Verve Label Group names Jamie Krents President, Dawn Olejar GM

Verve label group has announced the promotions of Jamie Krents, to the President of Verve, Impulse! and Verve Forecast Records; and Executive Vice President Dawn Olejar to GM, Verve Label Group. Both report to Dickon Stainer, President and CEO of Universal Classics and Jazz and Verve Label Group, and are based out of the New York office.

Verve, a division of Universal Music Group (UMG), was the big story at the 2022 Grammy Awards, where their artist Jon Batiste won Album of the Year – in addition to four other categories – and newcomer Arooj Aftab was nominated for Best New Artist and took home a trophy for Best Global Performance.

Verve is home to the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, John Coltrane and Diana Krall and is home to the sub-labels Decca, Impulse! And among other things, Verve Forecast.

+ Dalia Ganz joined Warner Records as senior VP of digital marketing, where she will work to create and execute online experiences and campaigns for the label’s listing. She will report to Tom Corson, Warner Records Co-Chairman and COO, and will be based at the label’s LA headquarters.

Ganz comes to Warner Records after 17 years at The Walt Disney Company, where she most recently served as vice president of social media, digital marketing and synergies at Freeform.

“Dalia is a widely respected expert and bold digital innovator who knows how to adapt to an ever-changing landscape and is not afraid to break new ground to try something new,” said Corson. “She will bring a new perspective to our marketing strategy and help us deliver unique, memorable campaigns that amplify our artists’ voices and resonate with fans.”

Tuesday, August 9th

island records promoted Steven Rowen to Senior Vice President, Head of International Marketing. In his new role, Rowen will continue to oversee global marketing for the entire island roster, which includes Shawn Mendes, Demi Lovato, the Killers, Lauren Spencer Smith and more.

“Steven is one of the most knowledgeable and experienced executives in the global marketing space,” said Mike Alexander, general manager of Island Records. “His creativity and strategy have been at the forefront of Iceland’s biggest breakthrough stories over the past decade, and we’re confident he will continue to make tremendous strides as Iceland moves into its next historic chapter.”

Rowen began his music career in 2008 at Universal Music Group as a coordinator in the artist development department of the former Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJ). He then joined the international department in 2012 and was eventually promoted to VP of international marketing. In 2021 he officially started working exclusively for Iceland as Head of International Marketing.

“Thank you to Justin, Imran and Mike for the opportunity to lead our global marketing efforts for Island Records’ new era,” said Rowen. “I look forward to continuing to build our incredible roster around the world.”

Rowen will be based in New York and will report directly to Alexander.

+ Luke Armitage was promoted to Senior VP of astral works where he will oversee the global marketing and day-to-day operations of the label and its overseas brands, including Astralwerks Asia.

Toby Andrews, President of Astralwerks, who reports to Armitage, said: “Luke has been an integral part of Astralwerks’ growth and success since joining in 2018, leading numerous groundbreaking campaigns and expertly guiding our team. His forward-thinking approach to international and domestic marketing as a combined discipline has truly taken the label to the next level and I am so grateful that he is growing into this new role as we look ahead to the years to come.”

Armitage is taking on his new role after four years as VP of Marketing for Astralwerks, during which he oversaw the label’s domestic and international marketing efforts. During this time, Armitage worked on a variety of projects, including Marshmello and Bastille’s “Happier” and Meduza’s Grammy-nominated “Piece Of Your Heart.”

Other artists Armitage worked closely with during his time at Astralwerks include Alesso, Martin Garrix, the Avalanches, Jax Jones, Jonas Blue and Alison Wonderland. He also worked in partnership with Netflix on the soundtrack for the film He’s All That, which marked Addison Rae’s acting debut.

Armitage is based in Hollywood in the Capitol Tower of the Capitol Music Group.

+ ASCAP increased Deepak Mohite to the Chief Technology Officer (CTO), who reports jointly to Elizabeth Matthews, ASCAP Chief Executive Officer, and Brian Roberts, ASCAP Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

Mohite joined the company in 2018 as VP of Infrastructure and Platform Services Engineering and was promoted to SVP, Software Engineering, Architecture and Quality Assurance in 2019. During his tenure in this role, Mohite led ASCAP’s engineering teams on product delivery and strategy planning for software that supported ASCAP’s web and mobile applications.

“Deepak has been responsible for key technical initiatives at ASCAP that have ensured we are the premier music rights management platform for creators and licensees. The innovations he implemented have helped us build a fast, flexible, and efficient technology infrastructure that has streamlined our operations, made us more agile, and equipped us to continue to innovate for the future,” said Matthews.

Roberts added, “Deepak’s expertise in emerging technologies will ensure that ASCAP’s technology infrastructure always evolves with the companies we serve. His strategic vision and guidance have helped drive key technology improvements at ASCAP, from migrating our data platforms to the cloud, to making critical improvements to our cybersecurity and privacy, to developing software that powers our web and mobile applications.”

Mohite previously held senior technology positions at Tower Research Capital and The New York Times. He holds two master’s degrees and multiple product and technology certifications from MIT.

+ Columbia Records promoted Betsy Whitney to Vice President of Marketing, as announced by Erika Alfredson and Jay Schumer, both EVP, Marketing for the company.

Most recently, Whitney served as senior director of marketing, where she managed campaigns for artists including Bruce Springsteen, Hozier, Leon Bridges, Haim, Arcade Fire, Barbra Streisand and John Mayer.

She will continue to report to Alfredson and Schumer, who said in a joint statement: “Throughout the many roles Betsy has held at Columbia, she has been an incredible resource, running successful campaigns for some of the label’s most celebrated artists. Betsy brings passion, drive and creativity to everything she does. We are proud of her growth and leadership, and look forward to her continuing to bring exciting campaigns to life across the roster.”

Whitney began her career as an intern at NME and joined Columbia in 2008 in New York City as a Marketing Coordinator. She spent eight years in digital marketing before rejoining the marketing team in Los Angeles.

+ Gilad Volzovich joined revealer in the company’s rise to improve its Web3 development team. Revelator supports organizing and tracking music on Web2 and Web3.

“By making the ecosystem more decentralized and open, we will benefit the entire supply chain. We are very pleased that Gilad will be joining us in this endeavor,” said Revelator Founder and CEO Bruno Guez.

+ The Beggars Group of Labels promoted Andy Larsen to the sales manager Steve Faithr transitions to the newly created role of Head of US Operations.

Faithr, who joined the company in 2009 as a warehouse worker, will oversee various aspects of the US facilities, including sales and manufacturing, in several departments. He previously served as US Director of Digital Operations.

Larsen will now lead the sales team and work closely with distributor Redeye. She has been with the company since 2016 when she joined from the Rough Trade Shop. She is leaving her previous position as sales manager.

+ Big Machine Music (BMM)a subsidiary of HYBE America, has signed a singer-songwriter Anna Vaus to an exclusive songwriting agreement.

A Belmont University graduate, Vaus was the first-ever recipient of the Miranda Lambert Women’s Creator Fund. She joins BMM’s growing roster of artists that includes Brett Young, Ryan Hurd, Laura Veltz, Matt Dragstrem, Jessie Jo Dillon, Brandy Clark and more.

“We have admired Anna’s unique songwriting from afar for years and are thrilled to have the opportunity to work directly together,” said Mike Molinar, general manager of BMM.

“Songwriting is a fundamental part of my artistic practice and I’m thrilled to be collaborating with the Big Machine Music team,” shared Vaus. “I’m incredibly excited to have Mike, Tim [Hunze] and Lizzi [Rector] and the rest of the team by my side as I continue to develop as a songwriter.”