Concord’s Wisely Joins Board of Directors, Selby Rises To Chief Publishing Executive

Pictured: Jim Selby, Jake Wisely

Effective Jan. 1, 2021, Jake Wisely, partner and Chief Publishing Executive at Concord, will soon join the Board of Directors of Concord, the music and entertainment company he co-founded.

Wisely will pass the title of Chief Publishing Executive on to current Concord COO, Jim Selby, who will report to Concord CEO, Scott Pascucci. Wisely will remain a partner and shareholder in Concord and will maintain an advisory role in the day to day operations of Concord Music Publishing, while also maintaining the company’s Executive Member seat on the NMPA Board of Directors.

“The Concord Board of Directors and I are pleased to name Jim Selby as my successor,” said Wisely. “Since joining Concord in 2016, Jim has been an invaluable member of the team, helping to forge our discipline and culture, focusing on synergies between Concord businesses and maximizing value for all stakeholders. Jim is a consummate music fan, well-versed in our roster and catalog, and will ensure that Concord’s songwriters and composers are diligently served.”

Pascucci commented, “Concord would not be what it is today without Jake Wisely and The Bicycle Music Company. Jake was critical to the establishment of Bicycle as a world-class publishing operation, which then became the foundational platform for Concord along with Concord Music Group. Since the combination of those two companies in 2015, Jake has proven himself to be an extraordinary manager and strategic thinker, whose contributions have been invaluable in building the company through new partnerships and investments. I look forward to working with him in his new role as a member of the Concord Board of Directors.” He continued, “Jim was a natural choice when deciding who should guide Concord Music Publishing in its continued growth. He knows all areas of the Concord business, is a champion for our artists, songwriters and composers and will transition to Chief Publishing Executive seamlessly over the coming months. I am excited to see our publishing business flourish under his leadership.”

Selby rose to the position of COO at Concord after four years as GM overseeing Label Shared Services for imprints such as Concord Records, Craft, Fantasy, Fearless, KIDZ BOP, Loma Vista and Rounder, and then as Chief Revenue Officer. Born and raised in Canada, Selby spent 16 years at Naxos of America, where he was CEO from 2007 to 2014. He then joined Ole Media Management as the publisher’s SVP of Digital. Selby is a past member of the A2IM Board of Directors, where he was Chairman for two years, and has enjoyed direct involvement in more than 35 Grammy Award-winning projects.

“I am thrilled to carry on the work that Jake started at Concord Music Publishing,” said Selby. “It is an honor to serve our songwriters and composers as the industry forges ahead in the digital era during these challenging times. I want to thank Concord’s executive team and Board of Directors for their support through the years and the trust that they have bestowed on me to lead Concord Music Publishing.”

Concord Music Publishing will continue to grow and diversify its catalog and roster under Jim Selby through acquisition, investment and new signings. He will be supported by the global Concord Music Publishing executive team, including John Minch (President, International Publishing and executive in charge of Boosey & Hawkes), Kim Frankiewicz (EVP, Worldwide A&R), Duff Berschback (EVP, Business & Legal Affairs), Kent Hoskins (Chief Financial Officer), Brooke Primont (SVP, Sync) and Dana Siegel (SVP, Brand Management and Music Marketing), as well as a team of more than 200 creative and administrative music publishing and shared services employees.

Wisely first discussed building a music publishing business in 2004 with current Concord Chairman, Steve Smith, leading to the 2005 acquisition of The Bicycle Music Company. Operating as Bicycle over the following decade, Smith, Wisely and current Concord Chief Business Development Officer, Steven Salm, acquired numerous businesses and catalogs across both publishing and recorded music with the backing and support of Wood Creek Capital Management. Bicycle merged with Concord Music Group in 2015, which began a period of seismic growth under current Concord CEO, Scott Pascucci, then operating as Concord Bicycle Music. The company acquired Razor & Tie in 2015 and Mexican label/publisher Musart/Edimusa in 2016. Imagem Music Group was acquired in 2017, including Boosey & Hawkes and Rodgers & Hammerstein. In 2018, Concord Bicycle, Imagem and Razor & Tie were merged and simply branded Concord, with three core business units: Concord Music Publishing, Concord Recorded Music and Concord Theatricals. In 2019, Concord acquired famed Latin Tropical label and publisher Fania and German classical music publisher Sikorski. In 2020, Concord acquired an interest in PULSE Music Group, forming an exclusive joint venture with an emphasis on new pop hits, purchased the song catalog of superstar band Imagine Dragons, and signed a trifecta of deals with Nashville hitmaker Hillary Lindsey, including a catalog purchase, co-publishing agreement and joint venture.