Katie Studley joined Spotify as head of Nashville editorial. Studley previously served as Nashville vice president at The Orchard, spearheading release campaigns for Kelsea Ballerini, Max McNown and Russell Dickerson. She also spent a decade at Jack White’s Third Man Records, serving as vice president of operations and marketing director. She began her career in artist development and marketing at Thirty Tigers, working with artists including Jason Isbell and the Avett Brothers. –Jessica Nicholson
The Academy of Country Music promoted Taylor Wolf to executive director of ACM Lifting Lives, the academy’s philanthropic arm. In her new role, Wolf will continue to expand the organization’s fundraising initiatives and oversee programs that provide support for music therapy, disaster relief, and community outreach. Wolf has spent the past six and a half years rising through the ranks of ACM Lifting Lives, beginning as coordinator in 2019 and advancing to manager, senior manager, director before her latest promotion. “Taylor has proven herself time and again to be an innovative, compassionate, and tireless advocate for using music as a force for good,” Fletcher Foster, chair of ACM Lifting Lives’ board of directors and President of F2 Entertainment Group, said in a statement. “The Board is thrilled to see her step into this well-deserved role.” –Paul Grein
Stacey Mitsopulos joined Merlin, the digital music licensing organization, earlier this month as senior director of legal and business affairs. In her new role, she is responsible for evaluating and finalizing agreements with new and emerging businesses, including those licensed through Merlin Connect, an initiative launched in 2024 aimed at helping social and tech platforms license indie music. Mitsopulos began her career as a music lawyer in Toronto, where she also served as vp of business and legal affairs at DHX Media. She later moved to London, holding senior legal and commercial roles at The Box Plus Network and 7digital. Most recently, she spent approximately five and a half years at UK-based radio and advertising company Global, where she rose to legal and business affairs director, specializing in music licensing, podcasts, and related areas. –Marc Schneider
IN MEMORIAM: beatBread announced the passing of Peter Sinclair, the artist financing company’s CEO, at age 50. A respected figure in music and fintech, Sinclair held leadership roles at Universal Music, ScoreBig, Green Dot and McKinsey before launching beatBread in 2020. Read the full story here.
London-based music management company Parade is expanding into North America, opening a New York office led by Loies Kim, formerly of Dirty Hit, Capitol Records and RCA. Founded by Leon Wright in 2023, Parade has quickly built a culturally influential roster, recently adding Mercury Prize nominees Jamie Woon and Berwyn. Wright and Kim aim to deepen Parade’s presence in the U.S. through long-term artist development. –MS
NASHVILLE NOTES: Warner Music Nashville realigned its radio promotion division, employing two staffs — Team WMN and Team WAR — instead of three. With the move, Andy Flick is promoted to WMN senior director of syndication and market strategy. Paige Elliott steps into his vacated role, Team WMN national director of radio, after handling the same position for the now defunct Team WEA … Black River Entertainment promoted Kellie LaJack to director of national promotion, where she will continue to lead national promotion strategies and expand the label’s presence at country radio. Black River’s roster includes Kelsea Ballerini and Chris Young.
Quartz Hill Music Group has added Neil Vance to BSB Management, as manager for artists Matt Cooper and Spencer Hatcher. QHMG/BSB Management’s Tina Hill, longtime manager for Runaway June, will also serve as manager for Lakelin Lemmings, a recent Stone Country Records signee. Vance previously managed artists including Dustin Lynch and Tyler Rich. –JN
Muserk, an AI-powered global rights management company, is scaling rapidly through strategic hires and internal promotions. The Nashville-hub’d company added four new team members to support its expanding tech and admin services: Jeanine Davis and Jeremy Swain as software developers, and Molly Tiemann and Emily Kelly as rights administrators. Earlier, Collin White was promoted to chief technology officer, leading its bespoke AI “Blue Matter,” while Truman Kitos-Lindsey became director of rights management. “We built a company that solves the biggest challenges in rights management, and now we’re applying that infrastructure to develop new products and services — for ourselves and rights holders around the world,” said founder and CEO Paul Goldman. –MS