Artist development and management services company mtheory has appointed music and entertainment industry veteran Erik Pettie as Senior Vice President and Head of its new Artist Services and Partnerships division.
With a career spanning over 15 years, Pettie will lead the establishment of mtheory’s Artist Services division, based in their New York office.
The newly-formed division will offer a range of professional services tailored to various stages of a project cycle, said mtheory, adding that the new division will seek to assist artists and labels in gaining exposure and generating revenue.
The launch of mtheory’s Artist Services and Partnerships division arrives a year after the company’s bespoke label division, mtheory Artist Partnerships, was acquired by Universal Music Group. (At the time, mtheory’s founders JT Myers and Nat Pastor were also appointed as Co-CEOs of UMG’s global Virgin Music Group division).
Under Pettie’s leadership, the new Artist Services team under mtheory will collaborate closely with artists and their teams, providing infrastructure, insights, and execution to either complement or replicate label support.
Before joining mtheory, Pettie spearheaded artist strategy, commerce and marketing partnerships at Believe-owned Tunecore.
Other highlights of his career include steering marketing campaigns for Cash Money Records, collaborating with labels under Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group, and providing his marketing expertise to artists from different genres and stages of development.
“After years of dedication to supporting artists and labels, I’m eager to continue by shaping this division to help redefine campaign standards. This is an exciting new chapter, and I’m ready to make a positive impact!”
Erik Pettie, Mtheory
His journey started at Universal Records, where he spearheaded digital marketing initiatives for a roster of priority artists. Subsequently, he held senior marketing positions at Motown and Republic Records, dedicating nearly a decade to created integrated marketing campaigns before expanding his horizons to include artist management and brand development.
Over the course of his career, Pettie has executed campaigns for over 200 artists, including Lil Wayne, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Prince, Erykah Badu, Kelly Rowland, Nas, The Marleys, and more.
Commenting on his appointment, Pettie said: “I’m thrilled to join mtheory’s dynamic leadership team and am beyond grateful for the opportunity to expand their scope of clients and partnerships.”
“After years of dedication to supporting artists and labels, I’m eager to continue by shaping this division to help redefine campaign standards. This is an exciting new chapter, and I’m ready to make a positive impact!”
Cameo Carlson, CEO of mtheory, said: “We are so excited to add Erik to the mtheory team to build out this new division. The needs of artists and teams is always-evolving and mtheory has been at the forefront over the past decade+ to set up management teams for success.
“With the addition of Erik and the natural evolution of developing an Artist Services Division, we can now better develop and advance the careers of artists.”
mtheory says that it collaborates closely with managers and their teams, offering resources and additional support to build their clients’ careers, while organically expanding the size and engagement of artists’ fanbases.
“With the addition of Erik and the natural evolution of developing an Artist Services Division, we can now better develop and advance the careers of artists.”
Cameo Carlson, mtheory
The company’s services span strategic marketing, DSP relations, product management, tour strategy and marketing, live operations and production expertise, business affairs, digital and social marketing and strategy, creative services, CRM and analytics.
In addition, mtheory has key relationships in distribution and project management capabilities.
Currently, the company works with over 25 managers representing more than 100 artists across diverse genres, including names like Galantis, Jelly Roll, Twenty Øne Pilots, Tyler Childers, Zac Brown Band, Mickey Guyton, and many more.
mtheory has offices in Los Angeles, Nashville, New Orleans, and New York.
Music Business Worldwide