David Renzer has signed a new deal to stay on as boss of Spirit Music Group – where he has been promoted to Chairman / CEO.
Renzer was previously Chairman of the company, which he joined in 2014.
As Chairman of Spirit, Renzer has led a number of acquisitions at the fast-growing company.
These have included the establishment of its Spirit Music Nashville office, in addition to UK company Spirit / B-Unique Music, as well as exciting new divisions, including Spirit Music Latino and Spirit Production Music/Spirit Music Collective.
Eight songs co-written by Spirit- B Unique/ Polar writer Johnny McDaid appear on Ed Sheeran’s chart-topping album Divide.
Other recent successes include publishing on albums by Rag N Bone Man, Chris Stapleton, and various No.1 country singles, among many others.
Renzer says he will continue to spearhead Spirit’s aggressive expansion plans, which are backed by the company’s owner – New York-based private equity fund manager Pegasus Capital Advisors.
At last count, Spirit boasted a 75,000 song catalogue, including hits by Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Elvis Presley, Dion, Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Santana, The Beach Boys, Barbra Streisand, Gladys Knight, Alice Cooper, Pure Prairie League, Chicago, Crosby, Stills & Nash, The Eagles, Brad Paisley, Chaka Khan, Anita Baker, The Go-Go’s, Madonna, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Mariah Carey and Jay-Z.
“Spirit has been one of the fastest-growing independent music publishing companies and I’m thrilled with the progress that we have made and am proud of the team that we have built.”
David Renzer, Spirit Music Group
Renzer said: “Spirit has been one of the fastest-growing independent music publishing companies and I’m thrilled with the progress that we have made and am proud of the team that we have built.
“We are also excited about the future of our company as we continue our ambitious growth. Spirit is truly a great home for songwriters, composers , and artists and an innovative home equipped to manage all music rights. A special thank you to our Board and financial partners for believing in our vision.”
Prior to joining Spirit Music Group, Renzer was Chairman & CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group, responsible for overseeing the activities of the company’s 57 offices in 47 countries.
Under his leadership, Universal Music Publishing Group grew through direct signings and catalogue acquisitions, including the BMG Music Publishing, Zomba, Polygram, and Rondor catalogues.
UMPG also became the global leader in the areas of Production Music, Christian, and Classical Music.
Renzer started a Latin Music Division for Universal Music Publishing Group in 1996 that went on to win ASCAP’s Music Publisher of the Year award four times.
He began his career at Zomba Music Publishing, where he rose to SVP & GM.
Renzer’s was recently re-elected to serve on the board of the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) He also serves on board of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, and Co Founded the Creative Community for Peace.
Spirit Music Group is headquartered in New York with offices in London, Los Angeles, Nashville and the Netherlands.Music Business Worldwide
