On the Move tracks hires, promotions, and other notable personnel changes within the online audio industry.
New top lobbyist at UMG: Universal Music has appointed Eric Berman as its new executive vice president of public affairs. The former White House staffer will be responsible for the label’s global lobbying activities. He has been a consultant for UMG in the past.
BPI deputy chairman resigns: Mike Batt has stepped down from his post as deputy chairman for BPI after nine years. In a resignation letter, he said that he was departing in order to focus on outside projects. The organization has not made any decisions yet about a replacement for the position, but said it will announce resulting personnel changes “in due course.”
Kyncl to lead partnerships at Google Play: Robert Kyncl, chief business officer for YouTube, has assumed additional responsibilities under the Google umbrella. He has now been tasked with overseeing business development and partnerships for Google Play. “The industry has been talking to us about simplifying our relationship with them and we listened, took it to heart and decided that the time is right now to do it,” he said of the new job description. “So we consolidated our partnerships on the music side for Google Play Music and YouTube and I think we’ll be able to service our partners whether they’re publishers, labels, or artists much better this way through a unified relationship.”