Downtown Music has appointed Molly Neuman as president of its “direct-to-creator” division, CD Baby. Neuman will work to expand CD Baby’s services, succeeding CD Baby’s previous president, Scott Williams, who will remain a consultant to Downtown and CD Baby.
In a post shared to LinkedIn, Neuman said, “My ambitions for CD Baby are consistent with things I’ve spoken with many of you about before. We deserve an industry that gives opportunities to more than just those who have traditionally held centralized power and revenues. We need more genres, more genders, more geographies represented, and more stability for the future. We have to scale to meet the needs of the modern business, but keep our artists and their creativity at our center. I think we can do it.”
Prior to joining CD Baby, Neuman was the chief marketing officer for Downtown’s global group of music companies. She was also head of music at Kickstarter, and was the interim president and vice president of A2IM. Over the years she has held senior roles in label relations and licensing at digital music services, in addition to serving on the boards of Music Biz, SoundExchange and A2IM. She got her start as the drummer for the influential indie Bratmobile, and has remained a vocal advocate for diversity and inclusion within the music industry.
+ Warner Chappell Music (WCM) has promoted A&R executive Jessi Vaughn Stevenson to vice president of its A&R and digital division.
Stevenson’s experience includes working with chart-topping songwriters including Morgan Wallen and Jessi Alexander, Rhett Akins, Parker McCollum, among others. She will continue reporting to Ben Vaughn, president and CEO of WCM Nashville.
Stevenson shared, “The past eight years at Warner Chappell have been extremely educational and rewarding. I feel blessed to continue to learn from the best in the business – from Admin and A&R teams to our world-class roster of songwriters and artists. Getting to fight for songs from inception to reception is my favorite part of publishing, and I look forward to finding new ways to develop and support our roster and their songs.”
Vaughn said: “Jessi has always shown commitment to songwriters, helping them with their craft and careers. She is always thinking of new ways to support songwriters and is a wonderful team player. We’re happy to announce her promotion.”
+ New York’s iconic Beacon Theatre has named Bruce Wheeler as its senior director of theatre operations. He joins after nearly six years at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York, four of them as general manager. A 30-year veteran of the live-entertainment and music industries, Wheeler previously was GM of Central Park Summerstage, and spent many years working as an independent production manager for Regina Spektor, Cage the Elephant and Jimmy Fallon. Earlier in his career he held executive posts at MCA, J and Caroline Records.
+ Entertainment attorney John Branca has donated $5 million to Occidental College for the establishment of the John Branca Institute for Music, a music teaching and learning facility. David Kasunic, associate professor of music at Occidental, will serve as the Institute’s inaugural director.
Branca’s clients have included Aerosmith, the Beach Boys, the Bee Gees and the Beatles, among others.
+ Sony Music Entertainment (SME) has inked a global joint venture with Los Angeles-based record label D36. Founded by Abhi Kanakadandila in 2021, D36 is a launch pad for the music of South Asia and its diaspora. The global joint venture is said to offer D36’s artists growth opportunities in key markets outside of the U.S.