BMI Ups Two In Distribution, Publisher Relations & Administration Services Department

BMI has named two promotions within the company’s Distribution, Publisher Relations & Administration Services department. Both based in Nashville, Shouvik Das has been elevated to Senior Vice President, Distribution, Publisher Relations & Administration Services, and Misha Hunke was promoted to Vice President, Administration & Publisher Relations.

These new roles will streamline the reporting structure of the Distribution & Administration departments, which previously reported as separate entities to Alison Smith, Executive Vice President, Distribution, Publisher Relations, and Administration Services. Both departments will now function under Das, who will continue to report to Smith. Hunke will now report directly to Das.

“Shouvik and Misha consistently go above and beyond to serve our songwriters, composers and music publishers,” shares Smith. “In the past year alone, they’ve overseen multiple initiatives including processing nearly two trillion performances, launching phase one of Songview and the early distribution of royalty payments to BMI’s affiliates during the first two quarters of the pandemic.” Smith adds, “This new reporting structure will help the department function even more seamlessly, and I look forward to working with Shouvik and Misha in their new roles and seeing the team thrive under their leadership.”

Das previously served as Vice President, Distribution & Administration Services. He joined BMI in 2003 as an Executive Director of Finance and Business Control Solutions before moving to Distributions and Administration Services, where he was Assistant Vice President of Performing Rights.

Das will continue to work closely with Smith to manage the relationships with BMI’s publishers, while overseeing the company’s domestic and international royalty distributions and administration services to affiliated songwriters, composers, and publishers.

Hunke was previously the Assistant Vice President of Distribution and Administration Services. She oversaw the teams’ daily functions and strategic direction, including collaborating with major publisher clients and industry-wide administration professionals regarding digital initiatives, royalties, licensing, data quality and administration. She also spearheaded strategic development projects designed to increase efficiencies, create quality controls, and improve customer service to affiliates. Hunke joined BMI in 1987 in the Writer/Publisher Relations department and has been a member of the Distribution and Administration Services department’s client service team since 1995.

Hunke will take on a more expansive role in leading business areas of the department, including affiliation, agreements, royalty assignments, research, publisher customer services, and online services. She will also continue to supervise the business team responsible for Songview, the searchable data platform developed with ASCAP that currently features copyright ownership information on over 20 million works.