Townsend hires former PledgeMusic exec Ben James

16 December 2019 - Press release

D2C company Townsend Music has hired PledgeMusic’s former Head of Acquisitions Ben James as New Business Manager.

James started his career in A&R at Nude Records, working with the likes of Suede, Ultrasound and Lowgold, where he grew a reputation for finding and nurturing emerging talent.

James went on to work for B-Unique before setting up a live promotions and artist management business that included the successful monthly ‘Breakout’ event featuring the likes of Ed Sheeran, Jack Savoretti, Lianne Les Havas, Manchester Orchestra and Daughter.

He also worked for Live Nation’s festival and brand partnerships division.

More recently, at PledgeMusic, he has worked with a diverse range of artists including Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Orbital, José González, The Wombats and Stone Sour.

James said: “I’m excited to join Townsend at a time when D2C has become all the more important to artists’ careers and labels’ release plans. They have a great set up here and a wealth of experience. Having everything under one roof is a big factor for me - a great in-house tech team and bespoke platform, their own distribution network and warehouse, as well as customer service. It means everything runs smoothly and efficiently. I look forward to expanding Townsend’s reach around the world and bringing artists, managers and labels that I respect to the table.” 

Townsend Sales Director Bruce McKenzie said: “It’s great to be able to bring Ben to Townsend. He has a lot of experience across a variety of sectors including D2C. His knowledge and insight will be really beneficial to both our team and our clients.” 

Celebrating its 20^th year in D2C this year, Townsend provides not only online stores for artist clients but many varied, tailored and innovative ecommerce solutions, including pop-up shops and ‘D2C On Tour’ campaigns selling chart eligible album pre-orders at concerts.

Townsend artist clients include Tom Walker, Kylie, Courteeners, Dido, The Darkness, Oh Wonder and Camila Cabello.