Kobalt Hires Former Three Six Zero General Manager And General Counsel, Arif Mahmud

19 April 2017 - Press release

Mahmud to Lead Business Affairs for the Company’s Music Recordings Division Across Non-US Territories

Kobalt, the leading independent music services  company, today announced that Arif Mahmud has joined Kobalt as vice president, business affairs. In his role, Arif will work with Kobalt’s management team in the expansion of Kobalt Music Recordings’ and AWAL’s (Kobalt’s streaming label for independent artists) business and client base in all regions outside the U.S. Mahmud will be primarily focused on helping shape the deal structure and legal and commercial framework for future client partnerships. 

A 16 year veteran in the entertainment industry, Mahmud brings extensive relationships and legal and business knowledge to his role at Kobalt. Prior to joining Kobalt, Mahmud was general manager and general counsel at Three Six Zero, and prior to that, Mahmud was business affairs manager for Universal Music’s front line labels, Polydor and Capitol, in the UK.

“Having dealt with Kobalt in one way or another over the last decade, I had always been envious of what the company had achieved in such a short space of time since its inception,” said Mahmud. “I’m looking forward to working closely with Paul Hitchman and the team to roll out new versions of Kobalt’s and AWAL’s unique services to artists, labels, management companies and other partners. Kobalt has always been about putting the creator in the centre, and I’m confident that together we can ensure that all our artists see how we’re committed to that ethos.”

Paul Hitchman, President of Kobalt Music Recordings, said, “Bringing on Arif and his wealth of entertainment experience will be crucial for our company and clients we represent.” Paul continued, “We have a lot of great things in the works and I know he will bolster our exploration of new business and client partnerships.”