Anthem Entertainment has named Jason Klein as its permanent Chief Executive Officer amid a raft of other senior leadership appointments at the Canadian music rights and services company.
Klein previously served as Senior Vice-President, Legal & Business Affairs and General Manager for Anthem’s Canadian operations. Klein has served as CEO since January, succeeding Helen Murphy, who was appointed to the role in late 2018.
“I appreciate being given the opportunity to lead this great company into its next era with the support of an incredible team,” said Klein.
“It’s a privilege to be custodian of such an extraordinary catalog of songs and recordings, to be in a position to support the careers and work of an outstanding roster of songwriters, and to lead the dedicated team of people that make this company exceptional.”
Anthem has also promoted Sal Fazzari as permanent Chief Financial Officer after his appointment to the role on an interim basis earlier this year. He was formerly Vice-President Finance and held previous senior roles in Acquisitions and Royalty Administration.
Gilles Godard will continue to head Anthem’s Nashville-based music publishing operation as President, with a focus on developing Anthem’s roster of songwriters, identifying catalog opportunities, and managing global industry relations. Noah Dewey steps into a new role as VP, Creative, while Courtney Crist remains in her role as Director, Creative.
Tom Leighton, promoted to VP, Licensing, will continue to oversee digital licensing activities and now lead sync and general licensing efforts. Joanne Kelsey will retain her position as VP, Royalties and Administration.
Within Athem Entertainment’s unit, Anthem Records, Andy Hawke has been promoted to General Manager, and Andy Curran re-joins as Senior A&R Consultant.
In the legal division, Adrian Battiston is now VP, Legal & Business Affairs, Amanda Dworetsky is promoted to Senior Director, Legal & Business Affairs, and Jennifer Correia takes on the role of Senior Director, Legal & Canadian Operations.
Andrew Jamal is appointed Director, Business Development, leading Anthem’s acquisitions team, while Ryan Cain joins as Director of Marketing & Communications for Anthem Entertainment. Completing the senior leadership team are Stephanie Haas, returning as VP, Human Resources, and Dave Collier, who joined in late 2022 as VP, Technology.
Klein said: “Anthem is poised to become one of the world’s most impactful independent music companies, driving value for our writers and investors while making a positive and lasting mark in our industry and communities. I’m very excited for the future!”
Fazzari added: “I’m very grateful to be part of this world-class team. Anthem has thrived because of the amazing people at its core – from our songwriters and artists to our staff.”
“I am beyond pleased to see a number of our team members who have played an integral part in the evolution of Anthem be elevated to these deserving roles and excited to welcome new executives who will help take Anthem to the next level. I look forward to bringing our vision to life and am thrilled for this new chapter!”
“Anthem is poised to become one of the world’s most impactful independent music companies, driving value for our writers and investors while making a positive and lasting mark in our indusKleintry and communities.”
Jason Klein, Anthem Entertainment
Godard said: “I have had the privilege to be part of this company for the last 16 years and couldn’t be more excited about the new executive team and the entire Anthem organization.”
“Anthem is a world class music publisher with very talented people, and we have a real opportunity to grow it to the next level with Jason as our new CEO. I am proud to be part of this new leadership team!”
Anthem’s production music group continues under JD Adams (5 Alarm Music), Brian Wahlund (Jingle Punks), and Gareth Owen (Cavendish Music). Compact Media Group, Anthem’s London-based subsidiary business, remains under the leadership of Mark Rowland.
The leadership changes at Anthem follow recent deals, including an expanded collaboration with producer Timbaland and Gary Marella-founded beat marketplace Beatclub, an extended songwriting agreement with Big Machine Label Group recording artist Chris Janson, and publishing deals with country songwriters Jamie Paulin and Joey Hyde.
Anthem Entertainment, formerly ole, acquired Timbaland’s music publishing catalog back in 2012. The deal included over 500 copyrights, including hit singles from 50 Cent, Fabolous, Rihanna, Flo Rida, Pussy Cat Dolls, Pink, Britney Spears, Jay-Z, The Black Eyed Peas, Ludacris, Drake, and Chris Cornell. Timbaland also inked a multi-year worldwide publishing administration deal on future songs with Anthem at the time.
With headquarters in Toronto and operations in Nashville, New York, Los Angeles, and London, Anthem Entertainment operates through Anthem Music Publishing, Anthem Records, and a production music division including Jingle Punks, 5 Alarm Music, and Cavendish Music. Subsidiary businesses include Compact Media, a film and television audio-visual secondary rights management company based in London.
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