Sony Music Australia announces three new hires

Sony Music Australia today welcomes three executives to its A&R, comms and licensing teams.

With effect from July 27, Alexander Franco is appointed Senior Director, A&R and Creative Development.

It’s a newly-created position that will see Franco sign and develop his own roster of artists, and assume A&R duties for some of the music major’s artists.

Additionally, Franco will be a “key strategist” between the A&R and domestic artists marketing teams “allowing the creative vision of artists to be fostered, encouraged and then executed in ground-breaking campaigns,” comments Denis Handlin, Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment Australia and New Zealand, on the appointment.

Franco joins from indie tastemaker Future Classic where he served as Senior Director of Marketing and Artist Manager from 2016, and helped shape the careers of Flume, G Flip, Hayden James and Flight Facilities.

Before that, he spent four years as Marketing Manager with EMI Music Australia, where he worked on campaigns with Alison Wonderland, Sam Smith, Keith Urban and others.

Moving forward, Franco will continue to manage B Wise (signed to Sony Music-owned digital distribution and services firm The Orchard) and emerging new R&B artist Jeida Woods.

On joining the company, Franco reports to Pat Handlin, VP, A&R, ANZ.

Meanwhile, Annette Gevert, formerly Publicist with boutique PR and communications agency Positive Feedback, joins Sony Music’s promotions and communications team as National Promotions & Communications Manager.

In this role, the PR standout will manage promotions relationships with youth and alternative radio (including Triple J and Double J), community radio and alternative media.

Gevert will also have communications duties for a range of the music giant’s domestic and international signings

At Sony Music, she reports jointly to Dan Nitschke, VP, Business Development & Media Partnerships; and Grant Donges, VP, International Artists Marketing & Communications.

Gevert boasts 12 years’ industry experience with gigs in both Sydney and Melbourne at Dew Process, Secret Service Public Relations, the Mushroom Group, Shock Records and Warner Music Australia.

Sony Music Australia, Sydney office

And finally, Jessica Barlow is fresh onboard as Licensing Manager, reporting to Hannah Marsh, Director, Licensing & Business Development.

Among her duties will be to develop Sony Music’s licensing and sync business by pitching the music company’s repertoire to clients and responding to incoming music briefs.

Barlow will work across a broad client base which includes music supervisors and TV networks.

No stranger to the international major label world, Barlow joins Sony Music from Warner Music Canada where she served as Synchronisation & Licensing Consultant for the past two years.

And before that, she was Synchronisation & Licensing Manager at Warner Music Australia.

Her decade-long CV includes licensing stints with Alberts, Universal Music Publishing Group in London, EMI Music in London and EMI Music Australia.

All three incoming executives are based at Sony Music Australia’s Sydney HQ.

“I am thrilled that Franco, Annette and Jess have decided to join the company in their new crucial creative roles,” writes Denis Handlin in an internal memo to ANZ staff, seen by TIO.

“Each of them brings a significant amount of experience in their own field and respect in the market with important relationships. I look forward to the valuable contribution that they will make to our artists, their teams and the company.”

The three new arrivals join the business following the completion of a joint venture between Sony Music Australia and Andrew Jackson, Founder and Director of Los Angeles-based management company Milton Archer, on the Avoca Drive label.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.