LONDON, UK (CelebrityAccess) – Fuga has appointed Lara Baker as the new General Manager (GM), UK. The new appointment follows Liz Northeast’s promotion from GM to Senior Vice President (SVP), Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) for Fuga.
Before Fuga, Baker was the director of business development for the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand at Downtown company Songtrust. Her new role will see her leading/overseeing the UK’s business development strategy and client relations. The industry executive joins Fuga with over 15 years of experience in the music industry, including former senior roles as marketing and events director for the Association of Independent Music (AIM) and head of sessions content/programming for BBC Music Introducing Live.
Baker said: “I’m delighted to join the global Fuga team, which truly offers best-in-class distribution and marketing to a client base that reads like a who’s who of the independent sector. Empowering independent music and labels has been the core focus of my entire 18 years in the music business, and no one is doing it like Fuga.”
The news of Baker’s appointment comes on the heels of Fuga’s new agreement with ATC Management to release the new album from Swedish band The Hives.
“This follows a trajectory of management companies that are evolving their services and choosing Fuga as a distribution and services partner,” said a statement. “With an established roster that includes, ie: music (Saint Sister), Motel Management (Froukje and Wende Snijders) and Prime Element (Projector, O Hell), Fuga’s offerings across digital and physical distribution, marketing, audience strategy, user-generated content (UGC) and rights management provides a streamlined shop for management companies looking to expand their own brand into a 360-degree service.”
The new agreement between Fuga and ATC will see The Hives exclusively releasing their first album in over a decade with the distributor. Employing Fuga’s global digital and physical distribution offering, ATC will also leverage the company’s international marketing services – including audience strategy for the band’s forthcoming album, The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons, as well as access to Fuga’s trends and analytics platform and sync offerings.
DreamTeam, the London-based marketing company, will work with ATC and Fuga to deliver the global marketing strategy for the band’s new album.
ATC management clients include Nick Cave, PJ Harvey, Billie Marten, Sorry, Black Country New Road and The Hives.
Matthew Greer, artist manager, ATC Management, said: “We are excited to sign The Hives to two of the most forward-thinking companies in the music business today, Fuga and DreamTeam. Bridging the gap between old and new, Fuga’s digital-first approach will help lead The Hives into this new era of music consumption, allowing us the flexibility and transparency the band sought with their new release partner.”
Northeast said: “ATC has a longstanding reputation for developing exceptional talent, and it is a great honor to work with the ATC and DreamTeam team at such a pivotal time for The Hives. Partnering with industry-leading companies that align with our mission to empower independent artists and labels is a testament to Fuga’s position as a critical distribution and services partner for management companies evolving their services.
“To be able to welcome Lara into her new role as UK GM at the same time will allow us to further drive growth and development for key partners such as ATC.”
