Melissa Emert-Hutner has been appointed Senior Vice President of Creative at rights management and music publishing firm Kobalt.
Emert-Hutner, who has served as the New York-headquartered company’s VP, Creative since 2016, will continue to oversee the company’s creative team, grow the roster with new signings “and nurture and grow the success of the Kobalt roster,” the company said in a statement Monday (November 13).
In her time at Kobalt, Emert-Hutner has worked with numerous artists including IDLES, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Omah Lay, Adekunle Gold, JAWNY, Cigarettes After Sex, Bon Iver, mxmtoon, Conor Oberst, First Aid Kit, BANKS, Del Water Gap, Thxsomch, Blondshell, Garrett Nash and Andrew Goldstein.
Prior to joining Kobalt, Emert-Hutner held a number of positions in the music business, including Senior Director of Publishing at Nettwerk Music Group, Founder and owner of Hoseb Management, and manager and partner at Meant It! Management, among other positions.
“Melissa’s hard work, diligence, teamwork, and passion for music makes this promotion very well deserved,” Kobalt Head of Global Creative Alison Donald said in a statement. “I have no doubt under her leadership, the NY creative team will continue to thrive.”
Emert-Hutner added: “I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to be a member of this remarkable publishing company’s A&R team. Kobalt’s exceptional roster of the world’s most talented music creators, its innovative technology and dedicated global creative team are truly unmatched.”
Emert-Hutner’s is the latest in a series of high-level appointments at Kobalt in recent months, including Kenny McGoff’s promotion to Head of Creative UK, from his position as head of A&R UK.
In October, Kobalt announced it was appointing Sean Dishman to Senior Director, Creative. Dishman had worked his way up from intern over the past decade. Finally, earlier this month, the company appointed Dylan Berthier – formerly of Activision Blizzard – to the post of Chief People & Culture Officer.
“Melissa’s hard work, diligence, teamwork, and passion for music makes this promotion very well deserved. I have no doubt under her leadership, the NY creative team will continue to thrive.”
Alison Donald, Kobalt
Founded in 2000 by Swedish exec Willard Ahdritz, Kobalt was a pioneer in the music rights business, signing such stars as Max Martin and Sir Paul McCartney in its early years. In 2021, the company sold its prominent AWAL and Kobalt Neighboring Rights brands to Sony Music Entertainment in a $430-million deal.
“I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to be a member of this remarkable publishing company’s A&R team. Kobalt’s exceptional roster of the world’s most talented music creators, its innovative technology and dedicated global creative team are truly unmatched.”
Melissa Emert-Hutner, Kobalt
Kobalt has been the owner of AMRA – formerly the American Mechanical Rights Agency – since 2014, and runs the royalty collection society as a separate entity from its music publishing and label work.
Earlier this month, Kobalt announced a $700-million deal with investment funds managed by Morgan Stanley Tactical Value to acquire music rights over the next few years.Music Business Worldwide
