Exceleration Music Marks First Anniversary of Partnership with Raft of New Hires

20 January 2022 - Press release

 

• Mike Gillespie appointed as Head of Global Sales & Retail Marketing
• Bela Zecker joins as Label Manager
• Andy Lewis confirmed as Commercial Partnership Manager
• Emma Walker and David Piechota also appointed

 

Hot on the heels of its recent partnership with LA label SideOneDummy, Exceleration Music, the fast-growing company formed to enhance the future of independent labels and artists, is set to mark the first year anniversary of its partnership with a number of key new executive hires.

Joining the company as Head of Global Sales & Retail Marketing, Mike Gillespie will assume responsibility for Exceleration’s global sales, physical distribution, and retail marketing. A uniquely experienced executive, his background includes over a decade serving as Senior Vice President of Commercial Sales at Concord Music, where he oversaw the company’s sales division during a period of unprecedented growth. 

Prior to that, Gillespie was Vice President of Sales Customer Operations at Universal Music Group and he has also held management positions at RED Distribution, Pavement/Zoo Entertainment and Relativity Records/Sony Music Group. He is an active member of the Music Business Association (Music Biz), American Management Association (AMA), and American Society of Composers (ASCAP), among others. 

Mike Gillespie, Head of Global Sales & Retail Marketing, said: “I’m thrilled to join the team and partners at Exceleration Music, many of which I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the years. The expertise and passion they bring to the industry along with exceptional vision are second to none. I’m honored to be a part of it and look forward to a dynamic future.”

Bela Zecker joins the team as Label Manager, responsible for overseeing day-to-day communication with Exceleration’s label partners and ensuring the potential of their catalogs and releases are fully realized. Joining from Soundcloud, where she was Senior Manager, Independent Label Relations, Zecker is an accomplished executive with experience in artist management and music journalism. She has also served as Member Relations & Commercial Partnerships Manager - Americas at indie rights agency Merlin, as well as various roles over several years at leading indie label, Ninja Tune.

Andy Lewis has also been appointed as Commercial Partnership Manager. Working alongside Darin Soler, Exceleration’s Head of Global Marketing & Commercial Partnerships, he will seek to maximize consumption and engagement for Exceleration’s content, working externally with DSPs and internally across the company’s team and its fast-growing roster of labels and artists. Lewis spent 15 years at Sony Music, where he worked in several alternative artist marketing, product management, and global partner development roles – most recently as Vice President of Partner Development. 

Emma Walker joins as Accounting & Administrative Assistant and will be involved in all aspects of the day-to-day functioning of Exceleration’s accounting department, including royalties and general business administration. Working within the finance team under Donna Feeley, Exceleration’s Head of Accounting & Business Administration, Walker’s previous experience includes work across several industries, including seven years as an A&R Administration Analyst at RCA Records. 

David Piechota, a recent graduate in Music Business from Berklee College of Music, has joined the finance team as Revenue & Royalty Administrative Assistant. Piechota also releases his own music under the name Dave Koda.

Glen Barros, founding Exceleration Partner, commented: “One of Exceleration’s guiding principles is to put people first in all that we do. So, despite our rapid growth, we are taking great care in building our team. I can truly say that this group – Mike, Bela, Andy, Emma and Dave – perfectly fit the ethos we’re creating here at Exceleration. They bring extraordinary talent to the company, they all demonstrate an incredible passion for the music and the people behind the music, and they’re simply great to work with. We are grateful and excited that they’ve decided to join the team.”

Exceleration’s new appointments follow a slew of deals, with the company recently announcing a strategic partnership with LA indie label SideOneDummy Records, the acquisition of Chicago label Bloodshot Records, as well as an alliance with the estate of the late Justin Townes Earle. Exceleration is a partnership between leading independent music executives Glen Barros, Dave Hansen, Amy Dietz, John Burk and Charles Caldas.