Music Industry Moves: Shaboozey Signs With Empire Publishing; Suno Names Jeremy Sirota Chief Commercial Officer
Empire Publishing, the publishing division of the independent powerhouse music company of the same name, has entered a new agreement with Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Shaboozey, who is also on the Empire label. His track record of course includes the RIAA-Diamond certified hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and the gold album “Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going.”
The Empire publishing team is led by newly appointed president Vinny Kumar, who helped secure the deal alongside SVP of A&R Eric Hurt, who signed Shaboozey to Empire’s label in 2021.
“We’re thrilled to expand our partnership with Shaboozey in this publishing deal,” says Hurt. “As great of an artist as Shaboozey is, he’s equally as talented as a songwriter; constantly striving to write the most compelling, story-driven songs that reach a broad and diverse audience.”
Kumar added, “The creative foundation of Shaboozey’s success is his writing, which sits at the center of one of the most significant chart achievements in recent memory. We’re proud to partner with him on the publishing side as he continues to make history.”
Jared Cotter, Shaboozey’s co-manager and Range Media Partners managing partner, added: “We couldn’t be happier to double down on the mutual commitment between Shaboozey and Empire. They have been integral partners in Shaboozey’s success on the record side and I have no doubt we will say the same in the publishing business as well.”
+ Generative-AI company Suno has named former Merlin CEO Jeremy Sirota as its chief commercial officer, it announced Monday morning. In the role, Sirota will lead Suno’s commercial strategy, music industry relationships, platform partnerships, and enterprise solutions and will report directly to CEO Mikey Shulman.
During his six years as CEO of Merlin, the digital music licensing partner for independent music labels and distributors, Sirota scaled annual revenue from $900 million to $1.8 billion while rebuilding its technology infrastructure and expanding its data and licensing capabilities. He led licensing agreements with major technology platforms including Apple, Deezer, Meta, Spotify, Twitch and YouTube among others. He also negotiated Merlin’s early AI partnerships.
Prior to Merlin, Sirota held business development, strategy and operational roles at Meta on the music team, was a senior record executive at Warner Music Group, and served as a technology lawyer at Morrison Foerster, where he did licensing work for entertainment companies and advised on intellectual property matters.
“Jeremy is a rare leader who has spent his career working to improve every side of the music business – for fans, artists, music rightsholders, and platforms,” said Shulman, co-founder and CEO of Suno. “What truly sets him apart is his ability to build what doesn’t yet exist, finding opportunity where others see obstacles and bringing all sides with him. That mindset will help craft a better future of music for all, and I couldn’t be more excited to have him join Suno.”
Suno recently announced a partnership with Warner Music Group and last fall, it launched what it claims is the the first generative audio workstation, Suno Studio, which blends pro-grade multi-track editing with AI stem generation.
+ Sony Music Publishing has promoted Greg Prata to chief financial officer, effective March 31. He will continue to be based out of the company’s New York office and will report to SMP chairman & CEO Jon Platt.
In his new role, Prata will oversee all aspects of Sony Music Publishing’s financial operations globally, including reporting, accounting, budget, administration and IT. He succeeds Tom Kelly, who recently announced his upcoming retirement from his position as CFO, after a 35-year career.
Platt said, “Greg has been a trusted leader on our team, and I’m pleased to see him step into the CFO role as we advance our next stage of growth. At the same time, we thank Tom for his remarkable tenure. His leadership has helped drive our success and set a high bar for excellence that Greg will continue to build upon.”
Prata joined Sony in 2012 as senior VP of financial planning & analysis, following his time at EMI. In 2019, he was promoted to executive VP of finance & corporate strategy. Prior to his roles at Sony Music Publishing and EMI, Prata spent over a decade in private equity and investment banking.
+ Patron Saints of Music, the custom music house behind Bravo’s “Below Deck” and others, has named Allie Moskovits head of sync & business development. In this newly created role, Moskovits will lead sync strategy for Patron Saints’ expanding catalog to drive business across TV, film, advertising, gaming, and emerging media. She will also focus on developing new artists and songs to diversify the catalog and expand the company’s footprint beyond unscripted television.
+ Culture Wave, a Los Angeles–based, “rock-forward” artist management company operating in partnership with Red Light Management, has expanded in several areas.
Artist managers Ryan Cunningham and Mike Bingham of Polarizer Management have joined Culture Wave, bringing their rosters into the company’s management division. Cunningham represents the Armed, Prostitute, Trauma Ray, Patrick Shiroishi, Truck Violence, Jodi, while Bingham joins with Trauma Ray, Spiritual Cramp and Agriculture. Cunningham will remain in his role at Biz 3 Publicity where he’s been a publicist for 12 years.
The company also announces the promotion of Rachel Hacken to artist manager, transitioning from day-to-day support for Jason Mageau’s roster. Hacken now manages Kittie, Gore., Thousand Below, and Holy Wars; as well as:
Alana Lopez joins as touring & logistics manager, supporting Jason Mageau’s roster and Culture Wave artists; Madison Stern joins as day-to-day manager for Andrew Jarrin; Ana Garcia joins as digital marketing coordinator; Erin Carignan joins as day-to-day manager for Ryan Cunningham; Joey Mullen joins as co-manager for the band Agriculture with Bingham.
The Empire publishing team is led by newly appointed president Vinny Kumar, who helped secure the deal alongside SVP of A&R Eric Hurt, who signed Shaboozey to Empire’s label in 2021.
“We’re thrilled to expand our partnership with Shaboozey in this publishing deal,” says Hurt. “As great of an artist as Shaboozey is, he’s equally as talented as a songwriter; constantly striving to write the most compelling, story-driven songs that reach a broad and diverse audience.”
Kumar added, “The creative foundation of Shaboozey’s success is his writing, which sits at the center of one of the most significant chart achievements in recent memory. We’re proud to partner with him on the publishing side as he continues to make history.”
Jared Cotter, Shaboozey’s co-manager and Range Media Partners managing partner, added: “We couldn’t be happier to double down on the mutual commitment between Shaboozey and Empire. They have been integral partners in Shaboozey’s success on the record side and I have no doubt we will say the same in the publishing business as well.”
+ Generative-AI company Suno has named former Merlin CEO Jeremy Sirota as its chief commercial officer, it announced Monday morning. In the role, Sirota will lead Suno’s commercial strategy, music industry relationships, platform partnerships, and enterprise solutions and will report directly to CEO Mikey Shulman.
During his six years as CEO of Merlin, the digital music licensing partner for independent music labels and distributors, Sirota scaled annual revenue from $900 million to $1.8 billion while rebuilding its technology infrastructure and expanding its data and licensing capabilities. He led licensing agreements with major technology platforms including Apple, Deezer, Meta, Spotify, Twitch and YouTube among others. He also negotiated Merlin’s early AI partnerships.
Prior to Merlin, Sirota held business development, strategy and operational roles at Meta on the music team, was a senior record executive at Warner Music Group, and served as a technology lawyer at Morrison Foerster, where he did licensing work for entertainment companies and advised on intellectual property matters.
“Jeremy is a rare leader who has spent his career working to improve every side of the music business – for fans, artists, music rightsholders, and platforms,” said Shulman, co-founder and CEO of Suno. “What truly sets him apart is his ability to build what doesn’t yet exist, finding opportunity where others see obstacles and bringing all sides with him. That mindset will help craft a better future of music for all, and I couldn’t be more excited to have him join Suno.”
Suno recently announced a partnership with Warner Music Group and last fall, it launched what it claims is the the first generative audio workstation, Suno Studio, which blends pro-grade multi-track editing with AI stem generation.
+ Sony Music Publishing has promoted Greg Prata to chief financial officer, effective March 31. He will continue to be based out of the company’s New York office and will report to SMP chairman & CEO Jon Platt.
In his new role, Prata will oversee all aspects of Sony Music Publishing’s financial operations globally, including reporting, accounting, budget, administration and IT. He succeeds Tom Kelly, who recently announced his upcoming retirement from his position as CFO, after a 35-year career.
Platt said, “Greg has been a trusted leader on our team, and I’m pleased to see him step into the CFO role as we advance our next stage of growth. At the same time, we thank Tom for his remarkable tenure. His leadership has helped drive our success and set a high bar for excellence that Greg will continue to build upon.”
Prata joined Sony in 2012 as senior VP of financial planning & analysis, following his time at EMI. In 2019, he was promoted to executive VP of finance & corporate strategy. Prior to his roles at Sony Music Publishing and EMI, Prata spent over a decade in private equity and investment banking.
+ Patron Saints of Music, the custom music house behind Bravo’s “Below Deck” and others, has named Allie Moskovits head of sync & business development. In this newly created role, Moskovits will lead sync strategy for Patron Saints’ expanding catalog to drive business across TV, film, advertising, gaming, and emerging media. She will also focus on developing new artists and songs to diversify the catalog and expand the company’s footprint beyond unscripted television.
+ Culture Wave, a Los Angeles–based, “rock-forward” artist management company operating in partnership with Red Light Management, has expanded in several areas.
Artist managers Ryan Cunningham and Mike Bingham of Polarizer Management have joined Culture Wave, bringing their rosters into the company’s management division. Cunningham represents the Armed, Prostitute, Trauma Ray, Patrick Shiroishi, Truck Violence, Jodi, while Bingham joins with Trauma Ray, Spiritual Cramp and Agriculture. Cunningham will remain in his role at Biz 3 Publicity where he’s been a publicist for 12 years.
The company also announces the promotion of Rachel Hacken to artist manager, transitioning from day-to-day support for Jason Mageau’s roster. Hacken now manages Kittie, Gore., Thousand Below, and Holy Wars; as well as:
Alana Lopez joins as touring & logistics manager, supporting Jason Mageau’s roster and Culture Wave artists; Madison Stern joins as day-to-day manager for Andrew Jarrin; Ana Garcia joins as digital marketing coordinator; Erin Carignan joins as day-to-day manager for Ryan Cunningham; Joey Mullen joins as co-manager for the band Agriculture with Bingham.