BENNETT STAFFS UP VERVE LABEL GROUP

Danny Bennett has announced his senior management team at the Verve Label Group, starting with the appointment of Leslie Collman-Smith as General Manager. Bennett, who took over as President/CEO in May, announced five other senior level staff changes today.

Hadley Spanier, who marketed Tony Bennett records for RPM Productions, joins as Senior Vice President of Marketing, and Jamie Krents was upped to Senior Vice President of International Marketing and Label Development. Coming over from Sony Music are Josh Cheuse as Creative Director, and Mandy DellaCorte as Vice President of Marketing. All are based in New York.

In Santa Monica, West Coast marketing executive Holly Adams has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Special Projects and Global Soundtracks.

The new GM, Collman-Smith, was previously Senior Vice President of Marketing for UMG’s U.S. Classics team. The Verve Label Group comprises Verve, Deutsche Grammophon, Decca, Mercury Classics and distributed label ECM.

“We are focused on championing both core and developing artists in jazz, classical and legacy artists as well as developing new and emerging talent in keeping with the Verve label’s rebellious roster of catalog artists such as The Velvet Underground, Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart and Laura Nyro, to name a few,” Bennett wrote in an email to staff.

“This is only the beginning. There will be more projects and developments to discuss in the future.”

Who actually records for Verve and the associated labels remains a mystery as the group's website is apparently a placeholder.