NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 13, 2020 — Global music company Downtown Music Holdings (Downtown) has recently expanded its business development and operations teams with several key promotions and strategic hires, the company announced today. Andrew Sparkler has been promoted to Executive Vice President (EVP) of Global Business Development, and Bruce Lampcov has been promoted to Senior Vice President (SVP) of Global Business Development. Additionally, Brad Yuan has been named SVP of Global Operations for Downtown. Both Sparkler and Yuan, based in New York, will report directly to Downtown’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) Andrew Bergman. Lampcov, based in Los Angeles, will report to Sparkler.
“Andrew, Bruce and Brad have each played critical roles in Downtown’s recent growth. Each of them bring essential skills and a commitment to excellence that are a model for our entire organization. I’m grateful for their contributions and look forward to continuing our work building a global music company and a more innovative and equitable music industry,” said Andrew Bergman, COO of Downtown.
As EVP of Global Business Development, Sparkler will continue to oversee all new business opportunities for the company worldwide and its portfolio of brands, including acquisitions, catalog purchases, publishing agreements, digital partnerships, and performing rights strategy. Since joining Downtown in 2014, he has brokered deals with contemporary hitmaker songwriters including Ryan Tedder, Benny Blanco and Jimmy Napes, as well as iconic artists such as Booker T. Jones and Natalie Merchant, and celebrated bands like Phish and Primus. Sparkler also spearheaded an innovative direct partnership with YouTube, increasing the royalty revenue for Downtown’s songwriter clients, and was instrumental in supporting the 2019 induction of legendary singer-songwriter John Prine into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Prior to Downtown, Sparkler served as Vice President and Head of Business Affairs at the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP). He began his career in music at the firm Beldock Levine & Hoffman LLP, where he practiced entertainment law.
Lampcov, who has most recently served as Head of West Coast Business Development for Downtown Music Publishing, will take on an expanded global role as SVP of Global Business Development at the parent company level. Since joining Downtown in 2018, Lampcov has brokered deals with The Miles Davis Estate, Shaggy, Leslie Bricusse and Aimee Mann, among others. Prior to Downtown, Lampcov was EVP at Fintage House where he was responsible for building the company's music publishing and neighboring rights businesses, signing the likes of Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Jay Z, Kanye West, Bruce Springsteen, Calvin Harris, and the John Lennon Estate. At Fintage Lampcov also signed numerous music and media companies such as Lionsgate, National Geographic, Hasbro, Concorde Music, Roc Nation and Sub Pop. Lampcov also previously served as Managing Director of Kobalt Music. He started his career in the music as an engineer and producer at The Power Station in the 1980s, where he worked with artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Bryan Adams, Peter Gabriel, The Pretenders, Lou Reed, The The and The Eurythmics.
In the newly created SVP of Global Operations role, Yuan brings years of operational and technical experience from the music and entertainment sectors. Working closely with Bergman, Yuan will be focused on building operational efficiency, accountability and alignment across the entire Downtown portfolio. Most recently Yuan served as Global Head of Rights Management Operations for Songtrust, one of Downtown’s portfolio companies, where was responsible for all publishing administration, including copyright, licensing, royalties and production music. He spearheaded a successful initiative to bring added precision and efficiency to the administration process through the deployment of process engineering, robotics and artificial intelligence tools. Prior to joining Songtrust, Yuan was COO at Yonder Music, a streaming service focused on bundling music through telcos in Asia, where he oversaw development of the company's music management and delivery applications, as well as content and reporting operations.
Over the past year, Downtown has significantly expanded its operations and global footprint through organic growth and a series of strategic acquisitions. In April 2019, the company announced that it had acquired AVL Digital Group, which includes the CD Baby®, Soundrop®, DashGo℠ and AdRev® businesses, and in January 2020 it was announced that AVL had acquired FUGA®, the Netherlands-based B2B music technology and services company, to compliment Downtown’s existing suite of label and artist services business.
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About Downtown
Downtown Music Holdings is a global company that owns, manages, and develops businesses with a vision for a more equitable and innovative music ecosystem. With operations across North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Latin America, we are the world’s leading provider of end-to-end services to artists, songwriters, labels, music publishers, and other rights holders. Through our portfolio of companies — Downtown Music Publishing, Songtrust®, AVL Digital Group, and Downtown Music Studios — we manage millions of music copyrights, with a catalog that spans nearly 100 years of popular music, including music for film and television, and the single largest independent sound recordings catalog in the industry. Our integrated platforms help democratize global music rights management and simplify the distribution, monetization, and promotion of creative works.
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