Iain Watt, the respected British artist manager, is set to leave YMU Group three years after it acquired his own company.
Well-placed sources tell MBW that Watt has declined to renew his contract with YMU, with his current deal officially expiring later this year.
Watt is Managing Director of YMU Music in the UK, working with artists/writers including Clean Bandit, MNEK, Years & Years and James Arthur, in addition to producer Mark Ralph (Jess Glynne, Years & Years, Jax Jones).
YMU, then operating as James Grant Group, acquired Watts’ Machine Management in 2018.
YMU’s music division owns offices in London as well as the US, where its clients include 3LAU, 5 Seconds Of Summer, Blink 182, Common, and Steve Aoki.
The firm’s US music operation was boosted in 2017 when it acquired Los Angeles-based Deckstar in a $20 million deal.
Today, YMU Music forms part of YMU Group, which also represents talent in sectors such as Sport, Drama, and Entertainment.
Watt could not be reached by MBW when contacted for comment.Music Business Worldwide