NOISEMAKERS: SPOOKY SEASON

In our latest Noisemakers roundup, we present a fresh batch of rising professionals from different areas of the biz whose dedication and effort make their superiors look good. This edition's entrants will also find their faces in our recent mag. Lucky for them, this feature—and $1.25—will get them a commemorative fun-sized chocolate bar at participating Erewhon locations.

Sydney Lopes
Head of Hip-Hop & R&B, Artist and Label Partnerships, Spotify

The recently promoted Lopes produced and presented Spotify’s first-ever Are & Be House at last summer’s Essence Fest in New Orleans. The House—which served as a tribute to Black women in R&B and podcasting—boasted performances by Summer Walker and Ari Lennox and a live taping with Kamala Harris to promote the DSP’s flagship R&B playlist. Lopes also played a role in Khalid’s rise to #1 artist on the platform globally last year. She’s currently focused on amplifying content that broadens the Black experience across hip-hop, R&B, Caribbean and gospel.

Mike Hamilton
Senior Director of Commerce, Epic Records

The former Atlantic streaming exec has been key to some memorable hip-hop runs recently. In his previous post, he oversaw the streaming strategy for Cardi B’s "Bodak Yellow” and Invasion of Privacy. At Epic, he’s been instrumental to Travis Scott’s streak of #1 single debuts and was on duty for 21 Savage’s latest chart-topper, Savage Mode II. He's pumped at the moment about rising R&B star Giveon. A singer in his own right, Hamilton is keeping the conversation going about leveling the playing field for Black professionals in the biz.

Missy Roberts
Senior Director of A&R, UMPG Nashville

Being a member of illustrious singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile’s team is a dream come true for Roberts, who’s a lifelong country fan. The diverse group of creators she works with includes Derrick Southerland and Sam Ellis, who co-wrote Ingrid Andress’ #1 hit, “More Hearts Than Mine.” Pre-pandemic, Roberts was able to watch Andress perform the track at her Opry debut, standing alongside the co-writers while the crowd gave them a standing ovation. The A&R exec's obsession with camo makes for a distinctive WFH look.

Jason Johnson
VP, Marketing & Brand Strategy, Audiomack

Constantly working on new content for the ever-expanding streaming site, Johnson is now helping bring the world to Africa. Audiomack, which recently opened an office in Nigeria, has become the #1 free app on Apple and Google’s app stores. Johnson is focused on Hometown Heroes Nigeria digital concert, including the platform’s new artist-development program, #UpNow. Among the events Johnson has contributed to are Roddy Ricch’s Trap Symphony Live performance, which aligned with the release of his debut album. As an avid early-stage investor, Johnson knows what it takes to kick-start a campaign.

Jonathan Briggs
VP of Commerce & Streaming Strategy, Island Records

Back when concerts happened, Briggs, along with the rest of the Island team, celebrated Shawn Mendes’ ascent to global superstardom at his 2019 Barclays Center show. Briggs was busy over the summer with bright young streaming acts BANNERS and Baby Rose, along with new projects from vets The Killers and Toni Braxton. He was a stan before stanning was a thing—he loves U.K. pop group Steps and is a chart whiz when it comes to hits from the ’80s, especially Stock Aitken Waterman jams. Did we just get Rickrolled?

Trevor Patterson
Co-Founder, BoyMeetSpace; Manager, jetsonmade

Over the last two years, Patterson’s client jetsonmade has emerged as one of hip-hop’s elite producers, the creative force behind DaBaby’s “Suge” and “BOP,” Playboi Carti’s “@Meh” and most recently, Jack Harlow’s breakthrough hit, “What’s Poppin,” which reached #2 on the Hot 100. Patterson is also working on breaking the first artist on his BoyMeetSpace label, Carolina rap prodigy 18veno. Patterson is nearly undefeated against haters on Twitter and at Super Smash Bros—and only 24kGoldn stands a chance against his King Dedede dominance on Nintendo Switch.

Christina Koblick
Manager/A&R, Nonstop Management

Nonstop OG Koblick has in fact been on the team since it was a two-person operation. Along with super-producer J Kash, the company now reps Michael Pollack—who has credits on the last two Maroon 5 singles and three co-writes on Katy Perry’s Smile—plus alt songwriter Nick Long (Machine Gun Kelly) and “You Wrote Me First” co-writer Ryann. Koblick is involved in the creative process of the company’s stable of writers from the get-go, and she now has even more on her plate with J Kash’s new label, Sandlot Records.

Matt MacFarlane
Senior Director of A&R, APG

With 24kGoldn and Taz Taylor among the hit writers MacFarlane oversees at APG, he’s been loving his daily review of the charts over the last few months—at press time, “Mood” and “Lemonade” hold #1 and #2, respectively, on Spotify’s streaming charts. And MacFarlane and the Internet Money team are already making progress on the next IM album. He’s currently getting the upcoming Kevin Gates project and The Fast and the Furious (F9) soundtrack across the finish line. A drummer since he was eight, Matt is always down for some beats.