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 has named Libby Bush to the newly created role of President, Global Brands and Commercial Partnerships, starting in November. According to the announcement, she will “lead a new global function that brings together UMG’s brands, media, and commercial partnership businesses, including Universal Music Group for Brands … Spanning digital platforms, physical products and live experiences, these collaborations will be rooted in artists’ originality and authentic connections with fans.” Based in Los Angeles, Bush will report to UMG’s Chief Operating Officer Boyd Muir.

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She joins from Creative Artists Agency, where she served as Global Head of Entertainment Partnerships and was a member of the Agency Board. Previously, Bush founded Tandem Entertainment, an entertainment partnerships agency acquired by CAA in 2020, and held roles at Marvel Entertainment, ABC Entertainment, the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks and the National Basketball Association.

Muir said, “As the ways fans experience music evolve, the opportunities for our artists multiply. Bringing our brand, media, and commercial partnerships together under Libby’s leadership will help extend our artists’ reach and grow their revenues, while giving our partners new ways to build relationships with fans and collaborate with the world’s most influential voices. Libby brings exceptional creative and commercial expertise to the world’s leading music company. She’ll work with our talent, teams, and partners to create memorable experiences for fans, lasting value for brands, and new possibilities for artists.”

+ Avex Inc. has increased its ownership of Brandon Silverstein’s S10 Entertainment, acquiring 85% of the company from Silverstein and his partners. The transaction further integrates S10 into Avex Music Group. Silverstein continues as CEO of S10 and Avex Music Group, a board member and equity partner in Avex Music Group. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The transaction follows Avex’s March 2025 acquisition of the S10 Music Publishing catalog, which includes shares of hits by Justin Bieber, Drake, Tate McRae, Kehlani, Doja Cat, Post Malone and Rihanna, among others. In the transaction Silverstein was represented by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.

“S10 is an exceptional management company that is playing a key role in realizing our global ambitions,” said Katsumi Kuroiwa, CEO of Avex Inc. “Bringing S10 into Avex reflects our confidence in Brandon’s leadership and our commitment to growing Avex’s global music business. Together, we will bring the full breadth of Avex’s capabilities to artists and creators around the world.”

+ Warner Music Group has named Sonny Takhar as Chairman and CEO of Warner Music U.K. & Ireland, effective January 2027. Takhar will oversee creative direction, artist development, and strategic operations across WMG’s recorded music footprint in the U.K., the world’s third-largest music market, and Ireland.

Takhar will report to Val Blavatnik, Managing Director of Warner Music North America, U.K. & Corporate Development. Takhar’s remit will also include operational oversight of WMG’s independent distribution arm, ADA, in the U.K. and Ireland, and he’ll work in close partnership 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 played a key role in the careers of One Direction, Labrinth, Leona Lewis, Little Mix, James Arthur and Fifth Harmony, alongside the launch of global TV franchises “The X Factor” and “Got Talent.” More recently, Takhar co-founded Los Angeles-based KYN Entertainment in a joint venture with Live Nation, and worked with Westlife and songwriter-producer Steve Mac.

Blavatnik said, “Sonny is one of the most visionary executives in music and his track record of discovering, nurturing, and breaking global superstars speaks for itself. His instinct for talent, deep understanding of the wider music ecosystem and strategic global perspective make him the perfect leader to power Warner Music UK & Ireland forward.”

+ Amra, the global digital collection society, today announced that its Chief Executive Officer, Tomas Ericsson, will transition from his role as CEO after 13 years, effective January 1, 2027. He will assume the role of Chairman of the Board. Robin Davies, Amra’s Chief Operating Officer for the last four years, has been named Chief Executive Officer of the company beginning on January 1st.

Ericsson launched Amra in partnership with Kobalt Music Group in 2013, ultimately licensing digital rights directly across more than 200 territories, 45 publishers and growing into nine figures gross by 2026.

“We are so grateful for Tomas’ vision and leadership as he and his team have built amra into one of the industry’s most innovative and transformational organizations,” said Laurent Hubert, CEO of Kobalt. “We are also looking forward to Tomas continuing to contribute to the business as Chairman. amra will be in good hands with Tomas’ ongoing guidance and with Robin, who has been with amra and the Kobalt organization for a decade, at the helm.”

+ Danny Goldberg has promoted Jesse Bauer to the position of Senior Vice-President and Gabriel Barreto to Vice President of Gold Village Entertainment, the New York based artist management company that Goldberg launched in 2007. Bauer has been with the company since its inception; Barreto joined in 2021. Gold Village represents Steve Earle, the Waterboys, and others.

+ 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. Jim Selby is President, Global Music Publishing at BMG, leading the company’s worldwide music publishing, and played a key role in its recent merger with Concord.

Williams commented: “The ASCAP Board cares deeply about making decisions that are in the best interests of the membership as a whole. As a global publishing leader, Jim has the expertise to tackle the complex issues facing music creators and publishers in today’s market, from both the challenges and opportunities of AI to licensees who want to pay songwriters less. He will be an invaluable voice on the ASCAP Board in our mission to advocate for and protect our more than one million members.”

+ Universal Music Group has named Òscar Celma as Senior Vice President, Applied AI and Machine Learning, effective immediately. Celma will help lead the development and application of AI and machine learning across UMG’s global operations, supporting UMG’s labels, divisions and businesses. He will report to Hannah Poferl, UMG’s Chief Data Officer.

In his previous role at Spotify, Celma helped lead the development of AI-powered personalized listening experiences including AI DJ, Jam and Daylist, as well as personalization and discovery. He also held roles at Conde Nast, Pandora/SiriusXM and BMAT Music Innovators.

Poferl said, “Òscar brings a unique blend of quantitative and product experience, deep expertise in AI, and a love of music. He’s built teams that have delivered and knows how to turn data at scale into useful insights. With the breadth and depth of UMG’s data, there’s enormous potential for him to help our teams do more for our artists.”

+ Chrysalis Records, part of the Reservoir group of companies, and associated artist management & music publishing company Blue Raincoat Music announced that broadcaster-journalist Steve Lamacq has joined the company as Curator, New Music & Talent Development. The newly created consultancy role focused on helping both companies identify, champion and nurture 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 discover, champion and develop emerging talent, drawing on more than four decades of experience at the forefront of alternative and independent music culture. Lamacq was appointed an MBE in 2025 for services to broadcasting and to music venues.

Jeremy Lascelles, CEO of Chrysalis Records & Blue Raincoat Music said: “Steve has an extraordinary ability to spot great artists early. Time and again he’s identified talent long before the wider industry catches on. When I asked him if he fancied working alongside us in this capacity, I was over the proverbial moon when he agreed. It’s pretty much a dream scenario for us. Alongside his deep knowledge of music, he has built a level of trust with artists and audiences alike, that makes him uniquely qualified for this curating role. I’m thrilled with the association and think we’re going to have a lot of fun.”