Based in Los Angeles, BMG has appointed promotion and digital marketing pioneer Tom ‘Grover’ Biery as EVP Recorded Music, to work alongside BBR Music Group.

Biery will lead BMG’s LA and New York recorded music teams, also working alongside S-Curve Records and Rise Records. He will report to Zach Katz, President Repertoire & Marketing, BMG US.

Recorded music already accounts for around 25 percent of BMG’s US revenues just four years after the company’s re-entry in the market. BMG has declared publicly its intention to be as strong in recordings as it is in music publishing where it is already the biggest international player outside the established majors.

Said Katz, “Grover is a heavy hitter with a wealth of experience navigating the new music business in both streaming and value-added physical formats. We look to him to help guide our Los Angeles and New York teams to new heights as we pursue our strategy of giving proven talent the attention it deserves while also seeking breakout successes.”

Biery comes to BMG from Concord Music Group where he recently served as SVP, Streaming Marketing, overseeing the global digital and streaming strategy for all Concord labels, catalog and artists, while managing relationships at Spotify, Apple Music, You Tube, Pandora, Amazon Music, Tidal, Deezer, Soundcloud, and more.

Biery spent 20 years at Warner Bros. Records, scaling the company from entry-level local promotion to GM/EVP. During his tenure, he helped usher in an early adoption of digital marketing and social media, re-launched the vinyl format, and was instrumental in Warner’s commitment to Record Store Day. Biery directly oversaw the marketing and career development of hundreds of Warner Bros. recording artists including The Black Keys, Madonna, Linkin Park, Muse, R.E.M., Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jason Derulo and Goo Goo Dolls.

Prior to joining Concord, Grover was a founding partner of Collective Sounds, a visionary music label where artist partners shared in all revenue streams and controlled their rights. As a manager he reinvigorated the career of reggae icon Jimmy Cliff, with a Volkswagen Super Bowl ad campaign, a main stage performance at Coachella, and a Grammy for Reggae Album of the Year.

Biery’s appointment comes on the heels of BMG recently scoring four simultaneous Top 10 chart hits in the US, its highest tally in a single week since entering the record business four years ago. BMG’s newest chart entry, today, Kid Rock Sweet Southern Sugar debuts at No. 1 Independent Albums, No. 1 Rock Albums, No. 4 Country Albums, No. 5 Album Sales, No. 5 Digital Albums, and No. 8 Billboard 200.

Upcoming releases from BMG include Morrissey, Low In High School (BMG), Andy Grammer, The Good Parts (S-Curve), Scarface, Deeply Rooted: The Lost Files (BMG), Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Wrong Creatures (BMG), and Of Mice & Men, Defy (Rise), alongside highly anticipated new albums from A Perfect Circle, Avril Lavigne and Jason Aldean.

Lyor Cohen, Global Head of Music at YouTube/Google and founder of music content company 300, will keynote a featured presentation on Wednesday afternoon, May 16 during the Music Business Association’s Music Biz 2018 conference at the Omni Nashville Hotel. Cohen will discuss his career journey, his current role at YouTube/Google, and his thoughts on the future of the music business.

“Lyor’s tremendous impact on the music industry cannot be understated, from nurturing the rise of Hip-Hop at Def Jam Recordings, to pioneering the 360 deal at Warner Music Group, to merging music with tech to launch the careers of a new generation of artists at 300, to his current role at YouTube and Google,” said James Donio, President of Music Biz. “He has always had his finger on the pulse of what’s next, and we can’t wait to hear what he has to say during his Music Biz 2018 keynote.”

Cohen began his career at Rush Management in 1984, where he managed seminal hip-hop acts such as Run-D.M.C., DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, EPMD, the Beastie Boys, Eric B and Rakim, Public Enemy, Whodini, LL Cool J, and Kurtis Blow, while simultaneously serving as President of Def Jam Recordings. After selling Def Jam to Universal Music Group (UMG) in 1999, Cohen successfully merged Mercury, Island, and Def Jam Recordings to create the Island-Def Jam Music Group, expanding his work beyond Def Jam’s hip-hop roots. Cohen was then recruited by the Warner Music Group (WMG) as Chief Creative Officer in 2004, where he merged Atlantic and Elektra Records to create the Atlantic Music Group and expertly positioning WMG for growth. There, he was intimately involved in the careers of The Killers, fun., Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, The Black Keys, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Elvis Costello, Bon Jovi, Mariah Carey, Shania Twain, Ryan Adams, and Nickelback, among others.

Cohen went on to become CEO and President of Recorded Music at WMG, and is widely considered to be the father of the 360 deal. In 2013, he founded 300, a music content company that leverages innovative technology to discover, cultivate and promote rising artists with a boutique focus. There, he championed a new generation of culturally impactful artists like Young Thug, Fetty Wap, Highly Suspect, Migos, and others. He currently serves as Global Head of Music at YouTube/Google.

Music Biz 2018 will also feature the presentation of the Presidential Award for Outstanding Executive Achievement to Cary Sherman, CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA); the Harry Chapin Memorial Humanitarian Award to Scooter Braun, founder of SB Projects; the Independent Spirit Award to the Radakovitz Family, owners of record store chain Dimple Records; and a Breakthrough Artist Award to Republic Records singer/songwriter Julia Michaels, with a host of other awards to be announced.

SYKAMORE (aka Jordan Ostrom), a recording artist/songwriter from Calgary, has signed with Home Team Publishing.

Known for her solo songwriting chops, the artist has taken home awards in numerous songwriting-focused events including the ATB All-Albertan Song Contest, Project Wild, and the Canadian Country Music Association’s annual Discovery Program.

“SYKAMORE. That name grabbed my attention as I was scrolling through Twitter,” said Rhett Akins who launched Home Team Publishing with artist/son Thomas Rhett, his manager Virginia Davis, and Roc Nation/Warner Chappell. “I had to check it out. I loved her music and style immediately. I’m excited we were able to bring her to Nashville to start the next chapter of her songwriting journey.”

SYKAMORE joins the Home Team roster with songwriter/producer Eric Olson.