Kobalt has hired Alison Donald as Head of Creative, UK – a role which will see her leading A&R activities in London across both publishing and recordings.
Donald was most recently Co-President of Columbia Records UK, where she worked with the likes of The Civil Wars, George Ezra, Tom Odell, Rag’N’Bone Man and The Vaccines before leaving last year.
Prior to joining Columbia in 2011, Donald (pictured) was MD at Chrysalis Music Publishing from 2000-2010, where she signed and oversaw projects by the likes of Damon Albarn, Danger Mouse, The Gossip, Fleet Foxes, Laura Marling, Thom Yorke and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
“This is a big day not only for Kobalt but for all of our artists, and songwriters,” said Willard Ahdritz, Kobalt CEO and founder.
“Alison’s great experience in cultivating and breaking artists elevates Kobalt’s already accomplished global creative team even further. I am very excited to welcome Alison because she also is a great, fun and honest person to work with – a perfect fit for Kobalt.”
Said Donald: “Having been able to watch Kobalt from the beginning, I can honestly say that today, artists and songwriters are in a better environment because of them. Kobalt is obsessed with helping creators thrive in this complex music industry, and that aligns with my beliefs and approach.
“It’s also fantastic that I’ll be reuniting with Sas Metcalfe who gave me my first job in publishing and has continued to encourage and inspire me throughout my career.”
Prior to joining Chrysalis, Donald was the Head of A&R at Warner/Chappell Music from 1996-2000.
Sas Metcalfe, Chief Creative Officer at Kobalt, said, “Over the years, I’ve seen Alison sign some of the most musically respected and successful artists in the industry. It has earned her well-deserved respect by creators and her colleagues alike.”
Metcalfe, a fellow Brit who leads Kobalt’s global creative efforts out of Los Angeles, added: “[Alison’s] knowledge, expertise, and fantastic reputation coupled with her ability to identify and sign successful long-term career artists, makes her the perfect fit to lead the creative team for recordings and publishing in the UK.
“It’s exciting to be working with her again and I know she will be a great asset to Kobalt.”
Kobalt launched its new AWAL app in March, which offers artists and managers streaming data intelligence across both Spotify and Apple Music.
Earlier this month, MBW revealed that Kobalt’s annual revenues grew 15% in the 12 months to end of June 2016, topping $260m despite unfavorable exchange rates.
