MERLIN CONJURES NEW CEO 

Independent global rights agency Merlin has appointed former Warner and Facebook exec Jeremy Sirota at its new CEO. Based in New York and London, he succeeds Charles Caldas.

Sirota joins Merlin from Facebook’s Music Team, where he led the company’s efforts to license and acquire recorded music rights from independent record labels and distributors worldwide. He previously held a number of senior positions at Warner Music Group across the course of nine years, where he left as SVP and Head of Business & Legal Affairs for both WEA and ADA in 2017.

Merlin board member and Beggars Group Chairman Martin Mills said, “I’m delighted that we’ve found in Jeremy an executive with deep experience in both the tech and music worlds to build upon Charles Caldas’ exceptional work. He has all the credentials to help write Merlin's next chapter. With our new CEO, the right executive team, and a strong, newly elected board, Merlin will continue to thrive and empower independents in this new decade.”

Caldas, who served as Merlin’s CEO since the agency’s founding in 2007, stepped down at the end of last year. Merlin’s senior management team is now completed by Charlie Lexton (CCO) and Helen Alexander (CFO), who are both based in the U.K., and Jim Mahoney (VP Global Operations) in the US. In addition to Sirota’s appointment, former GM of Epitaph Records, Dave Hansen, has been hired as Executive Chairperson.

Sirota said: “I am honored by this opportunity to lead Merlin and serve independents throughout the world. … With the digital music market potentially on the brink of another wave of transformative change, it’s vital that independents continue to have an organization that represents their interests, ensures the value of their repertoire is respected, and keeps pace with innovation.”