Elektra Music Group Adds McDonald, Cohen
• Elektra Music Group, the newly formed stand-alone music company set to launch on October 1, announced two appointments to its A&R team — Will McDonald has joined the label as Vice President, A&R and Marketing, based in Nashville, and Shawn Cohen has been named Sr. Director, A&R, based in Los Angeles. McDonald and Cohen report to New York-based Elektra Music Group Co-Presidents Mike Easterlin and Gregg Nadel.
McDonald (left) has spent the past decade with Nashville-based Dualtone Music Group, most recently as Sr. Director of A&R & Marketing and was instrumental in signing The Lumineers, Shovels & Rope, Shakey Graves, Mt. Joy and many others. Cohen (right) most recently served as an A&R consultant, and is responsible for signing The Revivalists, who had a No. 1-charting, RIAA gold single, “Wish I Knew You.” He previously worked at Wind-up Records from 2010 until 2016, rising to Sr. Director of A&R.
“As we said when we announced the launch of Elektra Music Group, we’re going to be passionately devoted to long-term artist development,” said Easterlin and Nadel. “Signing and nurturing authentic artists will be at the core of everything we do, so it’s only fitting that our first staff announcement is about two of the most creative, independent-thinking young A&R people in the business. Will and Shawn come to us with great experience in discovering and working with original, compelling artists. And with Will in Nashville and Shawn in L.A., we’ll solidify our cross-country A&R presence, which will enable us to build a dynamic roster of world-class talent.”
Elektra Music Group includes Elektra, Fueled By Ramen (FBR), Roadrunner, Low Country Sound, and Black Cement Records, with a roster that includes Twenty One Pilots, Sturgill Simpson, Zac Brown Band, Brandi Carlile, Fitz and the Tantrums, Paramore, Slipknot, Panic! At The Disco, Coheed and Cambria, Kaleo, Gojira and others. The departments will be led and staffed by a combination of current members of the Atlantic, Elektra, FBR and Roadrunner teams, as well as new hires. More staff details will be announced shortly.
