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Apr 26, 2018 9:00am PT
Andrew Gould Exits BMG for Downtown Music Publishing (EXCLUSIVE)
The publishing veteran has been named SVP and Head of A&R; Corey Roberts, formerly of SONGS, also joins as VP A&R Research.
By Roy Trakin
Roy Trakin
@roytrakin
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Andrew Gould has been appointed senior VP and Head of A&R, North America, for Downtown Music Publishing, reporting to CEO Justin Kalifowitz. Gould most recently served as co-head of A&R at BMG.
"I'm thrilled to join Downtown," says Gould, who will remain Los Angeles-based. "I'm impressed with the staff Justin has put together. It's a young, bright, forward-thinking organization with a very tasteful boutique roster, and a completely fresh perspective on what a great publishing company looks like today and in the future, both in terms of supporting the creative process and staying at the forefront of innovation."
Adds Kalifowitz: "Modern songwriters need partners in both thought and action — partners who can support them in their mission to bring the best possible songs into the world. In Andrew, we have found a strong advocate for the global songwriting community. One who recognizes that song copyrights are not units of currency, but rather the building blocks of popular culture. As we continue to increase our investment in the next generation of songs and songwriters, we are excited to have a proven leader like Andrew mentoring our team and supporting our clients alike."
The company also announces that Corey Roberts has been named VP/A&R Research, reporting to Gould. Before joining Downtown, Roberts led A&R Research at SONGS Publishing, where he was part of the team who discovered and signed Lorde and Desiigner.
Gould will oversee the company's A&R, writer relations and creative development operations in North America, focusing on contemporary pop songs and songwriters.
"I've worked for three large music companies in my career and always felt a great deal of support," adds Gould. "But after five and a half years at BMG, I needed new challenges, new problems to fix, new projects to build. I wanted to apply my skill set in an environment that was a little more entrepreneurial."
Gould joined BMG in 2012 and went on to play a crucial role in recruiting such songwriting and performing talents as Jon Bellion, Bebe Rexha, Jason Evigan, Max Frost, Lewis Capaldi and Andra Day, whose work with Gould on "Rise Up" led to two Grammy nominations in 2016. Gould's recent success stories include placing The Monsters & Strangerz' co-written multi-format hit "The Middle" with Zedd, Grey and Maren Morris, as well as signing Calum Scott, whose debut album, "Only Human," went to No. 1 on the iTunes album charts across 19 countries.
With over 17 years of experience in the music industry, Gould started his career as an assistant, then talent scout, at Epic Records, before moving to EMI Music Publishing, where he was an early champion of Sia and hit-makers Savan Kotecha, Jim Jonsin, and Toby Gad. Gould, a classically trained pianist, received his MBA from The Wharton School and remains passionate about music industry advocacy. This past June he was elected to the L.A. Chapter of the Grammy Board, where he co-chairs the Advocacy Committee.
Gould is the second senior executive to join Downtown in Los Angeles this month after the company announced that industry veteran Bruce Lampcov will helm its West Coast Business Development team. Gould's West Coast team will include VP International A&R Taeko Saito; Sr. Manager A&R Dylan Silbermann and A&R Coordinator Jacqueline Burnham.
Gould agrees that now is an exciting time to be in music publishing, which has been energized by the advent of digital streaming. "For me, the song is king, and there are just more places for great songs to live than ever before," he says. "Artists can simply upload their music, do some intelligent marketing and have access to millions of fans."
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Bmg,
Downtown Music Publishing,
Maren Morris,
SONGS Music Publishing