Sony Music Entertainment (SME) has announced a combination of its corporate and digital investments, M&A and strategic planning teams.
As part of this change, Angela Lopes has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Strategy and Investments.
She will be based in the company’s New York office, reporting to SME Chief Operating Officer Kevin Kelleher and Dennis Kooker, President of Global Digital Business.
In her new role, Lopes will work with the company’s Executive Leadership and Global Digital Business (GDB) teams in coming up with strategies and investing opportunities that support SME’s creative and financial growth.
Lopes joined Sony Music in 2013 after working as a strategy consultant for McKinsey & Company in London and Port Jackson Partners in Sydney, serving clients across the retail, manufacturing, logistics, and energy industries.
She has spent the last nine years seeking and evaluating partnership and investment opportunities for SME and negotiating digital music distribution deals for the company’s GDB team. She also focused on developing global streaming, artist services, the creator economy, social media, gaming, NFTs, the metaverse and more for SME.
Further, Lopes oversaw a number of transactions including SME’s acquisition of podcast producer Somethin’ Else and the company’s strategic investment in Chinese music streaming platform NetEase Cloud Music.
Lopes also led Sony Music’s investment in superfan social platform Fave and creator-safe music platform Slip.stream, among other participations in funding various music and technology startups.
SME announced the same day that it has appointed Derek Lee as CFO of Alamo Records.
Founded in 2016, Alamo, based in New York, signed artists including Blackbear, Lil Durk and Rod Wave.
Lee previously spent more than 20 years with Sony Music Entertainment in various roles in finance, data analytics and strategy.
He most recently served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy for SME.
Sony Music said Lopes’ and Lee’s appointments build on a series of strategic investments by the company in the last two years, including the purchase of Alamo, as well as AWAL/Kobalt Neighboring Rights and Som Livre.
“Derek is a highly experienced finance executive and strategist who understands how to identify and develop ways for music companies to enhance their business.”
Todd Moscowitz, Alamo
Commenting on Lee’s appointment, Alamo CEO Todd Moscowitz told staff in an internal memo, obtained by MBW, that, “Derek is a highly experienced finance executive and strategist who understands how to identify and develop ways for music companies to enhance their business, and he’ll play an important part in helping us take Alamo to the next level.
He added: “I’m thrilled he’s part of our team and look forward to his contributions in our ongoing efforts to deliver for our artists as a preeminent destination for talent.”
“I’m thrilled to be continuing my career with Sony Music in this expanded role, and excited to be supporting the Company’s overall growth in a dynamic and changing marketplace.”
Angela Lopes, Sony Music Entertainment
Lopes said: “I’m thrilled to be continuing my career with Sony Music in this expanded role, and excited to be supporting the Company’s overall growth in a dynamic and changing marketplace.
“I look forward to working with SME’s leadership and the Global Strategy and Investments team to identify technologies, strategic partnerships and investments that further enhance Sony Music’s business and the scale of our support for our artists and labels.”
“Advancing our investments and strategy worldwide is an important part of our ongoing success as a company.”
Kevin Kelleher, Sony Music Entertainment
Kelleher said: “Advancing our investments and strategy worldwide is an important part of our ongoing success as a company.
“By combining these efforts under Angela’s experience, we continue to be in a great position to efficiently spot and maximize opportunities that further evolve our business globally.”
Music Business Worldwide
