Zach Katz is taking sole charge of BMG‘s US repertoire and marketing across both music publishing and recordings.
As President, US Repertoire and Marketing, Katz (pictured) will oversee a roster which includes in music publishing writers such as Bruno Mars, will.i.am, DJ Snake John Legend, Pitbull, Frank Ocean and Quincy Jones and in recordings artists such as Blink-182, Janet Jackson, Alabama, Iron Maiden, Scarface and OK Go.
The news follows the decision by former President, Creative & Marketing Laurent Hubert to step down after seven years with BMG.
BMG US currently accounts for around half of BMG’s worldwide revenues.
BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch said, “Zach Katz is a dynamic and visionary leader who I am confident will not only inspire the BMG US team to even greater heights, but will also take BMG’s distinctive message to the heart of the US music community.”
“Zach Katz is a dynamic and visionary leader who I am confident will not only inspire the BMG US team, but also take BMG’s distinctive message to the heart of the US music community.”
Hartwig Masuch, BMG
Key signings Katz has overseen at BMG include Bebe Rexha, DJ Snake, Monsters & Strangerz, John Ryan, Bibi Bourelly, The Strokes, Greg Wells, Verse Simmonds, Gente De Zona and Nathaniel Rateliff.
Zach Katz said, “I am incredibly honored and excited to be taking on this role. Barely seven years in and BMG is nipping at the heels of the majors with a commitment to do the right thing by artists and songwriters.
“The fact is that if you don’t like the traditional way of doing things, but you still want infrastructure and the support to succeed, then BMG offers a real alternative.”
Based in BMG’s Los Angeles office, Katz will be responsible for BMG teams in New York, LA, Nashville as well as Rise Records in Portland, Oregon.
Added Hartwig Masuch, “Laurent Hubert’s contribution to the growth of BMG has been phenomenal. Under him our team in the US has grown from literally zero to 170 people, our revenues have grown from virtually nothing to over a quarter of a billion dollars. He is an exceptional dealmaker and strategist and the whole BMG team today salutes him.”
“My experience with BMG has exceeded all of my expectations.”
Laurent Hubert, BMG
Laurent Hubert said, “My experience with BMG has exceeded all of my expectations. Together, we have built the fastest growing music company in the world. We have broken down long-standing industry barriers between music publishing and recorded music to deliver the best service and results to our clients.
“On a personal level, I confided to Hartwig a few months ago that I felt that I had done everything I had set out to do at BMG. We both felt that now is the right time for that succession, and I am delighted to endorse Zach as the right choice to lead this next chapter.”
Prior to BMG, Zach Katz co-founded record label Beluga Heights with his client/partner JR Rotem, where they scored multi-million album sales and tens of millions of singles sales with artists including Jason Derulo and Sean Kingston.
Previously he served as GM of Groove Attack USA. He began his career in 1996 as a music attorney.Music Business Worldwide
