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Virgin Music Group<\/strong> has appointed Syaheed MSBI<\/strong> as Vice President of its AMEA<\/strong> region.<\/p>\n The company confirmed the newly created role on Thursday (August 13), <\/strong>announcing that he will oversee Virgin Music Group\u2019<\/strong>s activities across Africa<\/strong>, the Middle East<\/strong> and Asia<\/strong>.<\/p>\n He joins from Believe<\/a><\/strong>, where he spent more than 13 years<\/strong>, most recently as Global Artist Success and International Director.<\/p>\n \u201cSyaheed<\/strong> has built his reputation as a fierce advocate for artists first as a founder of his own independent music company and later as a seasoned exec building a robust business in support of independent labels and artists,\u201d said Michael Roe<\/strong>, Virgin Music Group\u2019s Managing Director of AMEA.<\/p>\n \u201cWith his deep connections on the ground across AMEA<\/strong>, we\u2019re looking forward to having him come in to lead and inspire our great team as we continue to build our best-in-class offering for the independent community around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSyaheed<\/strong> has built his reputation as a fierce advocate for artists first as a founder of his own independent music company and later as a seasoned exec building a robust business in support of independent labels and artists.\u201d<\/p>\n Michael Roe<\/strong>, Virgin Music Group<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n During his tenure at Believe<\/strong>, Syaheed<\/strong> built the company\u2019s artist services business across Southeast Asia<\/strong> and Australia<\/strong>.<\/p>\n He worked with artists including Hindia<\/strong>, Yura Yunita<\/strong>, Sal Priadi<\/strong>, Saran<\/strong>, Blvckheart<\/strong>, Nik Makino<\/strong>, Young Bleed Neet<\/strong> and Cub Sport<\/strong>.<\/p>\n He also played a key role in building Believe<\/strong>\u2018s team and offices in Singapore<\/strong> and Malaysia<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Syaheed<\/strong> got his start in 2002<\/strong>, when he founded his own independent music company, Bedsty<\/strong>.<\/p>\n At Bedsty<\/strong>, he signed, produced and developed artists across Singapore<\/strong> and Malaysia<\/strong>.<\/p>\n His roster there included Sezairi<\/strong>, the first Singaporean artist to cross 100 million<\/strong> streams on Spotify<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n He also worked with Sheikh Haikel<\/strong>, THELIONCITYBOY<\/strong> and Wicked Aura<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Syaheed<\/strong>\u2018s appointment follows Virgin Music Group\u2019s acquisition of Downtown Music Holdings<\/a>, first announced<\/a> in\u00a02024.<\/p>\n Following the deal, Pieter van Rijn<\/strong> was named Chief Operating Officer, with Downtown founder Justin Kalifowitz<\/a><\/strong> stepping away.<\/p>\n FUGA<\/a><\/strong> and Downtown Artist & Label Services<\/strong> now operate within its regional leadership structure.<\/p>\n Downtown\u2019s<\/strong> businesses also include CD Baby<\/a><\/strong>, Songtrust<\/a><\/strong> and Downtown Music Publishing<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n Virgin Music Group<\/strong> is led by co-CEOs Nat Pastor<\/strong> and JT Myers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m excited to join Virgin Music Group<\/strong>, where Nat<\/strong> [Pastor<\/strong>], JT<\/strong> [Myers<\/strong>], Michael<\/strong>, and the entire team are building one of the most exciting companies in music today,\u201d said Syaheed<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cVirgin<\/strong> is known for its industry-leading service, artist-first ambition, and global reach, and now that\u2019s combined with Downtown<\/strong>\u2018s best-in-class global infrastructure, we are able to ensure entrepreneurial labels and artists in AMEA<\/strong> have the premier solution to find their fans and build lasting success.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m looking forward to working closely with the incredible labels and artists across the Virgin<\/strong> family, because when artists, labels, and partners win together, the whole industry moves forward. This is especially important for our emerging markets.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVirgin<\/strong> is known for its industry-leading service, artist-first ambition, and global reach, and now that\u2019s combined with Downtown<\/strong>\u2018s best-in-class global infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n Syaheed MSBI, VIRGIN MUSIC<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Virgin Music Group<\/strong> has built a team across the AMEA region.<\/p>\n The network includes Haluk Cerahaman<\/strong> in Turkey<\/strong>, Amit Sharma<\/strong> in India<\/strong> and Cindy Gu<\/strong> in Southeast Asia<\/strong>.<\/p>\n It also includes Marcus Rowland<\/strong> in China<\/strong>, Kay Ikazobo<\/strong> in Nigeria<\/strong>, Nicole Thomas<\/strong> in South Africa<\/strong> and Anita Zagar<\/strong> in South Korea<\/strong>.<\/p>\n In June, Virgin Music Group<\/strong> also organized its worldwide operations into six regions<\/a>, with Michael Roe<\/strong> as Managing Director of AMEA.Music Business Worldwide<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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