Senteric Music Group made four key A&R hires in the US, bringing executives Matt DuFour, Carlos Escalona Cruz, Kebu Commissiong and Lou Plaia to the company.
All four will take on Director A&R roles at Sentric in their respective territories, with DuFour covering the Midwest from Chicago, Commissiong covering Southeast Atlanta, Plaia covering the East Coast from New York, and Cruz covering the US-based Latin market. States and LATAM. .
All four will report directly to Simon Perry, president of Sentric North America.
The new recruits follow Sentric moved to North America in January, and the company says it is now establishing its presence in all major markets in the territory.
The new recruits also follow those of Sentric acquisition by Utopia Music in February.
Among the new recruits are Lou Plaia, who co-founded ReverbNation in 2006, and left after his sold to BandLab.
Prior to ReverbNation, Plaia was responsible for marketing and artist development for Atlantic Records print Lava Records. For a decade prior, he worked at Atlantic Records, where his last role was as Vice President of Strategic Marketing.
Kebu Commissiong, meanwhile, has worked with artists including Sean Kingston, AYO & TEO, Azjah, Rayven Justice and Grammy-nominated producer Drumma Boy Fresh.
He is known for his role as vice president of Big Cat Records and Atlanta-based Tommy Boy Music. Kebu also worked as an A&R manager for Gas Media Group where he oversaw the music partnerships department.
Carlos Escalona Cruz is a Grammy winner and BMI award-winning producer/DJ/artist and executive. He is co-founder of HITMUSIC 21 Productions, a New York-based production, artist development and artist services company focused on the Latin American and LATAM market.
Cruz is known for his work with Latin music artists such as Marc Anthony, Fito Páez, Paulina Rubio and Chino&Nacho. Cruz signed for Warner Music Group in 2019, and his last release, There is no así soy went viral Spotify in 13 countries. In 2022, he was elected to the New York chapter of the Recording Academy.
Matt DuFour is co-owner and co-founder of New York-based custom music house Academy Fight Songs. Prior to that, he was Vice President A&R for ReverbNation’s CONNECT artist development program.
DuFour’s resume also includes stints with global hotel brands Virgin Hotels and Hard Rock Hotels, where he oversaw music programming and talent buying.
DuFour began his career with New York-based Cornerstone Agency/The FADER, where he worked on radio promotion for The Strokes, White Stripes, Kings of Leon and more, as well as executing marketing campaigns. experiential for major international brands such as Vitamin Water. , Diesel, Bushmills, and more.
“We are fortunate to have assembled an initial group of people who are equally passionate about meeting the needs of our writers and editors today.”
Simon Perry
Simon Perry, President of Sentric North America, said, “A publishing business in 2022 must be a fine balance between understanding the complexity of existing structures and an entrepreneurial ‘can do’ attitude to create a new model for a digital more transparent. coming.”
“To deliver on this core belief, we are fortunate to have assembled an initial group of people who are just as passionate about serving the needs of our authors and publishers today, as they are committed to exploring where music and technology can take us all tomorrow. .
“This outstanding first cohort of A&R entrepreneurs supports our broader mission of enabling innovation around our clients’ art, and furthers our ongoing commitment to providing the best publishing services in North America. “
“After spending half of my career working only with major label artists and the other half working only with emerging artists, I now work with artists and songwriters at all stages of their careers. “
Lou Plaia
Lou Plaia said: “After spending half my career working only with major label artists and the other half working only with emerging artists, I now work with artists and songwriters at all levels. stages of their career.
“I’m truly excited to bring songwriters and their business partners into the Sentric system to help them achieve maximum success, and I’m honored to have the opportunity to work with such an incredible team with great leaders. .”
“Atlanta and the Southeast are quickly becoming one of the most important markets for music.”
Commissioning of Kebu
Kebu Commissioning said, “Atlanta and the Southeast are quickly becoming one of the most important markets for music. I’m excited to bring my experience and energy to represent Sentric Music’s forward-thinking mindset to this thriving community of songwriters and creators.
“The global Latin market has recently grown exponentially, and I believe Sentric is the right publishing company with the best model to serve this community.”
Carlos Escalona Cruz
Carlos Escalona Cruz added, “The global Latin market has recently grown exponentially, and I believe Sentric is the right publishing company with the best model to serve this community.
“I’m really looking forward to being part of the new team they’re building, and I’m excited to grow this part of the business in South America and beyond! »
“When I heard Simon was putting together a North American A&R team, I jumped at the chance to get involved.”
Matt DuFour
Matt DuFour said: “I had the pleasure of creating a publishing administration catalog with Sentric in a previous job, so I was fully aware of the company’s artist philosophy, the passionate staff and experienced and competent management.
“When I heard Simon was putting together a North American A&R team, I jumped at the chance to get involved.”The music industry around the world
