Music Industry Moves: Universal Music Names Libby Bush President of Global Brands and Commercial Partnerships; Avex Acquires 85% of Brandon Silverstein’s S10 Entertainment

Universal Music Group is creating a new C-suite role—President of Global Brands and Commercial Partnerships—and has tapped Libby Bush to fill it beginning in November. Under the restructuring, UMG's brands, media, and commercial partnership operations, including Universal Music Group for Brands, will be consolidated into one worldwide division. According to the company, these partnerships will span digital platforms, physical products, and live events, all anchored in artists' creative integrity and their authentic connections with fans. Bush will be based in Los Angeles and will report directly to UMG Chief Operating Officer Boyd Muir. The move mirrors a wider industry shift: with streaming revenue growth plateauing in mature markets, major labels are increasingly leaning on brand partnerships and experiential activations as high-margin income sources. By centralizing these functions under a single leader, UMG is making a strategic wager that aligning brand deals with artist development can produce more profitable and culturally impactful campaigns.

Bush arrives at UMG from Creative Artists Agency, where she was Global Head of Entertainment Partnerships and sat on the Agency Board. Before CAA, she founded Tandem Entertainment, an entertainment partnerships firm that CAA acquired in 2020. Her résumé also includes roles at Marvel Entertainment, ABC Entertainment, the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks, and the National Basketball Association. Muir praised the hire, noting that as fan engagement with music continues to evolve, opportunities for artists expand in parallel. He said bringing brand, media, and commercial partnerships together under Bush's leadership will broaden artists' reach and boost their income while offering partners fresh avenues to connect with fans and collaborate with influential figures. Muir added that Bush brings exceptional creative and commercial expertise to the world's leading music company and will work with talent, teams, and partners to craft unforgettable fan experiences and lasting value for brands. CAA, founded in 1975, ranks among the most powerful talent agencies globally, representing actors, musicians, and athletes across film, television, sports, and music; its purchase of Tandem signaled the agency's expansion into brand-partnership territory long dominated by specialist marketing firms.

In a separate development, Avex Inc. has increased its ownership of Brandon Silverstein's S10 Entertainment by acquiring 85% of the company from Silverstein and his partners. The deal further embeds S10 within Avex Music Group. Silverstein will remain CEO of both S10 and Avex Music Group, and will continue as a board member and equity partner at Avex Music Group. Financial terms were not disclosed. The transaction follows Avex's March 2025 purchase of the S10 Music Publishing catalog, which holds shares of hits by artists including Justin Bieber, Drake, Tate McRae, Kehlani, Doja Cat, Post Malone, and Rihanna. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP advised Silverstein on the deal. Katsumi Kuroiwa, CEO of Avex Inc., called S10 an exceptional management company that is central to achieving Avex's international ambitions, adding that integrating S10 into Avex reflects confidence in Silverstein's leadership and a commitment to expanding Avex's global music operations. Avex, based in Tokyo, is one of Japan's largest entertainment conglomerates, with interests spanning recorded music, artist management, and live events; the S10 deal marks a significant stride in its long-stated goal of becoming a major force in Western music markets.

Warner Music Group has appointed Sonny Takhar as Chairman and CEO of Warner Music U.K. & Ireland, effective January 2027. Takhar will lead creative direction, artist development, and strategic operations across WMG's recorded music business in the U.K.—the world's third-largest music market—and Ireland. He will report to Val Blavatnik, Managing Director of Warner Music North America, U.K. & Corporate Development. Takhar's responsibilities will also include operational oversight of WMG's independent distribution arm, ADA, in the U.K. and Ireland, and he will collaborate closely with Elliot Grainge, CEO and Chairman of Atlantic Music Group and Chairman of ADA in the U.S., as well as Aaron Bay-Schuck, Chairman and CEO of Warner Records Group. A founding partner of Syco Entertainment, Takhar was instrumental in developing the careers of One Direction, Labrinth, Leona Lewis, Little Mix, James Arthur, and Fifth Harmony, and helped launch the global TV franchises "The X Factor" and "Got Talent." More recently, he co-founded Los Angeles-based KYN Entertainment in a joint venture with Live Nation and worked with Westlife and songwriter-producer Steve Mac. Blavatnik described Takhar as one of the most forward-thinking executives in music, citing his proven ability to discover, develop, and break global superstars, and said his instinct for talent and strategic worldwide vision make him the ideal choice to lead Warner Music UK & Ireland. The U.K. music market, while the third-largest globally by revenue, has faced growing pressure from streaming economics and Brexit-related touring complications, making Takhar's dual creative and operational mandate especially consequential.

Amra, the global digital collection society, has announced that CEO Tomas Ericsson will step down from his executive role after 13 years, effective January 1, 2027. He will transition to Chairman of the Board. Robin Davies, Amra's Chief Operating Officer for the past four years, will assume the CEO position on January 1st. Ericsson co-founded Amra with Kobalt Music Group in 2013, and the organization went on to license digital rights directly across more than 200 territories and 45 publishers, surpassing nine figures in gross revenue by 2026. Laurent Hubert, CEO of Kobalt, expressed gratitude for Ericsson's vision and leadership, noting that he and his team built Amra into one of the industry's most innovative and transformative organizations. Hubert added that Amra will be in capable hands with Ericsson's continued guidance as Chairman and Davies, who has spent a decade with Amra and Kobalt, leading the charge. Amra's direct licensing model was considered disruptive when it launched, bypassing traditional collection-society structures to negotiate digital deals on behalf of publishers and songwriters; its growth to nine-figure gross revenue underscores how profoundly that model has reshaped global royalty collection.

Danny Goldberg has elevated Jesse Bauer to Senior Vice-President and Gabriel Barreto to Vice President at Gold Village Entertainment, the New York-based artist management firm Goldberg founded in 2007. Bauer has been with the company since its inception, while Barreto came aboard in 2021. Gold Village's client roster includes Steve Earle, the Waterboys, and other acts. Goldberg himself is a seasoned music industry veteran who previously served as president of Atlantic Records and has managed or worked with artists such as Nirvana, Bonnie Raitt, and the Allman Brothers Band.

ASCAP President and Chairman of the Board Paul Williams has announced that Jim Selby has been elected as a publisher member to the ASCAP Board of Directors. Selby is President, Global Music Publishing at BMG, where he oversees the company's worldwide music publishing operations and played a key role in its recent merger with Concord. Williams remarked that the ASCAP Board is firmly committed to decisions that benefit the membership as a whole. He noted that as a global publishing leader, Selby possesses the expertise to address complex issues facing music creators and publishers in today's marketplace—from the challenges and opportunities presented by AI to licensees attempting to pay songwriters less. Williams called Selby an invaluable voice on the ASCAP Board in its mission to advocate for and protect its more than one million members. ASCAP, founded in 1914, is the oldest performing rights organization in the United States, and its board elections are closely watched because publisher seats carry significant influence over licensing policy and rate-setting proceedings.

Universal Music Group has appointed Òscar Celma as Senior Vice President, Applied AI and Machine Learning, effective immediately. Celma will help steer the creation and implementation of AI and machine learning across UMG's global operations, supporting the company's labels, divisions, and businesses. He will report to Hannah Poferl, UMG's Chief Data Officer. During his earlier tenure at Spotify, Celma helped lead the development of AI-driven personalized listening experiences including AI DJ, Jam, and Daylist, as well as personalization and discovery features. He has also worked at Condé Nast, Pandora/SiriusXM, and BMAT Music Innovators. Poferl said Celma offers a rare blend of quantitative and product experience, deep AI knowledge, and a genuine passion for music. She noted that he has assembled teams that deliver results and understands how to convert data at scale into actionable insights, adding that UMG's enormous data resources present tremendous potential for him to help teams accomplish more for artists. UMG's catalog spans millions of recordings across hundreds of labels, giving Celma access to one of the richest datasets in the music industry—a resource that could inform everything from playlist optimization to predictive A&R scouting.

Chrysalis Records, part of the Reservoir group of companies, along with associated artist management and music publishing company Blue Raincoat Music, has announced that broadcaster-journalist Steve Lamacq has joined as Curator, New Music & Talent Development. The newly created consultancy position is designed to help both companies identify, champion, and cultivate the next generation of breakthrough artists. Working alongside Chrysalis' and Blue Raincoat's existing A&R, management, and creative teams in a consultancy capacity, Lamacq—a veteran of the BBC and NME—will help uncover, champion, and develop emerging talent, drawing on more than four decades of experience at the forefront of alternative and independent music culture. Lamacq was awarded an MBE in 2025 for services to broadcasting and to music venues. Jeremy Lascelles, CEO of Chrysalis Records & Blue Raincoat Music, said Lamacq has an extraordinary capacity to spot great artists early, often identifying talent long before the wider industry catches on. Lascelles recalled asking Lamacq whether he would consider working alongside them in this capacity and being overjoyed when he accepted, calling it a dream scenario. He added that beyond Lamacq's deep music knowledge, he has built a level of trust with artists and audiences alike that makes him uniquely suited for this curating role. Lamacq's decades-long tenure at BBC Radio 1 and BBC 6 Music—where his support famously helped launch the careers of acts such as Coldplay and Blur—gives him a discovery pedigree that few in the industry can match.