Litmus Music has appointed BMG publishing exec Monti Olson as president.
Olson will lead acquisitions for Litmus, which is focused on acquiring and managing music rights, including both publishing and recordings.
Litmus Music was co-founded by Hank Forsyth and Dan McCarroll in partnership with Carlyle Global Credit, which initially committed $500 million in both equity and debt.
Olson joins Litmus with more than 20 years of experience in the music industry, most recently at BMG as executive vice president and head of music publishing North America. Olson led the division in the domestic music market, and was responsible for the development and execution of its growth strategy and frontline/catalogue acquisition strategy and execution.
Olson previously served as senior vice president of A&R at Warner Bros Records, EVP/co-department head of A&R at Universal Music Publishing Group and SVP/department head of A&R at BMG Music Publishing. He’s also the co-founder of vinyl reissue company Original Recordings Group.
“I’ve had the unique privilege of working with music creators throughout my career, and I believe everything I’ve accomplished to date has prepared me for this moment,” said Olson. “I’m humbled that my friends Dan and Hank have asked me to join them in building a world class music rights company, and I thank Matt and everyone at Carlyle for their trust in me and their belief in the power of music.”
I believe everything I’ve accomplished to date has prepared me for this moment
Monti Olson
“Monti has been a trusted friend and colleague for decades,” said Forsyth and McCarroll. “His passion for music, deep industry knowledge and relationships, business experience and integrity are valued by the entire team. We’re so grateful he has chosen to join us on this exciting journey as the next chapter of his career.”
Matt Settle, managing director with Carlyle Global Credit, said: “We are pleased to welcome Monti to the Litmus team. He brings significant industry expertise that will build on and complement the team’s talent, which we believe will serve as a differentiator for Litmus’ success.”
According to the announcement, Litmus’ founding members have fostered connections to record labels, distributors, artist managers and the artists themselves.
“The addition of Olson to the Litmus team furthers its mission to create value for artists and investors through the thoughtful management of music,” said the company in a statement.
Litmus is focused on music from multiple genres, locations and eras. It has offices in Los Angeles and New York.
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