Jennifer Knoepfle has been promoted to the role of Senior Vice President, Creative at Sony/ATV Music Publishing, based in the company’s Los Angeles office.
Knoepfle will now be responsible for all of Sony/ATV’s West Coast A&R activities, including signings and the development of new and established songwriters on the roster, and will jointly run the LA office with Jonas Kant, Senior Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs.
Knoepfle, who was previously Vice President, Creative, takes up the role with immediate effect, reporting to Martin Bandier, Chairman and CEO of Sony/ATV. Her new role follows the promotion last year of Amanda Berman to Vice President, Creative, while Sam Taylor is newly promoted to Vice President, Creative with both reporting into Knoepfle and Jonas Kant.
Martin Bandier said: “Jennifer is an outstanding A&R executive with excellent taste in music and this new role will allow her to build on her already close relationships with our songwriters and artists and deliver new opportunities for them and Sony/ATV. I know our West Coast office is in extremely capable hands under her and Jonas Kant’s management and this gives us great flexibility going forward as we plan for the future.”
Jennifer Knoepfle said: “I am so thrilled to have been given this opportunity here at Sony/ATV. We have an incredible roster of songwriters and I look forward to working with them more deeply in my new role.”
Knoepfle joined Sony/ATV in May 2009 in the role of Senior Director of Creative and has gone on to sign acts including Jack Antonoff and Andrew Dost of the band fun, Clams Casino, Foster The People, The Preatures, Rome, Smallpools, Bleachers, Broods and Lord Huron.
She has also worked closely with many of the writers on Sony/ATV’s roster, including Charli XCX who co-wrote and performed on the Iggy Azalea hit “Fancy”, which spent seven consecutive weeks at No. 1 this year on the Billboard Hot 100 and has sold more than 3 million downloads in the U.S. alone. Charli XCX has since made the Hot 100 Top 10 in her own right with “Boom Clap”.
Prior to joining Sony/ATV Knoepfle spent four years as Senior Director of Membership at ASCAP where she brought in a number of top songwriters to the organization, including The Killers, Lana Del Rey and Greg Kurstin.
Meanwhile, Sony/ATV has confirmed that Amanda Berman took up the role of Vice President, Creative, last year having previously been Senior Director, West Coast Creative. This was a title she carried over from EMI Music Publishing following its merger with Sony/ATV. She joined EMI in February 2005 having previously worked at Warner Bros. Records.
Her signings at the company include Jesse Shatkin, who co-wrote Sia’s recent worldwide Top 10 hit “Chandelier”, 3Oh!3, Martin Johnson and Dave Bassett, while she has worked closely with writers such as Greg Kurstin whose hits include Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger” and Pink’s “Blow Me (One Less Kiss)”.
Sam Taylor assumes the new title of Vice President, Creative having joined Sony/ATV in 2012 as Senior Director, Creative following the merger with EMI Music Publishing. He started at EMI Publishing at the beginning of 2010 as Director, A&R.
His signings at Sony/ATV include Schoolboy Q whose album “Oxymoron” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in March and who topped the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop chart in August with “Studio” while also featuring on Tinashe’s “2 On” in the same Top 10. He also has close working relationships with many of the other songwriters on the roster, including Pharrell Williams.
Martin Bandier: “Amanda and Sam are very important members of our West Coast creative team and I am looking forward to them having even more success in the future.”
Berman said: “Our talented songwriters, artists and amazing staff make Sony/ATV a great team to be part of.”
Taylor said: “I am really excited and honored to have taken on this new job title and I can’t wait to have more success with our incredible songwriters and artists.”Music Business Worldwide
