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Message: [QUOTE="Shamiso, post: 94054, member: 160"] EMPIRE has added two senior executives to its New York team, with Leesa Brunson-Boland taking charge of A&R Operations and Bina Fronda leading marketing as SVPs. The hires come as the indie music firm keeps pushing into new genres and markets. Brunson-Boland has a long track record in the music business. She spent nearly 20 years at Def Jam Recordings before moving to 300 Entertainment in 2020, where she led the A&R operations team. Her past work at Def Jam brought her into contact with major acts such as Rihanna, Jay-Z, Justin Bieber, and Teyana Taylor. That kind of background gives her plenty of experience with big releases and artist teams. At EMPIRE, her job will focus on keeping music projects on track. She will help A&R staff work better with other departments, deal with day-to-day tasks, and guide releases from studio work through to launch. There is a familiar face waiting for her as well. EMPIRE President Tina Davis has known Brunson-Boland for more than 20 years and sees her experience with artists and label operations as a major asset. Davis has her own Def Jam history. She became the first female head of its A&R division and held that job for more than a decade. After arriving at EMPIRE in 2018, she moved into the president's role in 2023. Fronda comes from a different side of the business. She was VP of Marketing at Ultra Records, where her work involved acts such as Steve Aoki, SOFI TUKKER, and Benny Benassi. Her focus there was on helping artists reach more fans and earn more money. Her new role puts dance and pop music near the top of her workload, along with artists who reach a wider mix of listeners. EMPIRE wants more reach beyond the styles that first made its name. Peter Kadin, the firm's marketing EVP, views Fronda's skill at growing artist brands as useful for that push. He also sees her market knowledge as a strong fit for its plans in dance music. Both jobs cover different parts of an artist's career. Brunson-Boland will help get records finished and ready for release, while Fronda will work on how those records reach fans in various markets. And these are not the only senior hires on the books. EMPIRE Publishing recently brought in Emilio Morales from Rimas Publishing to lead business development in Latin America as an SVP. The company itself dates back to 2010, when Ghazi Shami founded it in San Francisco. Its work spans record releases, music delivery, publishing, merch, and services for labels. EMPIRE also points to Kendrick Lamar and Shaboozey among the acts it has helped develop. Shaboozey later signed a music publishing agreement with the firm. Growth outside the United States has been part of its plans as well. A deal with Korean artist G-Dragon marked a move toward Asia, while a Nordic launch gave the business a fresh regional presence. The publishing arm has seen changes at the top. Vinny Kumar became its president after a promotion, adding another senior name to that side of the operation. Ghazi has also been busy with a separate venture. His B2B business, Supply Chain, has gone global, with Beatport-owned Ampsuite joining as an early partner. For EMPIRE, the two latest hires give its artist development and marketing teams more senior experience as the company works across a wider range of music styles and regions. [/QUOTE]

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