KRENTS, OLEJAR RISE HIGHER AT VERVE

Jamie Krents, who has spent his entire music career at Verve Label Group, has added CEO stripes to his title of president. EVP Dawn Olejar, meanwhile, has risen to COO.

Based in New York, they will continue to report to Dickon Stainer, who will remain chairman of Verve Label Group in the wake of his recent promotion to chairman/CEO of Universal Music U.K.

Krents, who called the promotion "beyond thrilling"—he grew up studying Verve, Impulse! and Decca recordings—has been with the company for more than 20 years, starting as a temp and quickly rising through the ranks.

Olejar began her career with Verve in 2017, overseeing U.S. campaigns for Andrea Bocelli, Ludovico Einaudi, Diana Ross, Lang Lang and Chad Lawson. She became GM in 2022.

VLG's roster includes such artists as Jon Batiste, Arooj Aftab, Samara Joy, Joy Oladokun and Kurt Vile. The company scored 14 2024 Grammy nominations in multiple genres.

In the meantime, HITS is always happy to offer Krents poor advice on which player to sign off the fantasy basketball waiver wire.