QUICK HITS: Downtown • TuneCore • 10K Projects • Smith exits Spotify for YouTube • Sony Music + Vertical Rights/Lateral

Downtown Music has appointed David K. Dormon its General Counsel. He returns to Downtown after exiting his position as VP Legal and Business Affairs last fall to join the international law firm Reed Smith LLP.

• TuneCore, a division of Believe, has promoted Ace Elijah Burgess as Senior Director of Engineering. In his new role, Burgess will continue to oversee the team of software engineers that develops TuneCore’s digital products and will focus on new innovative technology solutions aimed at bridging the unmet and evolving needs of today’s DIY artists.

• 10K Projects has announced the promotion of Molly McLachlan to the position of EVP of Global Marketing at the label. In her new role she will continue to oversee global marketing for the label and its diverse group of artists.

• Spotify exec Paul Smith is leaving his role as Director, Global Head of International Licensing at Spotify, to join Google as Managing Director, YouTube Music. Prior to Spotify, he was VP, Business Affairs & Label Relations position at MixRadio.

• Sony Music Publishing Scandinavia has partnered with Vertical Rights, the publishing arm of Lateral Management, to support and collaborate with its roster of songwriters across administration, sync, creative, and more.

Lateral represents artists Labrinth, Paloma Faith, Real Like You and more. Vertical represents songwriters such as Klas Åhlund, who has co-written for Robyn, Katy Perry, Usher, and Ghost; Jocke Åhlund, who has written/produced for Robyn, Cee Lo Green, Wayne Coyne, and Iggy Pop; as well as electronic dance music masters Michel Zitron and John Martin, who have crafted music for Swedish House Mafia, Martijn Garrix, David Guetta, and Tiesto. Vertical also represents rising stars Gino & Otto, who co-wrote recently released single “Options” by Internet Money and 24kGoldn.

Bruce Houghton is Founder and Editor of Hypebot and MusicThinkTank and serves as a Senior Advisor to Bandsintown which acquired both publications in 2019. He is the Founder and President of the Skyline Artists Agency and a professor for the Berklee College Of Music.