UnitedMasters has appointed LaTrice Burnette as executive vice president/head of music, the company announced today. In this newly created role, Burnette will lead UnitedMasters’ artist services division.
Burnette has held senior roles at labels such as Def Jam Recordings, Island Records, Epic Records, Atlantic Records, and Roc-A Fella Records. She was most recently serving as executive VP at Def Jam Recordings. She was also an honoree on Variety‘s Power of Women impact list for 2023.
“I’m beyond excited to join the UnitedMasters team working alongside Steve Stoute, David Melhado, and Mike Weiss to help drive the next phase of growth for their global independent artist community,” said Burnette. “Having worked with so many amazing artists throughout my career, I’ve seen firsthand the increasing desire for independence while still receiving top-level label services. UnitedMasters has pioneered a model that gives artists the best of both worlds. I’m looking forward to collaborating with the UnitedMasters team to elevate artist development to new heights and empower the next generation of artists to own their futures.”
Popular on Variety
Related Stories
“I’m pleased to have LaTrice join the UnitedMasters team. She brings with her a wealth of experience by having played every single position inside a record company, from assistant to president,” said Steve Stoute, founder and CEO of UnitedMasters. “Every artist that I’ve spoken to that she has worked with has had nothing but great things to say about her keen understanding of the industry, of marketing, and helping them grow their careers. With our artist services business at UnitedMasters, having somebody like LaTrice on board, with her level of experience, is going to do nothing but help make our artists go further in their careers. This is another big move for us and our commitment to independent artists.”
UnitedMasters boasts partnerships with Brent Faiyaz, and Earthgang, and has developed new stars like BigXthaPlug, Anycia and Ekkstacy. Internationally, they’ve worked with Davido and Sarz in Nigeria; Veigh, Nagalli, and Supernova in Brazil, and FloyyMenor and Nickoog in Chile.
+ Neon Gold Records has inked a global distribution agreement with Virgin Music Group. This partnership coincides with the label’s 15th anniversary. Neon Gold has released music for Tove Lo, Charli XCX and Passion Pit, among others.
Neon Gold also announces their newest signing, alternative pop artists Phantogram, whose comeback single “All A Mystery” arrived May 31. More marquee signings are set to announce in the coming weeks.
“We’re thrilled to embark on the next chapter of Neon Gold with Virgin Music Group,” said Derek Davies, founder of Neon Gold. “The partnership allows us to maintain our independent spirit and artist-centric ethos, while benefiting from the scale, global infrastructure and team of Virgin Music Group. It’s the perfect combination to support our mission of delivering major results on independent terms for artists, carving out new lanes for our acts to have more control both creatively and commercially.”
Monday, June 10
Downtown Music has appointed Molly Neuman as president of its “direct-to-creator” division, CD Baby. Neuman will work to expand CD Baby’s services, succeeding CD Baby’s previous president, Scott Williams, who will remain a consultant to Downtown and CD Baby.
In a post shared to LinkedIn, Neuman said, “My ambitions for CD Baby are consistent with things I’ve spoken with many of you about before. We deserve an industry that gives opportunities to more than just those who have traditionally held centralized power and revenues. We need more genres, more genders, more geographies represented, and more stability for the future. We have to scale to meet the needs of the modern business, but keep our artists and their creativity at our center. I think we can do it.”
Prior to joining CD Baby, Neuman was the chief marketing officer for Downtown’s global group of music companies. She was also head of music at Kickstarter, and was the interim president and vice president of A2IM. Over the years she has held senior roles in label relations and licensing at digital music services, in addition to serving on the boards of Music Biz, SoundExchange and A2IM. She got her start as the drummer for the influential indie Bratmobile, and has remained a vocal advocate for diversity and inclusion within the music industry.
+ Warner Chappell Music (WCM) has promoted A&R executive Jessi Vaughn Stevenson to vice president of its A&R and digital division.
Stevenson’s experience includes working with chart-topping songwriters including Morgan Wallen and Jessi Alexander, Rhett Akins, Parker McCollum, among others. She will continue reporting to Ben Vaughn, president and CEO of WCM Nashville.
Stevenson shared, “The past eight years at Warner Chappell have been extremely educational and rewarding. I feel blessed to continue to learn from the best in the business – from Admin and A&R teams to our world-class roster of songwriters and artists. Getting to fight for songs from inception to reception is my favorite part of publishing, and I look forward to finding new ways to develop and support our roster and their songs.”
Vaughn said: “Jessi has always shown commitment to songwriters, helping them with their craft and careers. She is always thinking of new ways to support songwriters and is a wonderful team player. We’re happy to announce her promotion.”
+ New York’s iconic Beacon Theatre has named Bruce Wheeler as its senior director of theatre operations. He joins after nearly six years at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York, four of them as general manager. A 30-year veteran of the live-entertainment and music industries, Wheeler previously was GM of Central Park Summerstage, and spent many years working as an independent production manager for Regina Spektor, Cage the Elephant and Jimmy Fallon. Earlier in his career he held executive posts at MCA, J and Caroline Records.
+ Entertainment attorney John Branca has donated $5 million to Occidental College for the establishment of the John Branca Institute for Music, a music teaching and learning facility. David Kasunic, associate professor of music at Occidental, will serve as the Institute’s inaugural director.
Branca’s clients have included Aerosmith, the Beach Boys, the Bee Gees and the Beatles, among others.
+ Sony Music Entertainment (SME) has inked a global joint venture with Los Angeles-based record label D36. Founded by Abhi Kanakadandila in 2021, D36 is a launch pad for the music of South Asia and its diaspora. The global joint venture is said to offer D36’s artists growth opportunities in key markets outside of the U.S.