Warner Music Group has announced the creation of 300 Elektra Entertainment – 3EE – a new frontline label group that combines the long-running Elektra label, which was founded in 1950 and acquired 20 years later by the company that became Warner, with 300 Entertainment, founded in 2012 and acquired by Warner earlier this year.
The company will be headed by chairman & CEO Kevin Liles and includes 300, Elektra Records, Fueled by Ramen, Roadrunner, Low Country Sound, DTA Records, Public Consumption, Young Stoner Life Records, Sparta, and 300 Studios.
300 artists include Megan Thee Stallion, Young Thug, Gunna and Highly Suspect; artists on Elektra, which was relaunched by Warner as a stand-alone label group in 2018, include Ed Sheeran, Brandi Carlile, Anderson East, Avril Lavigne, Masked Wolf and Tones and I.
According to the announcement, despite the merged logo and title, both 300 and Elektra will maintain their independent identities and cultures. Overseeing 300 Entertainment are newly appointed co-presidents Rayna Bass and Selim Bouab, while Mike Easterlin and Gregg Nadel will continue to serve as co-presidents of Elektra Entertainment (formerly Elektra Music Group).
“Every single brand within 3EE was born as an independent, entrepreneurial label made up of music-lovers who take risks, break rules, and disrupt culture,” said Liles. “The mission of 3EE is to reimagine our value proposition to artists and creative partners globally. We fuel the spirit of our labels’ identities through the creation of powerhouse brand management teams that span genres and cultures. Our people are handpicked because they all live what they work and love what they do.”
+ Audiomack and Universal Music Group have entered a new licensing agreement to make UMG content available to Audiomack subscribers across Africa, the United Kingdom and Canada. The new deal expands on a previously signed licensing agreement between Audiomack and UMG for the U.S.
As a part of the expansion, a curated selection of UMG content is now available for Audiomack users in 16 African countries including Algeria, Benin, Cameroon, Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. UMG will also provide Audiomack with a full catalog offering for its premium subscribers in Africa.
Dave Macli, Audiomack co-founder and CEO, said, “Millions of listeners across Africa, the U.K., and Canada use Audiomack every day. Our expanded partnership with UMG helps artists in these regions better connect with their local fans and helps artists around the globe tap into a new audience of discovery-focused music fans.”
+ Xposure, a music marketplace that connects artists to industry professionals, has announced the addition of its new advisory board. Comprised of seasoned music and tech professionals, the advisors will be dedicated to team mentorship.
Members include Nick Jarjour, global head of song management at Hipgnosis Songs Fund; Ashley Calhoun, artist manager and president/head of creative of Pulse Music Group; Adriana Arce, VP at Rebel and management for Lil Nas X; Chase Ellman, former entertainment partnerships professional at Facebook; Matt McLernon, senior manager of YouTube’s artist relations team; and Polo Molina, founder of Grassroots Music and manager of Black Eyed Peas.
+ Electric Feel Entertainment has announced that Brooke Morrow has joined the company as executive vice president of creative development, where she will be overseeing the creative and A&R departments. According to the announcement, in this newly formed position, she will create synergy between all of the creative arms of the company as well as work to expand the roster of talent including artists, producers, songwriters and engineers. Prior to joining Electric Feel, Morrow was at BMI for 13 years, most recently as AVP creative worldwide.
CEO/founder Austin Rosen said, “We are thrilled to welcome Brooke to the Electric Feel family. After years of working together during her time at BMI, her tenacity and dedication to the industry makes her the perfect fit as we continue to expand the EF footprint. She has a deep understanding and an ear for talent, so we are excited for what is to come.”
+ SoundCloud has tapped industry veteran Tracy Chan as the new senior vice president of their SoundCloud Creator ecosystem.
Chan will oversee the division globally, including tools, services, products and offerings. As relayed in the official press release, Chan will be responsible for evolving a “feature-rich” creator product designed for independent artists to take their careers to the next level. He will report directly to SoundCloud president, Eliah Seton and serve on the company’s executive leadership team.
Prior to joining SoundCloud, Chan was head of music at Twitch where he helped forge partnerships with Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, Merlin, the National Music Publishers Associations and more. Chan joined Twitch from Spotify where he was the director of product management.
“This is a game-changing addition to our leadership team at SoundCloud. No one has built, launched and scaled more value-added products and services for creators than Tracy,” said Seton.
+ Fuga has made five new hires and four promotions across their senior marketing departments in the U.K., U.S. and Amsterdam. Helen Barrass joins the company’s London offices as head of marketing strategy, coming from her role as senior marketing director & head of artist & label development at AWAL. Ryan Stockwell also joins the LA offices as senior marketing services director. He was previously manager for Galantis/Skrillex and director of product management at Create Music Group.
Fuga also announces a redesign of its audience engagement strategy (including social media), for the Nova Twins ahead of their new album. Their round of promotions includes Melissa Fernie who is now head of audience engagement. Fernie will work with the Twins’ audience engagement and insights, digital advertising, DSP pitching and social media strategy.
Laura van der Sanden moves into her new role as marketing services director of analytics & operations. Massimo
Reali has also been promoted to marketing services director of Southern Europe/Eastern Europe/Nordics alongside Karma Bertelson who becomes marketing strategy manager for the UK following her position as audience insights manager. Further new hires in the marketing team also include Juli Miranda who has joined the company’s Amsterdam office as digital campaign manager alongside Gemma Hart and Chiara Benedetti who join as digital accounts manager, UK and marketing operations coordinator respectively.
From Variety US