NEW HEADS AT SONY/ATV U.K.

Jon Platt has unveiled his leadership team for Sony/ATV in the U.K., naming David Ventura and Tim Major co-Managing Directors, effective immediately, while promoting William Booth to EVP, Chief Operating Officer.

Ventura brings a background in A&R to the role, while Major adds legal expertise. The two take on the role of Guy Moot, who departed for Warner/Chappell in January.

“Our U.K. company is critical to the global success of Sony/ATV, so I am delighted to have two exceptionally experienced and talented executives leading it,” Platt said.

“David Ventura has a rare gift for A&R that brings out the best in our songwriters and builds enduring, successful careers. David’s abilities are complemented by Tim Major’s incisive legal skills and business acumen. I am confident that our U.K. team will deliver our strategy of making Sony/ATV the ultimate home for songwriters.”

Ventura was most recently Sony/ATV’s Head of A&R, U.K., and SVP, International. He joined EMI Music Publishing in 2010 as VP, European Creative, having served as Creative Director of NRJ Music, and moved to Sony/ATV following the EMI acquisition as VP, A&R Europe.

Among the artists and songwriters Ventura has signed or worked with are Clean Bandit, Martin Solveig, Passenger and Jorja Smith.

Major was previously Sony/ATV’s General Counsel/VP, Legal & Business, a post he has held since 2017. He joined Sony/ATV U.K. in 2013 as Legal & Business Affairs Manager before being promoted to Director of Legal & Business Affairs in 2014. He started his career at U.K. recorded music industry trade association BPI in 2007 as an in-house lawyer, then joined Universal Records in 2011 as Legal & Business Affairs Manager for Commercial Media Partnerships & Globe.

Williams joined Sony/ATV in 2012 as Deputy MD after a two-year stint at PRS for Music as Director of Media Licensing, before which he worked as Deputy MD at EMI Music Publishing and SVP, Europe for Sony/ATV.