Search Results for: Arista Records

RCA Records president Jack Rovner has departed his post after just over a year on the job, as part of yet another strategy shift at the label’s BMG Entertainment parent, which includes the dissolution of BMG’s North America management structure. Following Rovner’s departure, current BMG North America president/CEO Bob Jamieson will abandon that position and take up a new one as chairman of the newly reconstituted RCA Music Group, sources close to the music giant said. With the new title, Jamieson will exert more direct control over RCA Records as well as jazz-and-classical unit the RCA Victor Group, country arm… Read more »

Label rosters in the urban world don’t come much better than that of Def Jam/Def Soul, which boasts an artist lineup including Jay-Z, Ja Rule, Ludacris, and Musiq (formerly Musiq Soulchild). The label is rumored to be considering signing Mariah Carey. And now Def Jam/Def Soul has just enlisted 112 to the ranks, a spokesperson for the R&B/hip-hop quartet confirmed Friday (February 22). The platinum-plus group, which toured with Janet Jackson last summer, was previously signed to Sean “P. Diddy” Combs’s Bad Boy label, distributed by Arista Records. As previously reported in January, P. Diddy discussed completing his deal with… Read more »

Atlantic Vice President of Marketing & Product Development Lee Stimmel has announced that Madelyn Scarpulla has joined Atlantic Records as senior director of product development, and will be based at the company’s New York headquarters. Scarpulla was most recently Senior Director of Marketing at Columbia Records. In making the announcement Stimmel commented, “Madelyn comes to Atlantic with a richly diverse background which encompasses marketing, sales, product management, promotion, artist management, and radio programming. Her years of experience, wide-ranging knowledge, and infectious enthusiasm make her ideally suited to pull together the many strands of a project and oversee the spectrum of… Read more »

Tracy Zamot has been promoted to Vice President, East Coast Media Relations for Atlantic Records, based at the company’s New York headquarters. The announcement was made by Atlantic Senior Vice President of Media & Artist Relations Patti Conte, to whom she will report. In her new post, Zamot will continue to work closely with Vice President of Media Relations Caroline Prutzman. Zamot has been with Atlantic since 1992, most recently serving as senior director of media relations. In making the announcement, Patti Conte commented: “In her ten years with Atlantic, Tracy has grown into one of the most admired and… Read more »

A week after paying Mariah Carey nearly $30 million to walk away from her contract, EMI Recorded Music CEO Alain Levy took the wraps off a massive restructuring at the top of the company’s North American unit, marking his most aggressive moves yet to yank the British music major out of a persistent financial slump. Levy’s plan infuses EMI’s U.S. executive suite with new blood: His longtime deputy David Munns becomes chairman and chief executive of EMI North America, overseeing the flagship Capitol Records and Virgin Records America imprints. Veteran producer Matt Serletic has been named chairman and CEO of… Read more »

The suit filed against Arista Records for royalties from the re-release of Whitney Houston’s “The Star-Spangled Banner” was dropped Monday (December 17), according to a spokesperson for Arista Records. “It was the shortest lawsuit in history,” the spokesperson said. “It was an administrative oversight from [Houston’s] Greatest Hits album.” Leonard David Stone, executive director for the orchestra, said until a resolution has been reached, he was prohibited from commenting on the matter. The Florida Orchestra, which recorded the national anthem with Houston in 1991, filed a suit Friday (December 14), asking a judge to ensure that Arista honored an agreement… Read more »

BMG Entertainment has formed BMG Heritage, a label to maximize the music group’s catalog repertoire from BMG-owned Arista Records, Buddha Records, RCA, RGL, Windham Hill and Private Music. BMG Heritage will launch Jan. 1. Alex Miller will head BMG Heritage as senior vp. He will report to Pete Jones, president and CEO of BMG Distribution and BMG Associated Labels. Miller most recently was senior vp worldwide marketing at RCA Victor Group. He joined BMG in 1998 to helm its catalog reissues label, Buddha Records, which will become an imprint of BMG Heritage. BMG Heritage will focus on previously unreleased works… Read more »

It’s been nearly four years since R&B star Monica released her last CD, 1998’s The Boy Is Mine, which featured the chart-topping title track, a duet with Brandy. Her fans won’t have too much longer to wait for new music. “I hope to have the record ready by the beginning of the year,” she says. “I’m working with Jermaine Dupri, and right now we have three songs done.” In addition to reuniting with prolific producer Dupri (Ludacris, Mariah Carey, Destiny’s Child, Lil’ Bow Wow), with whom she worked on The Boy Is Mine, Monica is getting production help from Dallas… Read more »

Robert Jamieson, president and CEO of BMG North America, yesterday announced key appointments to his management team as part of an overall realignment of BMG’s North America businesses. The new leadership will oversee BMG North America’s record labels as the company creates a more responsive and profitable organization with a sharp focus on music and artist development. The appointments are: Neil Foster takes on the post of executive vice president of Operations; Joe DiMuro named senior vice president of Strategic Marketing; Stanley Schneider is now senior vice president of Legal and Business Affairs; Jim Blauvelt takes over as vice president… Read more »

DJ Quik and Coolio are scheduled to release new albums in January. Both artists are among a list of seasoned West Coast rappers who have signed to the new label Bungalo Records, which will be distributed by Universal. Suga Free, Hi-C, and Chill of Compton’s Most Wanted are also on the label’s roster. The Bungalo structure will also include label deals for DJ Quik’s Euponic Records, and Quik’s partner Tony Lane’s Lane Way Records. “We’re changing the game at Bungalo,” says Paul Ring, Bungalo’s founder and CEO. “We view artists more as partners, which means they retain more creative and… Read more »