Merlin, the independent sector’s digital music licensing partner, has appointed Adam Wright as its new chief financial officer.
Wright joines Merlin after three years as director of finance for Creative Artists Agency (CAA), overseeing its brand licensing business in Europe, Middle East, and Africa.
At CAA, he supported the company’s globalisation strategy and its evolving business model.
Previously, Wright held executive positions at Sony Music Group, responsible for operations across Australia, New Zealand and Singapore; and Cooperative Music, Universal Music Group’s former international licensing and distribution network serving the independent music sector. Wright led finance teams in driving profitability whilst supporting creative teams in sourcing, developing and promoting domestic and international music talent.
Based in the UK, Wright will be a key member of Merlin’s executive management team, a strategic leader throughout the company, and responsible for all of the organisation’s financial, treasury, and tax functions on a global basis.
“I’m delighted to take on the role of CFO at Merlin,” Wright said. “It’s such a dynamic time for the Merlin organisation and the industry as a whole - I’m very excited to have this opportunity and to come back to the independent sector where my music industry career first began is especially satisfying.
“Independents’ passion for music is only matched by their level of innovation and entrepreneurship. It’s a privilege to join Merlin as they continue to deliver on that ethos on behalf of their members and digital partners around the world.”
It’s such a dynamic time for the Merlin organisation and the industry as a whole
Adam Wright
Jeremy Sirota, Merlin CEO, said: “Adam possesses an incredible wealth of experience across music, TV, film, licensing, and consumer brands. I couldn’t be more pleased to welcome him to Merlin in this crucial and strategic role. He is highly respected in his field and brings the right blend of long-term thinking, technical skills, and impressive leadership to benefit Merlin, its members and our partners around the globe.”
Wright joins Merlin during a time of growth. Since last summer, 37 new members have joined from around the world, including members based in Canada, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Lebanon, Nepal, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Taiwan, UAE, UK, US and South Korea. The company also welcomed first-time direct members from a number of new countries, including Albania, Iraq, Kenya, Nepal, Pakistan and Turkey.
In addition, this past year, Merlin has also partnered with new digital services and grown its relationships with its partners, including Lickd, FLO in Korea, Boomplay; Trebel, and Twitch. Other highlights include a first-in-time activation with Peloton to premiere new music on their platform; partnering with YouTube on Shorts and Creator Music; and enhancing Merlin’s relationship with JioSaavn to better connect members’ music with fans across South Asia.
Merlin’s repertoire of independent music spans tens of thousands of labels and hundreds of thousands of artists from every country in the world, accounting for over 15% of the global music market share.
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