UnitedMasters Adds Four Executives as It Builds Out Artist-Services Infrastructure
UnitedMasters appointed four executives across its marketing, brand, commerce and operations divisions on Monday, August 10, naming hires from Warner Records, Universal Music Group and elsewhere as it expands the team behind its independent distribution platform.
Todd L. Perry II joins as VP, Head of Artist and Label Marketing, arriving from Warner Records, where he held the same title and led campaigns for artists including Veeze, Alex Isley, Syd, Rusowsky and LIHTZ, according to Music Business Worldwide. Luca Zanello takes the role of Head of Brand & Sync — sync being the licensing of music for film, television and advertising — bringing more than 20 years of experience across The Orchard, Roc Nation and MSM Group. Goldie Harris becomes Head of Commerce, having previously led global commerce and platform strategies across the US, Africa and Latin America. Jason Peerless rounds out the group as VP, Artist & Label Operations, joining after 12 years at Universal Music Group, including a decade at Def Jam Recordings overseeing A&R operations — the administrative and logistical side of finding and developing artists.
BILLBOARD confirmed the hires, reporting all four names on August 10.
UnitedMasters CEO Steve Stoute said the appointments reflect the company's continued investment in the infrastructure, partnerships and talent needed to help artists build sustainable careers, according to MBW. The company markets itself as a distribution service that lets artists go from a bedroom studio to global streaming, offering unlimited distribution to more than 150 streaming stores while allowing artists to retain 100% of their masters and royalties — the ownership of their recordings and the income those recordings generate. Its platform also provides release scheduling, presaves and audience analytics.
The hires arrive after a commercially strong 2026 for the company's roster. Brent Faiyaz's album Icon debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard chart, MBW reported, and the company cited successes for BigXthaPlug and FloyyMenor as well. UnitedMasters occupies a distinct lane in the music business: rather than signing artists to traditional label deals — in which the label typically owns the master recordings — it positions itself as a distribution and services partner that leaves ownership with the artist. The model competes for artists who might otherwise weigh offers from the three major labels, Universal, Sony and Warner, by trading the upfront resources of a major for fuller control of the resulting recordings.
For independent artists watching from outside the boardroom, the significance is practical. More marketing and operations staff means more hands working campaigns for releases that arrive through UnitedMasters rather than through a major label. Whether that translates into more chart-topping debuts is a question the charts will answer. The hires themselves are a signal of where the company is putting its money: into people who can turn distribution deals into sustained careers.
