iHeartMedia’s Alissa Pollack Named President of Mediabase

RCS Worldwide has announced the promotion of Alissa Pollack to president of Mediabase, a top music industry source for airplay analytics, chart intelligence, and music data. In this elevated role, Pollack will also continue her full responsibilities as president of global music marketing at iHeartMedia.

As president, Pollack will lead Mediabase’s strategic direction, global expansion, product innovation, and commercial growth, according to the announcement.

Susan Larkin, RCS Worldwide president-CEO, said, “Alissa has spent her career at the intersection of music, data, and relationships, which is exactly where Mediabase lives. This promotion is a recognition of everything she has already built and a reflection of our confidence in where she will take Mediabase next. As she steps into this role she will have my full support as she leads Mediabase forward.”

Pollack said, “I’m honored to lead Mediabase at such an exciting moment in its evolution while continuing the work I love at iHeartMedia. These roles are incredibly complementary because they share the same purpose: helping the industry make smarter decisions through meaningful insights.

“As one of my first initiatives, I’m thrilled to make more Mediabase chart data publicly accessible through our newly updated Mediabase.com site. Music fans, industry professionals, and artists can now view the Top 50 charts across every format in both the U.S. and Canada, providing greater visibility into music performance and trends across North America.”

+ Valerie Pensa, a multipl Clio Award winner who most recently was head of marketing at RCA Records, has left the company to launch of new venture Moonstruck Management & Marketing Inc., which is based in Los Angeles. Over the years she has worked closely with such artists as Tate McRae, P!nk, Doja Cat, Miley Cyrus, Sia, Lisa and more.

Pensa said, “Moonstruck means dreamily entranced — devoted to something you believe in. That’s exactly how I feel about artists with real vision, and it’s the only way I know how to work. This industry doesn’t sit still and my job is to stay dedicated to that vision no matter how the business evolves.”

+ Jet Management, the Venice, CA-based music management focused on dance music, has announced a new joint management partnership with Debonair (DBNR), the Belgium-based boutique music management company, launching with the acclaimed French electronic music duo Polo & Pan, who are currently on a North American tour as the support act for Jet Management act Empire of the Sun. DBNR’s roster also includes Charlotte de Witte, Enrico Sangiuliano, Bazart and Oliver Symons; Jet’s also manages Justice, Foster the PeopleSam Gellaitry, Neil Frances, WhoMadeWho and others; it is also a partner of the company Firebird.

“I’ve been a longtime fan of Polo & Pan and genuinely enjoyed their records and live shows long before this collaboration came together,” said DBNR founder-CEO Alexander Vandriessche.  “We’ve always had a lot of respect for what Jet built and how they approach artists globally, and with Polo & Pan and this new partnership, there was a very organic fit between both teams and it felt like the right project to start building something together.”

Jet co-founder Tyler Goldberg added, “We are thrilled for the opportunity to both work with one of the most creative and talented artists in the world, one which we’ve admired for years, and to partner with one of the best managers in our industry, our dear friend Alexander Vandriessche.”

+ Mom+Pop Music has signed singer-songwriter Crash the Party. Signed by label co-founder Michael Goldstone and Katie Fagan, the artist has released the song “Cold Feet” to launch the partnership.

Crash the Party says, “Growing up in rural Georgia, pursuing music sometimes felt a little delusional. I knew I wasn’t meant to work in a factory, lay cable, or follow the paths a lot of my neighbors took — I just knew I had to make music. Being with Mom+Pop is truly a dream, and it feels like validation that I’m on the right path, crazy or not!” More music will be released later in the fall.

+  Fenix Entertainment has announced a global partnership with Maluma to lead the development and strategy behind his upcoming world tour, taking place in 2027 and 2028.The 35-year-old company currently works with Luis Miguel, Ricardo Arjona, and Ricardo Montaner, while also developing strategic partnerships with Shakira across multiple markets.

Marcelo Fígoli, founder and president of Fenix Entertainment, said: “Working with an artist with Maluma’s career and international reach is both a challenge and an enormous responsibility. We believe in his vision, his talent, and the exciting moment he is experiencing in his career. We are incredibly proud to be part of this new chapter and to put our team and experience behind a project of this scale.”

+ Warner Records Nashville has reshaped its marketing team structure with the announcement of several staff promotions and newly created roles:

Addison Nunes is being promoted to VP of marketing where she will oversee marketing duties for one half of the roster alongside Anna Pittman, who will lead marketing efforts for one half as well, continuing her role as VP of marketing.

Justin Luffman will move into the newly created role of VP of culture & creative marketing. In this role, he will act as a driving force behind our artists’ identities and cultural relevance, according to the announcement.

Pittman will be supported by Jackson Ammons, who moves into his new role as marketing manager. Nunes is supported by new hire Jennipher Miller, who begins her new role as marketing manager, while Samantha Nepsa assumes Nunes’ previous duties with her promotion to senior analyst of data & analytics.

Allyson Kim will move into the role of manager of touring & fan activations, while Alyssa Cohen joins the marketing team as coordinator, reporting to EVP of marketing Victoria Mason.

+ United Talent Agency announced today the addition of six new executive appointments, along with 11 internal promotions across the music division. The announcement is the latest in a series of advancements for the department, including the recent elevation of James Wright to co-head of U.K. music, the announcement of seven new music partners in March, and the promotion of 19 colleagues in December.

Chris Anderson (Agent), Randy Freedman (Agent, Music Brand Partnerships), Jordan Golenberg (Agent), and Lauren Katzakian (Executive, Business Affairs) are based out of Los Angeles. Anderson joins UTA following nearly two decades in artist management and talent representation. With over a decade of experience at Universal Music Group and elsewhere, Katzakian is the newest member of the UTA Business Affairs team focusing on touring and Music Brand Partnerships. Freedman also arrives via UMG, and will focus his efforts within the Music Brand Partnerships division. Golenberg joins from Day After Day Productions role.

Anthony Brown (Agent) and Becky Drouet (Agent) join the ranks of agents in London. Brown brings over 13 years of industry experience from CAA, where he specialized in hip-hop and R&B. Drouet will work across touring and corporate/private group, following more than 18 years at LPO.

UTA’s newest coordinator class will support agents and executives across several divisions within the music department, including touring, marketing, brand partnerships, music crossover, A&R and more. Juan Aguirre, Lindsey Cole, Alia Lopotanak and Mark Soleymani are the newest coordinators in the Los Angeles office; Julian Huff, Pearse Matteson, and Jenna Shatzman have been upped to coordinators in New York; Cat Ingersoll is the latest to be elevated to coordinator in Nashville; and Dylan Bryant, Brooke Newton and Emily Rhodes are the latest coordinator elevations in London.