Music Industry Moves: SoundCloud Names Tom Sansone Chief Financial Officer/Chief Operating Officer

Tom Sansone has been named Soundcloud ‘s new chief financial officer/chief operating officer, it was announced Tuesday by CEO Eliah Seton. “Tom is a proven global executive with a highly differentiated and relevant skill set that includes accelerating business transformation, establishing operational and financial discipline and executing strategic alternatives,” said Seton in a statement.

“Now that we are a profitable growth company and in control of our own destiny, Tom will be a key partner in helping us realize SoundCloud’s unique opportunity and industry changing vision.” Sansone brings more than 20 years of global financial and operational experience. For the last seven years, Sansone served as CFO of Kobalt Music Group where he was a key architect of the company’s restructuring and profitable growth and capital planning.

Before that, Sansone was COO and CFO of Gilt Groupe. Sansone will now help drive the execution of SoundCloud’s operational rigor, corporate development, mergers and acquisitions, in addition to assuming responsibility for its financial performance and capital structuring. He will report directly to Seton.

Added Sanson, “I am passionate about helping businesses realize their potential and am incredibly excited about the opportunities for SoundCloud. The evolution of the business has been exciting to see and the company remains one of the most trusted brands for creators and super fans of music discovery.

I’m looking forward to working with an incredible leadership team and Board to execute on the strategy to empower artists and fans to share and connect through music and to build on our strong financial footing.” + Alfredo Delgadillo has been appointed president and CEO of Universal Music México .

Previously Universal Music México’s managing director, Delgadillo will assume responsibility over Universal Music Group’s regional Mexican label, Fonovisa Disa . The Mexico City based executive will continue to report directly to Jesús López, chairman/CEO, Universal Music Latin America & Iberian Peninsula.

“We are in a unique moment of growth for Latin music and Regional Mexican music, so this new responsibility comes with an even stronger commitment to continue growing the success and reach of our artists both in Mexico and around the world, alongside growing our live and management businesses,” Delgadillo said in a statement.

“Now with the addition of the Fonovisa Disa labels, I am looking forward to working closely with its leader Antonio Silva, for whom I have absolute respect and their entire team, to ensure that the legacy of Fonovisa Disa, as the symbol and leader of Regional Mexican music, continues to grow and expand to the rest of the world.” After a 10 year run with EMI Music México, Delgadillo returned to Universal in 2013 (when UMG acquired EMI) as general manager of Universal Music México, and in 2017 was promoted to managing director.

+ France headquartered streaming service Deezer has tapped Ivana Kirkbride as its new chief commercial officer. As the company continues to expand its presence globally, Kirkbride — who has previously held positions at Google, Verizon Communications and Meta Platforms — will spearhead Deezer’s global partnership businesses and manage the company’s global partnership organizations across Europe, Latin America and North America.

The company has already launched partnerships with Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group. Kirkbride will report to Stephane Rougeot, deputy chief executive of Deezer. + The Familie , a sports and music agency, is headed to Nashville with a pair of new hires. Royce Risser, who was previously executive VP of promotion at Universal Music Group, will be the agency’s head of Nashville and executive VP of country music, as Chase Berlin joins the team as an artist manager.

Risser will be overseeing and executing Nashville office operations, in addition to leading the development of The Familie’s new country division. The Familie’s roster currently includes artists like Machine Gun Kelly, Avril Lavigne, Jaden Hossler, Games We Play and sombr. As The Familie’s first artist manager in Nashville, Berlin will work under Risser to sign and develop promising country artists and build out the genre’s division for The Familie.

Upon moving to Nashville, Berlin began his music industry career at WME (William Morris Endeavor) where he worked as an assistant before joining The AMG (The Artist Management Group) as an artist manager, working with artists like Kat & Alex and Jordan James..