LONDON, UK / LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) – Various Artists Management (VAM) has named Joe Etchells as Head of A&R and Artist Development. His appointment, effective April 2, will see him working between the company’s Los Angeles and London offices. Etchells will report directly to CEO David Bianchi and UK Managing Director (MD) John Dawkins. He will work across the company’s artist management, music publishing, and label operations.
VAM’s roster of clients includes Ashnikko, La Roux, Sad Night Dynamite, The Libertines, Supergrass, Cassyette, Tom Grennan, and Yonaka.
Etchells is joining VAM from his previous position as A&R Director at EMI. He started his career as an assistant at The Outside Organization, progressing to the company’s radio promotions division. He later joined indie record label as a talent scout before moving to Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), where he spent ten years signing artists including Pigeon Detectives, Glasvegas, and Giggs, among others.
Over the last five years, Etchells has overseen six No. 1 and several Top 5 albums from the likes of Bastille, Blossoms, Loyle Carner, Doves, and The Vamps, while also working with Naughty Boy and Chappaqua Wrestling.
Bianchi, CEO of VAM, said: “Joe has been a long-time collaborator and friend of both Various Artists and the individuals within it for many years, and when we were looking for A&R expertise that could traverse management, publishing, and records Joe was the obvious choice. His recent form has been incredible, and he joins us at an exciting time to be able to continue that success.”
