Artist management company YMU has appointed former music agent Brad Pophal to the position of Head of Web3 and NFT for US Music.
Based in Los Angeles, Pophal will report jointly to Matt Colon, Global President of Music and Anthony Rodol, Managing Director of US Music.
Pophal joins YMU from entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA), where he represented musicians such as Iration, Monolink, Giolì & Assia and more.
He will be responsible for developing and bolstering Web3 strategies and initiatives for the company’s clients through NFT, the Metaverse and a range of other partnerships.
He will also work with the company’s wide roster of music clients, which includes 3LAU, Steve Aoki, RAC, The Glitch Mob and Travis Barker – some of whom have already enjoyed significant success with NFT collections – to explore new opportunities in the Web3 space.
In 2021 YMU also launched its YMU Arts division, representing both music and visual artists such as Mike Parisella aka Slimesunday who recently partnered on a noteworthy collaboration with Playboy, and Krista Kim who registered a landmark sale of over $500,000 for her virtual home project ‘Mars House’.
YMU music client Justin Blau aka musician and producer 3LAU, sold an NFT collection for $11.6 million via an online auction between February 25-28, 2021.
Justin Blau was also appointed as YMU Arts’ Director of Strategy and serves as the company’s ambassador in the NFT world.
YMU reports to have generated over $30 million in sales in 2021 with several record breaking NFT drops and in addition have participated in a number of auctions via established auction houses such as Sotheby’s, Phillips and Christies.
“YMU have always been industry leaders and are true pioneers in the Web3 & NFT space.”
Brad Pophal
Brad Pophal said: “I first heard about Bitcoin back in 2012 and in 2017 made my first investment.
“Since then, I have become an avid crypto investor & passionate NFT collector and have become fascinated by the possibilities Web3 can offer artists.
“YMU have always been industry leaders and are true pioneers in the Web3 & NFT space. I couldn’t be happier to be joining the team to help build upon this momentum.”
“Brad brings both knowledge and experience in the traditional music space as well as a deep understanding NFT, Web3 and blockchain.”
Matt Colon
Matt Colon, Global President of YMU Music added: “When our clients entered the NFT community two years ago, we were hopeful this would be a new revenue stream.
“We had no idea however that it would completely revolutionize our business.
“Now firmly established as the leading management company in the Web3 and NFT space, the needs of the business demanded that we appoint an executive to manage the deal flow and expand our opportunities.
“Brad brings both knowledge and experience in the traditional music space as well as a deep understanding NFT, Web3 and blockchain.”Music Business Worldwide
