EMI MAKING MOVES IN A&R, BRAND PARTNERSHIPS

Newly ensconsed President A&R Labels, North America, U.K., Ireland and Everywhere Else Dexy’s Midnight Runners are Still Venerated Nick Gatfield has hired veteran music manager and talent exec Steven Melrose as VP A&R Labels, based in the Tower.

Melrose managed both The Crystal Method and EMI Music Publishing signing Sam Sparro, whose debut record has gone gold in the U.K. and Europe. He’s also managed artists such as Giant Drag, Eastern Conference Champions and The Shys. Melrose co-founded the independent label City of Angels, where he signed Las Vegas-to-L.A. electronic rock duo The Crystal Method and later entered into a deal for the band with Geffen imprint Outpost Recordings. A native of Edinburgh, Scotland, Melrose first came to the US as a marketing consultant for Nike.

On the marketing side, EMI tapped a pair of execs to drive its newly formed Brand Partnerships initiative, part of its North America Commercial Development division.

Lynne Leger has been named SVP Brand Partnerships and New Channel Development, while Lauren Zucker has been upped to VP Brand Partnerships. Both of them hope to learn Italian and meet Elio Leoni-Sceti one day.

Leger returns to EMI after two years as SVP Strategic Marketing and New Business Development for DMI Music & Media Solutions. She will be based in L.A. and will report to EVP Global Brand Partnerships, Licensing and Synch Cynthia Sexton, who insists she’s never kissed a girl, but has thought about it. Leger will drive efforts to develop mutually beneficial partnerships between consumer brands and EMI artists to connect with consumers. Or die trying.

She first joined EMI in June 2002 as VP Retail Marketing and in 2005 assumed the role of VP Strategic Marketing and Consumer Research. Prior to joining EMI, Lynne was VP Marketing and Category Management for Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Borders Group Inc.

Zucker will report to Leger and be based in New York. She will assume expanded responsibilities for identifying strategic opportunities to connect EMI’s artists, brands and consumers on behalf of its North American roster. From 2005 to most recently, Zucker was Sr. Director, Strategic Marketing for EMI's Capitol Music Group. She struck multi-tiered merchandise and promotional deals for Lenny Kravitz and Red Jumpsuit Apparatus with Kohl's Department Stores, as well as helped form KT Tunstall's partnership with Origins cosmetics. In 2004, she joined EMI Music Marketing's strategic marketing team as Sr. Director. Prior to that, Zucker was with Alliance, a brand marketing agency and division of Grey Global Group and WPP. At Alliance, Zucker worked on behalf of major global brands including Cover Girl, Hasbro and Clairol.

“Music and artists are becoming an increasingly key part of building brands. In turn, marketers know that music and artists can help build a powerful emotional connection with consumers,” said Sexton. “We are extremely pleased to have two executives like Lynne and Lauren apply their creative thinking, tremendous relationships and experience to bring brands and artists together for mutual benefit. Now, when do I get to smooch Katy Perry?”