Tag Archive for: Musical Chairs

FBMM Promotes Braaksma

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Flood Bumsted McCready & McCarthy -- group photo left to right: Jamie Cheek, John McCarthy, Jason Fridenstine, Chuck Flood, Mary Ann McCready, Kristin Braaksma, Frank Bumstead, Duane Clark, Julie Boos, Betty Sanders, David Boyer.

Flood Bumsted McCready & McCarthy executives celebrate the promotion of Kristin Braaksma. (L-R): Jamie Cheek, John McCarthy, Jason Fridenstine, Chuck Flood, Mary Ann McCready, Braaksma, Frank Bumstead, Duane Clark, Julie Boos, Betty Sanders, David Boyer.

Flood Bumstead McCready & McCarthy has promoted Kristin Butler Braaksma to Director of Account Management & Staff Development. With her new position, Braaksma will assume account management responsibilities for Kelly Clarkson, reporting directly to President Mary Ann McCready.

Since joining the firm in 1992 as an Account Assistant, she has received numerous promotions and her role has  expanded to include staff training and procedural development as she has assisted with numerous special business management projects for Luther Vandross, Vince Gill, Kelly Clarkson, Gnarls Barkley, Lee Ann Womack, My Chemical Romance, Shawn Colvin, John Hiatt, Don Schlitz and Rascal Flatts.

FBMM is a comprehensive business management firm representing recording/touring artists, songwriters, producers and professional athletes, with offices in Nashville and in New York.

Promo News: A Tale of Two Thomases, And A Wagner

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LT Thomas

LT Thomas

Lauren “L.T.” Thomas has been hired as Associate Director of Promotion for Golden Music Nashville, the new label launching flagship act Williams Riley. She comes from KMLE-FM in Phoenix where she began as a Promotions Assistant in 2002 before being bumped up to Promotions Manager in 2007. L.T. works at the Golden Music Nashville offices at 54 Music Square East, and can be reached at [email protected] or (615) 891-4283.

Jay Thomas, a Sirius XM host, has also taken on the role of Southeast promotion rep for Treehouse Records. After three years at the satcaster, he plans to remain on-air. At Treehouse, he reports to VP Tony Benken. Contact him [email protected]

Larry Pareigis has added former Montage Southeast rep Ted Wagner to his Nine North team, handling the Southeast and Southwest regions. Wagner, who worked with Pareigis at Sony, replaces Eric Beggs (who moved to Stroudavarious) and can be reached at (615) 613-3292 or [email protected].

UMGN Promotes Stuve, Gavron

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Regina Stuve

Regina Stuve

Universal Music Group Nashville Chairman, Luke Lewis announces the following promotions effective immediately:
  Regina Stuve is promoted to Senior Director of Artist & Media Relations for UMG Nashville (formerly Director of Artist & Media Relations). Stuve reports directly to Jason Owen, Senior Vice President of Artist Development & Marketing for UMG Nashville.

amanda

Amanda Gavron

Amanda Gavron is promoted to Coordinator of Promotion for MCA Nashville (formerly Assistant). Gavron reports directly to Van Haze, Vice President of National Promotion for MCA Nashville.

Updated: BMI Moving Jobs From NY To Nashville

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BMI will move about 30 jobs from its New York office to Music Row starting this fall and continuing for the following 6-8 months. Only a few employees who currently hold the mostly administrative functions will be given the option of relocating. Hiring to fill the positions could start as soon as late summer.

Robbin Ahrold, a NY-based spokesman for BMI, explained that a majority of the organization’s administrative jobs were already in Nashville and that having them all located in the same office should increase efficiency. Remaining in New York will be a few executives, and staffers who deal in TV licensing, international licensing and legal matters.

The move of the jobs was precipitated by a relocation of the New York office from Midtown to the 7 World Trade Center office tower. BMI had been in the Midtown location for more than 20 years, but its lease ended and it will move in about a year. Overall, Ahrold said the effect on the Nashville operations would be “modest.”

R.J. Curtis Is Arista’s New Reg. Promo. Mngr.

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rj-curtis

R.J. Curtis will be Arista Nashville’s new Regional Promotion Manager, Midwest beginning July 20. He will relocate to Music City to serve the region previously helmed by Tyler Waugh, who segues to the Southeast territory.

Skip Bishop, Vice President, National Promotion for Arista Nashville stated, “Bringing R.J. into the Arista family just felt like a natural fit. His plethora of talents and rigid high standards will be a tremendous contribution to our team. R.J.’s unshakable passion for music and remarkable knowledge of radio’s inner workings are a perfect match for our DNA.”

Curtis is well known throughout the industry, most recently as Country Editor for Radio & Records, and for his more than 25 years of experience in radio, including 16 years at KZLA Los Angeles. He is a past member of the CMA and ACM Board of Directors and current CRB Board of Directors Vice President.

Musical Chairs: W.A.Y. Ent., Republic Nashville

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wayFormer Sony execs. Jon Elliot and Christian Svendsen have formed W.A.Y. Entertainment, a fully integrated entertainment company. The Nashville-based outfit will specialize in artist management and marketing services, and also offer merchandise and TV production through partnerships with A3 Merchandise and Relay Productions. With combined experience of more than 30 years and backgrounds in promotion, marketing and artist development, Elliot and Svendsen will support their client base across all platforms.

Elliot was most recently VP of Marketing & Artist Development for Arista/Nashville and the RCA Records label, overseeing all of the branding and imaging for artists including Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley and Martina McBride, among others. Previously, Elliot was at RCA (NY) where he was part of the marketing team that launched the Dave Matthews Band. Svendsen was most recently Director of Strategic Marketing for Sony Nashville and was responsible for the TV film initiatives for all four Sony labels. Svendsen began his career at Sony as Southwest Regional and was responsible for radio promotion and marketing for Kenny Chesney, Lonestar, Kellie Pickler and Lorrie Morgan, among others.

Contact information for W.A.Y Entertainment:
Jon Elliot, 615-390-6773, [email protected]
Christian Svendsen, 214-557-0097, [email protected]

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Weslea Bartholomew has joined the Republic Nashville team as Director of Southwest Promotion. A graduate of the University of New Mexico, Bartholomew has more than 5 years of radio experience, serving as both an on-air talent and as Assistant Program Director of WBEE in Rochester, NY. Bartholomew will be based out of her hometown of Albuquerque, NM. She may be reached at [email protected]

Alicia Torres will serve as Label Resource Manager/ Executive Assistant to Republic Nashville President Jimmy Harnen. A graduate of Appalachian State University, Torres’ previous professional endeavors include serving as Booking & Promotions Agent for Mountain Cowboy Music; Regional Marketing & Advertising Rep at HQ Management and New Monkey Studios; Sponsorship Coordinator and Street Team Manager for Music on the Mountain; News Anchor for WASU-FM as well as the President and Concert Organizer of the MEISA Music Festival. Torres most recently served as SAG/ AFTRA Licensing Coordinator for MTV Networks Viacom in New York. She may be reached at [email protected].

ShortNotes: Rack-N-Roll, Joe Moscheo, and Edgar Bronfman Jr.

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The Rack-N-Roll team on the 10th hole at the 2009 Audio Masters Golf Tournament, serving margaritas and an audio blast from the 80s. Pictured (L-R): Tom Burns, Ashley Dennis, Ian Wolczyk, Rob Dennis and Holly Keim

The Rack-N-Roll team on the 10th hole at the 2009 Audio Masters Golf Tournament, serving margaritas and an audio blast from the 80s. Pictured (L-R): Tom Burns, Ashley Dennis, Ian Wolczyk, Rob Dennis and Holly Keim

The Rack-N-Roll Audio crew has been busy this summer. They have been on the road recording live performances ranging from arena shows like 3 Doors Down tourmates Theory of a Deadman to artists at Bonnaroo. Rentals have been hopping as well, with recent projects including Creed, Bob Rock/American Bang, and Matt Serletic/Gloriana. Rack-N-Roll’s studio, The Spank Factory, has recently hosted clients such as Mindy Smith, The Dirt Drifters and Mark McKinney who is signed to Rack’s label, Super Loud Music. McKinney, currently on his fifth consecutive Top 10 in Texas, will release his sophomore album, Middle America, in August.

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Joe Moscheo is retiring from MCS America on June 30 to pursue other interests/projects, and opportunities. In an email to MusicRow and others, he says, “I thank all of you for your loyalty to me over the years, and for your support, and to MCS for giving me this opportunity for the past 7 and 1/2 years. It has been a pleasure to serve you and to work with you.”

Janice Bane will continue to serve as General Manager of MCS, and she can be reached at (615) 250-4600 or [email protected].

Moscheo can be contacted at [email protected], (615) 513-2353 and www.joemoscheo.net
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In a recent interview with London’s Financial Times, Warner Music Group head Edgar Bronfman Jr. discusses his relocation from New York to London, and the ongoing possibility of a merger with EMI. Bronfman explains that the move is more about his family than his job, saying that he will split time between the two cities, and the presence in England should help his oversight of international business.

He also discusses the $1.1 bn in new bonds Warner received in May to repay bank debt coming due in 2011. The bond issue reignited speculation about a possible merger with EMI. When asked about that, Bronfman told the FT: “We’d like to achieve a happy medium where the bond market doesn’t feel we’re going to go crazy with acquisitions, which we certainly won’t, but the company has the flexibility to do acquisitions which are attractive for both equity and debt holders.”

Among other topics: Bronfman and his private equity backers have changed Warner’s business model fundamentally, but will continue refining it. On the digital front, he says WMG’s Atlantic label is the first in the US to generate more than half its revenues from online and mobile sources. Bronfman also points out that Warner is “more selective” about digital partners following its early willingness to work with numerous new companies which lead to many writedowns. He says WMG’s reduced A&R budget has led to “gained market share because we focused the A&R budget on the artists we believed in.” The music company’s 21% US market share last year was its highest in a decade.

Hargis Returns to BBR/Stoney Creek

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shelleyShelley Hargis has joined the Stoney Creek Records promotion staff as Manager Regional Promotion, Southwest/Midwest. She is already on the job and reporting directly to Stoney Creek’s VP of Promotion Denise Roberts. Hargis is returning home to the Broken Bow/Stoney Creek family where she previously spent over four years at BBR in radio promotion. Her other prior experience includes six years at Epic Nashville, two years at Midas Records Nashville and most recently working at Mathis Entertainment in management/marketing for artist Adam Gregory.

The Broken Bow Records/Stoney Creek Records promotion team is headed by Carson James, SVP of Promotion.

Hargis will be based in Nashville and can be reached at 615-429-2600 and [email protected].

Restructuring Of Gaylord Entertainment’s Top Execs.

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Gaylord Entertainment Company announced today (6/24) several key changes to its leadership team, effective immediately. As part of its continuing efforts to streamline the organization, Gaylord announced that John Caparella, currently Chief Operating Officer, will leave the company. David Kloeppel, currently Chief Financial Officer and President, will take on an expanded role and will now oversee all Gaylord’s operations in addition to sales, marketing, development, and information technology. Mark Fioravanti, currently Treasurer, is being promoted to Chief Financial Officer.

“During his tenure as chief operating officer, John played an important role working with our management team in building our unique culture and developing our Gaylord Hotels brand into a world class destination for convention and leisure guests,” said Colin V. Reed, Gaylord Entertainment chairman and chief executive officer. “We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.”

Mr. Reed continued, “John’s departure has given us an opportunity to move forward with our ongoing effort to streamline our management structure while taking advantage of the strength of our existing executives. In his eight years at Gaylord, Dave has played an instrumental role in defining the strategic vision for the Company and has built a deep understanding of our group-centric business model. In a short period of time during a very difficult economic environment, Dave led the charge in several areas of our business that helped the Company maintain its strong margins and preserve revenue. Under Dave’s guidance, we were able to take quick action on our cost-cutting initiatives, and shift the focus of our sales team to fill the occupancy gaps vacated by cancellations, which delivered impressive margins last quarter. I am confident Dave will continue to make significant contributions to the business as he now takes on the expanded role of managing the Company’s operations.”

“I have great confidence in Mark, who has played a pivotal role in shaping the financial profile of the Company and has diligently managed our balance sheet and capital expenditures. Of note, Mark was able to lead the charge on extending the maturities of our credit facilities, a significant undertaking in the current tough lending environment.”

Law Firms Recognized, Steve Wariner Honored, 2 Staffers Leave rpm

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(L-R): Rep. Charles Sargent, Rep. Glen Casada, Steve Wariner, and Caryn Wariner

(L-R): Rep. Charles Sargent, Rep. Glen Casada, Steve Wariner, and Caryn Wariner

The Tennessee State Legislature honored Steve Wariner on May 28 with Senate Joint Resolution 469. The resolution recognizes Wariner as “a Renaissance man by any standard…a recording artist, touring performer, songwriter, publisher, producer, record executive, an avid painter and a true humanitarian” and commends him “for the significant contributions he has made to the growth of country music.” The resolution also commends Wariner for honoring Chet Atkins with his upcoming release, Steve Wariner. c.g.p., My Tribute to Chet Atkins, and for giving a benefit concert on July 7 at the Loveless Barn for the Chet Atkins Music Education Fund.

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Former rpm management Director, Artist & Brand Development Jill Gleason is changing jobs Monday to become Exec. Asst. to Stroudavarious Records President Bill Catino. She also spent many years at Curb before joining rpm. She can be reached at [email protected]…rpm Management Chief Strategy Officer Ryan Bitzer has also left his role, but will remain on as a consultant for the company. He can be reached at 615-967-7010 or [email protected]. rpm’s flagship client Tim McGraw recently moved to Red Light Management, which most likely led to the company’s downsizing. In related news, Jay McCarthy, former PD of KMLE/Phoenix, has joined Red Light Management and will be McGraw’s representative to Country radio. He can be reached at 615-279-3784 or [email protected].

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Not surprisingly, several Nashville law firms have been ranked among the best media and entertainment in Tennessee by the prestigious legal guide, Chambers USA. Included on the recently released list are Milom Joyce Horsnell & Crowe, Adams & Reese, Loeb & Loeb, Harris Martin Jones Shrum Bradford & Wommak, Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, Zumwalt Almon & Hayes, and Malcom Mimms.