The radical restructure of BMG under new CEO Thomas Coesfeld continues, with a revamp of the company's senior leadership team in the US. This includes new and expanded roles for Jon Loba, currently BMG Nashville President, and Thomas Scherer, currently President Repertoire & Marketing for New York and Los Angeles.
“We are making good on our promise to double down on our US operation with a distinctive new approach", says Coesfeld. That new approach involves "an integrated frontline operation spanning the whole of North America plus a global catalogue business steered from Los Angeles". This, he adds, is "an integral part of our new strategy to deliver for artists and songwriters and go for growth”.
BMG notes that North America, the biggest music rights market in the world, already accounts for more than 50% of its revenues. The changes being made, and increased investment in its US record labels, will, it says, help it further grow its business there.
In terms of the top team, Loba will become President of frontline recordings for the whole of North America, "taking charge of BMG’s entire North American frontline records business across Nashville, Los Angeles, New York and Canada". Meanwhile, Scherer's new role sees him coordinate catalogue recordings on a global basis, while also being President Of Music Publishing for North America. They - along with CFO North America Joe Gillen - will comprise BMG's US-based leadership team.
There has been a series of changes at BMG since Coesfeld took over as CEO last July. He ended the music firm's long-standing partnership with Warner Music's ADA label services division, bringing digital distribution in house and agreeing a new deal with Universal Music around physical distribution.
Next there was some downsizing in October, with redundancies impacting on the firm's international marketing department, those involved in theatre and film projects, and its Modern Recordings label. A complete revamp of the recordings side of the business followed in December, with the aim of applying the firm's approach to publishing to recordings, resulting in "a clear distinction between local expertise in artist relationships and global functions which serve them".