs we continue to enter new markets around the world, Elliott will spearhead our efforts worldwide.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tWhy the Grateful Dead Teamed Up With a Little-Known Lower League English Football\u00a0Club\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\n\tLaura Mendoza<\/strong>\u00a0joined\u00a0Sony Music Publishing<\/strong>\u00a0as\u00a0managing director of its Colombia office, effective immediately. She\u2019s based in\u00a0Bogot\u00e1 and reports directly to Jorge Mejia, Sony Music Publishing president & CEO, Latin America and U.S. Latin. A creative executive with 20-plus years in the music industry, Mendoza most recently served as head of label and artist solutions Central America, Andean & Southern Cone Region at Believe Distribution Services.\u00a0Prior to that, she worked at Altafonte Music Network and at EMI Music Colombia. In her new role at Sony Music Publishing, she\u2019ll be responsible for overseeing SMP Colombia\u2019s business operations and advancing its growth initiatives, working closely with the company\u2019s Latin America and U.S. Latin teams, as well as industry partners across the region. \u201cIt is an honor to work alongside so many talented professionals across the company,\u201d Mendoza says. \u201cBoth the challenge and the opportunity of developing the careers of such a fantastic roster will allow me to contribute to a better industry and to the growth of SMP songwriters globally.\u201d \u2013Sigal Ratner-Arias<\/em><\/p>\n

\n\tICYMI<\/strong>: BMG terminated<\/a> about 40 employees on Oct. 27, including executive vp of global repertoire Fred Casimir and senior vp of global repertoire Jason Hradil. The cuts effectively halted its international marketing department for recordings as well as its Modern Recordings label \u2026 Sounds Australia veteran Esti Zilber will take the reins<\/a> at the national music export body, succeeding Millie Millgate as executive producer.<\/p>\n

\n\tKobalt<\/strong> promoted Sean Dishman<\/strong> to senior director of creative. The Los Angeles-based exec has clocked nine and a half years at the publishing administration company and was most recently creative director, having signed acts such as Madison Cunningham, Mac DeMarco, Jamila Woods, Poppy and Magdalena Bay, as well as some of Kobalt\u2019s more whimsically named clients like King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs. Kobalt also credits Dishman with major assists in releases by Lil Yachty, The Wombats and Yeek, among others. \u201c[Dishman\u2019s] knowledge & passion for music spills over into all that he does for our clients,\u201d glowed Jamie Kinelski svp and head of West Coast creative. \u201cHis impeccable taste makes him a valued member of our global creative team, and I am thrilled to see continued growth at Kobalt.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tLabels Want to Prevent \u2018Taylor\u2019s Version\u2019-Like Re-Recordings From Ever\u2026\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\n\tNashville-based writer\/artist development company Eclipse Music Group<\/strong> promoted Penny Gattis<\/strong> to partner. As a co-owner, Gattis will continue overseeing the publishing division, while taking on an expanded role in the overall strategic direction of the firm, including the Eclipse Management and Penumbra Records divisions. Gattis joined Eclipse as general manager of publishing in 2020 and has since been instrumental in earning cuts with artists including Morgan Wallen, Luke Bryan and Jake Owen, as well as sync placements with brands including Lexus, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. Gattis\u2019s career also includes time at Round Hill Music, BMI and Tom-Leis Music. \u201cPenny has the perfect combination of creativity, tenacity and relationships to support our creative clients and to advance Eclipse to the next level,\u201d said Kurt Locher, principal of Eclipse Music Group.<\/p>\n

\n\tEntertainment business management firm FBMM<\/strong> has named Jen Conger<\/strong> and Erica Rosa<\/strong> as owners. Conger has expertise in royalty analysis, domestic and international touring, sponsorship and endorsement deal negotiations, commercial insurance and estate planning. She oversees over $90 million in revenue each year on behalf of her clients. Conger also became the first female associate business manager in the firm\u2019s history, and five years later, was promoted to business manager. Rosa joined FBMM as the firm\u2019s first full-time royalty employee and was named vp, royalties and contract compliance in 2021. From 2020 to 2023, she relocated to Los Angeles to help establish the company\u2019s Los Angeles office. Rosa has played an essential role in multiple eight- and nine-figure catalog sales and also oversaw unpaid royalty recoveries and prevention of loss revenues of over $200 million.<\/p>\n

\n\tBlue Raincoat Music<\/strong>, an artist management, publisher and label all rolled into one, increased it London office by four in one fell swoop. Founded in 2014 by Robin Millar and former Chrysalis CEO Jeremy Lascelles, the Reservoir-owned company welcomes\u2026<\/p>\n

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