Music Industry Moves: Laura Segura Named Executive Director of She Is The Music

Laura Segura has been named the new executive director of She Is the Music (SITM), the non-profit organization focused on increasing gender equity by forging more opportunities for women across the music industry. In this role, she will be responsible for setting strategic direction, overseeing global initiatives and partnerships, and steering the group's growth. Her remit encompasses SITM's core programs, which range from women-only songwriting camps and a worldwide directory of female professionals to mentorship efforts and advocacy work, all while strengthening ties with major record companies, publishers, and academic institutions.

Segura brings extensive experience in artist advocacy, having just completed a five-year tenure as executive director of MusiCares. This charitable foundation of the Recording Academy offers critical assistance to music people in times of need. During her leadership, she played a key role in distributing a historic $35.7 million in pandemic relief, facilitating over 140,000 instances of aid, and later orchestrating a $16 million support program for Los Angeles musicians affected by wildfires. Her earlier position as Vice President of Membership & Industry Relations for the Recording Academy—the organization behind the GRAMMY Awards—solidified her deep industry connections. This background in constructing practical support systems is seen as essential for SITM's mission to drive structural change. Industry experts note that Segura's operational experience with large-scale aid distribution is a major asset for an organization aiming to tackle systemic barriers.

The appointment received strong backing from SITM's co-founders. Artist and producer Alicia Keys remarked, "Laura's entire career has been about empowering others and establishing functional support networks. She possesses the exact blend of resolve, vision, and empathy required to forge durable progress." In a collective statement, co-founders Jody Gerson (Chairman & CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group), chief engineer Ann Mincieli, and WME partner Sam Kirby Yoh emphasized that Segura's guidance would enable SITM to "keep generating pathways for women in every corner of the music landscape." This hiring is widely interpreted as marking a new phase for the initiative, which was launched in 2018 in response to persistent gender gaps highlighted by research such as the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative's annual report. "Bringing in a leader with Segura's proven track record and credibility signals that SITM is maturing from a rallying cry into a substantive institutional force," observed a senior music business analyst.

In other leadership news, Atlantic Music Group has promoted Dave Rocco to the newly established role of chief creative officer. Rocco, who joined the label group just last year as president of creative, will now be tasked with shaping and implementing creative strategy on a global scale for its artist roster, overseeing all visual content from videos to marketing campaigns. He will report directly to Chairman and CEO Elliot Grainge, who credited Rocco with already playing a central part in "revitalizing and redefining" the company's creative output. Rocco's career includes senior roles at Spotify and Universal Music Group, as well as at leading advertising agencies, providing him with a distinctive, multi-platform viewpoint on artist development and branding.

Elsewhere, Sony Music Publishing has elevated longtime executive Jeff Smarr to senior vice president, global copyright. A 31-year veteran of the company based in Nashville, Smarr will take on expanded strategic responsibilities, including the assimilation of significant catalog acquisitions, while continuing to lead global copyright administration teams. Dale Esworthy, EVP of worldwide administration, praised Smarr as the department's "indispensable authority" with "unmatched knowledge of our catalog." This promotion underscores the critical and growing importance of copyright management in the digital era, a complex backend process vital for ensuring songwriters are paid correctly from a sprawling network of streaming platforms and services. For context, Sony Music Publishing is one of the world's largest music publishers, administering copyrights for songwriters across genres and representing a catalog that includes millions of musical works.

On the touring side, rapper and singer Don Toliver has entered into a representation agreement with United Talent Agency (UTA) for North America. Managed by David Stromberg, Randall "Sickamore" Medford, and Erin Duran, Toliver is capitalizing on the success of his headlining "Psycho Tour," which featured sold-out arena shows in the United States and a European run last summer. He has established himself as a reliable chart performer, with his last four studio albums—including the Billboard 200 chart-topper "Hardstone Psycho"—all landing in the Top 10 upon release, solidifying his position as a premier streaming-era headliner. This move to UTA, a major global agency with a deep roster in hip-hop and touring, is expected to further amplify his reach as he plans his next career phase.