Kobalt has announced that industry veteran Arif Mahmud has joined the company as vice-president, business affairs.
Mahmud was previously general manager and general counsel at Three Six Zero, and prior to that, Mahmud was business affairs manager for Universal Music’s Polydor and Capitol labels in the UK.
Mahmud will work with Kobalt’s management team in the expansion of Kobalt Music Recordings’ and AWAL’s (Kobalt’s streaming label for independent artists) business and client base in all regions outside the US. Mahmud will be primarily focused on helping shape the deal structure and legal and commercial framework for future client partnerships.
“Having dealt with Kobalt in one way or another over the last decade, I had always been envious of what the company had achieved in such a short space of time since its inception,” said Mahmud. “I’m looking forward to working closely with Paul Hitchman and the team to roll out new versions of Kobalt’s and AWAL’s unique services to artists, labels, management companies and other partners. Kobalt has always been about putting the creator in the centre, and I’m confident that together we can ensure that all our artists see how we’re committed to that ethos.”
Kobalt Music Recordings president Paul Hitchman said: “Bringing on Arif and his wealth of entertainment experience will be crucial for our company and clients we represent. We have a lot of great things in the works and I know he will bolster our exploration of new business and client partnerships.”
