Nolan Named EVP, Motown Records
• Motown Records has appointed Brian Nolan as Executive Vice President of the label and EVP of Marketing. In this new dual role, Nolan joins Motown’s executive leadership team and will also oversee Motown’s marketing teams and initiatives. Nolan will report to Motown Chairman & CEO, Ethiopia Habtemariam, who said, “As we continue to build Motown, I’m excited to bring together leaders who are not only innovative in their approach to their work but thoughtful, deliberate and committed to supporting our artists and bringing their vision to the world. Brian sees the big picture and draws from his experience in promotion, international marketing, brand partnerships and sync, giving him an understanding of how to connect the dots and create synergies for robust, well-rounded global campaigns.”
Nolan said, “I have been preparing for this role for over 20 years and I’m so grateful to Ethiopia for the opportunity. We are building an incredible new legacy at Motown and I feel extremely proud to be doing purposeful work helping to drive our artists’ vision to fans around the globe.”
Over the course of his career, Nolan has held positions in radio promotion, sync licensing, brand partnerships, sports marketing, original content and international marketing. He was most recently EVP, Capitol Music Group (CMG) and Head of seventeenfifty, where he achieved a consistent series of impressive brand partnerships and campaigns for a diverse array of artists. Prior to joining CMG in 2017, Nolan spent 12 years at Columbia Records/Sony Music, most recently as Columbia’s Vice President of International Marketing. Nolan began his career in 2002 working in the mailroom at BMG for two years before joining Columbia Records.
In 2017, Nolan created the Bonus Tracks program, through CMG’s partnership with Compton Unified School District at Dominguez High School, in which students learn about careers in the music industry through in-person seminars at the school led by CMG executives. The program, which includes college scholarships, has expanded to multiple markets in the U.S., including Nashville and is set to launch in Atlanta in 2022. Nolan also serves on Universal Music Group’s Task Force for Meaningful Change and is a board member of the West Coast chapter of the TJ Martell Foundation. [Photo credit: Joe Henson]