Jamie Krents: Celebs Rumors

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor New York’s Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment has announced the full schedule of free programming for the sixth annual New York Music Month, taking place in June with concerts, performances, industry talks and workshops, and the community-sourced calendar for users to upload free and ticketed music events happening across the five boroughs — see the full schedule at NYMusicMonth.NYC.  “This New York Music Month, with a calendar jam-packed with celebrations — like the city’s 50 th anniversary of hip-hop — the beat of New York City will be heard around the world,” said Mayor Eric Adams. “Between the free rehearsal spaces, workshops, master classes, songwriting camps, and more, there is something for everyone sprinkled throughout the five boroughs, which, as music always does, will serve to unite, educate, and entertain us.”

Shirley Halperin Executive Editor, Music Universal Music Group is home to dozens of labels spanning every genre, from pop to hip-hop, rock to R&B, country to Latin and niche styles like Christian, classical and Jazz. To run one of these companies is to associate with top talent — household names like Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Drake and Lady Gaga — and the pressure to perform is equally massive. Which makes a label like Verve, which launched in the 1950s with the music of Ella Fitzgerald — and whose current roster includes left-of-center signings like Tank and the Bangas, Kurt Vile and Arooj Aftab — a sort of refuge in the giant commercial enterprise that is the world’s biggest music company. But Verve’s value to UMG is significant, and this is not lost on Sir Lucian Grainge, its chairman and CEO, who has given the label the leeway to invest in traditional artist development. What does that mean? For some familiar context: it’s letting an artist like Bruce Springsteen put out two albums achieving less-than-stellar sales so that he can reach a “Born to Run,” his third and career-launching release. Verve has its own success stories that follow this trajectory, like Jon Batiste, the former Stephen Colbert bandleader and master musician from New Orleans, whose “We Are” won album of the year at the 2022 Grammys.

APPOINTMENTSUniversal Music’s Verve Label Group in the US has promoted Jamie Krents to President of Verve, Impulse! and Verve Forecast Records, while Dawn Olejar has been named Executive Vice President and General Manager of the group at large.Warner Records in the US has hired Dalia Ganz as SVP Digital Marketing. She joins from Disney. “Dalia is a widely respected expert and bold innovator in the digital space who knows how to adapt in a constantly changing landscape and isn’t afraid to break the mould to try something new”, says Warner Records COO Tom Corson.

DEALSKurt Vile has signed a new record deal with Universal’s Verve label, after previously working with indies Matador and Mexican Summer. “Simply put, he’s one of my favourite artists and songwriters of any era and he makes timeless records”, says Verve EVP Jamie Krents.

Chris Willman Music WriterAfter an 11-year, six-album run with the Matador label, singer-songwriter Kurt Vile has signed with Verve Records, the company announced Tuesday.Vile is said to be preparing an album for the label that will arrive in 2022.“I’ve been a massive fan of Kurt’s for years and feel beyond lucky to have him join the Verve roster,” Verve head Jamie Krents said in a statement. “Simply put, he’s one of my favorite artists and songwriters of any era and he makes timeless records.

Verve Forecast has signed Western Kentucky singer-songwriter S.G. Goodman to a recording contract, Billboard can exclusively announce.