Yahoo Finance Music Industry Moves: Republic Records Names Meg Harkins Senior VP of Marketing
Republic Records has named Meg Harkins as senior vice president of marketing, co-president Jim Roppo announced on Thursday. She is based in the company’s New York headquarters.
Harkins began consulting for the label in 2019, spearheading releases ranging from K-pop artists Twice, (G)I-dle and Tomorrow X Together to reggaeton icon Daddy Yankee and dance music titans Swedish House Mafia and more. She will continue to orchestrate marketing strategy and run campaigns for the aforementioned artists and more. Prior to Republic, she held senior posts at Roc Nation, Blue Note Records and Capitol Records.
More from Variety
“Meg is the rare marketing executive whose passion for music and drive align perfectly,” Roppo said. “She brings an immense level of excitement to every project, encouraging the same enthusiasm from the team at large. She’s galvanized the label’s seamless and successful expansion into both K-pop and Latin. We’re honored to officially welcome her to the Republic Records family.”
Wednesday, Dec. 1
Creative Artists Agency announced the promotion of two veteran agents in Nashville and Miami Wednesday. Jeff Krones will become co-head of CAA Nashville Music, while Bruno Del Granado is bumped up to become head of CAA’s global Latin music touring group.
“Today’s appointments of two superbly talented new leaders attest to the tremendous momentum CAA is experiencing across our touring business,” said CAA’s head of music, Rob Light, in a statement. “Jeff and Bruno’s individual instincts, taste, and experience have made them world-class agents, and we look forward to them expanding their impact for clients and CAA in their new leadership roles.”
Krones’ clients include some of the top names in rock, country and other genres, among them Twenty One Pilots, Dan + Shay, Brett Young, Needtobreathe and NF. He joins three other Nashville Music co-heads, Marc Dennis, Brian Manning and Darin Murphy, in the new role he’s assuming. “I’m honored to join my fellow co-heads in helping to build on our success in Nashville,” Krones said. “As a team, we’re passionate about discovering, developing, and serving a wide range of artists that touch many different genres and cultures,” said Krones. “I’m fortunate to have spent my entire career at CAA, surrounded by the best agents, and I’m excited by the opportunity to help shape our future.” He began his career with CAA as an intern in 2004.
High-profile Latin music clients of the Miami-based Del Granado include Maluma, Luis Fonsi, Gloria Estefan, Becky G, Danna Paola, Jen Carlos Canela, and Isabela Moner. “As the reach and influence of Latin music continues to grow across the globe, I’m thrilled to work alongside the incredible artists driving the success and cultural impact of the music,” said Del Granado. “With the continued support of the broader CAA team, our Latin Music group will create even more opportunities ahead.” Del Granado came to CAA in 2013 from RM Entertainment Group, which he formed with Ricky Martin as his partner.
CAA’s Nashville branch represents top country stars like Maren Morris, Carrie Underwood and Willie Nelson as well as the aforementioned Dan + Shay but also such non-country artists as Harry Styles, Maroon 5 and Glass Animals.
+ The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) has announced that Richard James Burgess’ contract as president and CEO has been renewed for a third term. In the years since he took the helm in January 2016, A2IM has seen 28% membership growth; he will continue his work in advocacy, education, and community across the independent music industry — including continuing the fight for diversity and gender equality as well as equal pay policies.
The organization also announced the promotion of two vets, Lisa Hresko to general manager and Sheryl Cohen to head of strategic planning.
“Richard has proven to be a dynamic leader, expanding the reach of A2IM in the past several years,” said Zena White, Chair of the A2IM Board and Managing Director of Partisan Records. “The team he leads is stronger than ever, having been able to grow its membership and execute meaningful community initiatives at a time when our community is most in need.”
+ iHeartMedia has named John Ivey president of CHR (Contemporary Hits Radio) content development and strategy, effective immediately. In his new role, Ivey will focus on the recruitment, training, deployment and career growth of talent across all of iHeart’s CHR stations, working closely with Dennis Clark, EVP of talent. He will continue to report to chief programming officer Tom Poleman.
“For over 20 years, John has been a key part of our successful Los Angeles market and our CHR stations across the country,” said Poleman. “Now he will step into another integral role within iHeart – a role which represents that iHeart is a talent-first company dedicated to building the skills, capacity and drive of our nationally-recognized on-air personalities. John’s extensive experience in programming and his credibility within the industry are perfect for leading and elevating this initiative.”
+ Page 1 Management has signed the production team ClickNPress (Kaleb “KQuick” Rollins and Marc “Fresh2Def” Soto), who have worked with J. Cole, Alessia Cara, Queen Naija and Dreamville, whose “Revenge of the Dreamers III” album was up for three 2020 Grammys. The company also represents the artist Jawsh 685 as well as Grammy-winning writer-producers Joel Little (Taylor Swift, Imagine Dragons) and Mark Rankin (Adele, Iggy Pop), and Drew Pearson (Zac Brown Band, Kesha).
Page 1 Management Senior Director Danielle Middleton said, “I’ve had the privilege to work with Marc and Kaleb in different capacities for years, we’ve grown up together in this industry and formed a bond of mutual respect and understanding. I’m excited to continue that relationship with my new family at Page 1 and to show the world what these great creatives can do.”
+ YM&U Group has promoted Matt Colon to global president of music. According to the announcement, Colon will continue to directly oversee the US Music Division and will expand his role by leading global strategy and integration across the world, creating synergy between the UK and US Music divisions. YM&U’s roster includes Common, Steve Aoki, blink-182, Travis Barker in the US and James Arthur, Gary Barlow, Years & Years and Jesy Nelson in the UK.
Mary Bekhait, YM&U’s Group CEO shares, “I am delighted that Matt has agreed to lead YM&U’s Music business globally. He has a history of being at the forefront of emerging cultural and tech trends, is a strategic and astute leader and possesses great taste. Bringing our music divisions even closer together will enable us to better serve our global clients and provide more opportunities for our colleagues.”
Tuesday, Nov. 30
+ Berklee College of Music has established a scholarship named after Grammy Award-winning engineer Al Schmitt. The fund was created by the school’s Music Production and Engineering Department and seeded with a $50,000 gift from the endowment fund of former Berklee faculty member Wayne Wadhams, who played a key role in building the department, beginning in 1983. The Al Schmitt Engineering Scholarship will aid selected students majoring in music production and engineering.
The tuition-based scholarship will be awarded to a single student annually, beginning in fall 2022.
Schmitt died in April at the age of 91. He’s known for having received more Grammys for engineering — 20, not including his separate Latin Grammys and a National Trustees Award — than anyone else in his field. In 2015, he became the first engineer-mixer to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Highlights in his discography included Steely Dan’s “Aja” and Ray Charles’ “Genius Loves Company,” marking just two of the 10 occasions on which he received the Grammy for best engineered recording or best engineered album (non-classical). Schmitt had 36 Grammy nominations in his career, according to the Recording Academy website. His last two Grammy wins, in 2012-13, came for working with Paul McCartney on his album of standards, “Kisses on the Bottom,” and its “Live Kisses” home-video sequel.
The more than 150 gold or platinum records that bore his name in the credits included recordings by Henry Mancini, Sam Cooke, Frank Sinatra, Natalie Cole, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, Josh Groban, Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson.
“Al Schmitt would be so honored and pleased, as is his family, at making the scholarship available,” said his wife, Lisa Schmitt. “We can think of no greater way to celebrate Al than to financially assist those attending Berklee who want to follow in his footsteps.”
Added Rob Jaczko, chair of Music Production and Engineering: “I can’t think of a more meaningful way for us to honor a man that defined every benchmark of the craft of music production and audio engineering. Al’s work embodied limitless musicality, stunning technical ability, and most importantly a sense of warmth, compassion, and humanity. The MP&E Department at Berklee is proud to award the Al Schmitt Engineering Scholarship to recognize and inspire the next generations of audio professionals.”
+ Terrece Walker has joined SoundCloud as VP and head of communications. An alumnus of MTV and BET, she arrives from Complex Networks where she was director of public relations.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
