David Renzer Elevated To CEO At Spirit Music Group

Photo credit: Peter Bohler

David Renzer has been promoted to Chairman/CEO of Spirit Music Group. Renzer was previously Chairman of the company, which is currently enjoying the global success of the No. 1 Ed Sheeran album, with eight songs co-written by Spirit- B Unique/Polar writer Johnny McDaid. Other recent successes include cuts on albums by Rag N Bone Man, Chris Stapleton, and various No. 1 country singles, among many others.

As Chairman of Spirit, Renzer has spearheaded the expansion of the company’s global activities through a variety of acquisitions, including the establishment of its successful Spirit Music Nashville office, the establishment of UK company Spirit/B-Unique Music, as well as new divisions including Spirit Music Latino and Spirit Production Music/Spirit Music Collective.

In his position, Renzer will continue to oversee the independent publisher’s global activities, expansion plans, and its 75,000 song catalog spanning seven decades across every musical genre. Renzer will work closely with the company’s financial partners, strengthen the company’s global platform, grow the catalog, expand A&R outreach, and along with his team at Spirit develop and implement the company’s strategic objectives.

“Spirit has been one of the fastest-growing independent music publishing companies and I’m thrilled with the progress that we have made and am proud of the team that we have built. We are also excited about the future of our company as we continue our ambitious growth. Spirit is truly a great home for songwriters, composers, and artists and an innovative home equipped to manage all music rights. A special thank you to our Board and financial partners for believing in our vision,” said Renzer.

Prior to joining Spirit, Renzer was Chairman/CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group, where he was responsible for overseeing the activities of the company’s 57 offices in 47 countries. Under his leadership, Universal Music Publishing Group grew through signings and catalogue acquisitions, including the BMG Music Publishing, Zomba, Polygram, and Rondor catalogues. UMPG also became the global leader in the areas of Production Music, Christian, and Classical Music.

Renzer was recently re-elected to serve on the board of the National Music Publishers Association, and also serves on board of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, and co-founded the Creative Community for Peace. He has also served as the Chairman of the Music and Entertainment Division of the City of Hope, and founded Songs of Hope, raising over $3 million for the City of Hope. He is based out of both Spirit’s New York and Los Angeles offices.