UnitedMasters has strengthened its leadership with four executive hires, while Merlin has appointed Jon Glass as General Counsel. The announcements were part of a wave of personnel changes across the music industry this week.
UnitedMasters Expands Leadership Team
UnitedMasters added four senior roles spanning marketing, operations, brand, and commerce. Todd L. Perry II joins as VP, Head of Artist and Label Marketing, arriving from the same position at Warner Records. Jason Peerless becomes VP of Artist and Label Operations after a decade leading A&R operations at Def Jam.
Luca Zanello, whose previous experience includes roles at The Orchard and Roc Nation, takes on the Head of Brand and Sync position. Goldie Harris, who held global commerce roles at EMPIRE, joins as Head of Commerce.
Merlin Appoints General Counsel
Merlin has named Jon Glass as General Counsel. In the role, he will oversee Business and Legal Affairs and assume responsibility for the Partnerships team. Glass joins from Warner Music Group, where he served as SVP and Head of Digital Legal Affairs.
Earlier in his career, Glass held digital business and legal affairs positions at Sony Music Entertainment and practiced at several law firms, including Morrison & Foerster. He is based in New York and reports to CEO Charlie Lexton.
FAM Agency Rebrand and Expansion
First Artists Management, the talent agency representing composers and music supervisors, has rebranded as FAM Agency and is expanding. Agent Dan North, formerly of Kraft-Engel Management, joins the agency, bringing a roster that includes composers behind Emily in Paris, Past Lives, and The Power of the Dog.
Alexander Beltran, previously at Warner Bros., joins as Head of Business Affairs in Los Angeles, and Julie Blake, formerly of Erased Tapes, joins as Business Affairs Manager in London.
HEY NOW Records Staffs Up
Kenny Chesney’s Nashville-based independent label HEY NOW Records has hired Dilan “Hef” Ames as VP of A&R. Ames previously worked at Alamo Records, 10K Projects, and Elektra. Alyssa Ramsey joins as Director of Artist Development, following roles at Anthem Entertainment and Play It Again Music Group.
Other Notable Moves
Marc Thomas has joined The Circuit Group as Head of Artist Management, UK and Europe, relocating his dance music roster from Red Light Management to the company’s London office. Thomas previously worked at Defected Records and Rinse FM.
Ben Farber has left his role as VP of Streaming Strategy and Revenue at Warner Records to join independent label and management company VERSION III full-time, alongside co-founder Josh Epple.
Artist manager Vicky Dowdall, longtime manager of Nina Nesbitt and co-founder of Apple Tree Records, has joined RARE Entity as Partner, Business Development. The culture-focused venture group was co-founded by Eurythmics guitarist Dave Stewart. Dowdall also serves on the board of the Music Managers Forum.
Music Venue Trust has expanded its senior leadership team with six appointments:
- Toni Coe-Brooker, Campaigns & Communications Manager
- Sophie Asquith, Venue Support Manager
- Chris Hurne, Head of External Affairs
- Denzil Thomas, Partnerships Manager
- Rebecca Walker, Live Projects Manager
- Adrian Norman, Financial Controller
The Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) has named four new directors to its 2026–2027 Board:
- Kevin “Ice” White, Universal Music Canada
- Chelsea O’Neill, Live Nation Canada
- Katie Cheesbrough, SponsorPulse
- Damon Whiteside, outgoing Academy of Country Music (ACM) CEO
