Virgin Music Group (VMG) has announced the appointment of Syaheed MSBI to the role of VP of the Africa, Middle East and Asia (AMEA) region.
MSBI, who joins Virgin after more than 13 years at Believe, will oversee the company’s activities in AMEA.
“Syaheed has built his reputation as a fierce advocate for artists first as a founder of his own independent music company and later as a seasoned exec building a robust business in support of independent labels and artists,” said Michael Roe, Virgin Music Group’s MD of AMEA. “With his deep connections on the ground across AMEA, we’re looking forward to having him come in to lead and inspire our great team as we continue to build our best-in-class offering for the independent community around the world.”
MSBI was most recently global artist success & international director at Believe, where he built the company’s artist services business across Southeast Asia and Australia, working with artists such as Hindia, Yura Yunita, Sal Priadi, Saran, Blvckheart, Nik Makino, Young Bleed Neet andCub Sport.
He was also instrumental in building out the company’s team and offices in Singapore and Malaysia.
We are able to ensure entrepreneurial labels and artists in AMEA have the premier solution to find their fans and build lasting success
Syaheed MSBI, Virgin Music Group
MSBI started out by establishing his own independent music firm, Bedsty, in 2002, where he signed, produced and developed artists across Singapore and Malaysia, and managed artists including Sezairi, Sheikh Haikel, TheLionCityBoy and Wicked Aura.
His appointment follows the recent acquisition of Downtown by VMG, with FUGA and Downtown Artist & Label Services now operating under VMG's regional leadership structure.
VMG has established an on-the-ground network across AMEA including Haluk Cerahaman in Turkey, Amit Sharma in India, Cindy Gu in Southeast Asia, Marcus Rowland in China, Kay Ikazobo in Nigeria, Nicole Thomas in South Africa, and Anita Zagar in South Korea.
“I’m excited to join Virgin Music Group, where Nat [Pastor], JT [Myers], Michael, and the entire team are building one of the most exciting companies in music today,” said MSBI. “Virgin is known for its industry-leading service, artist-first ambition, and global reach, and now that’s combined with Downtown’s best-in-class global infrastructure, we are able to ensure entrepreneurial labels and artists in AMEA have the premier solution to find their fans and build lasting success.
"I’m looking forward to working closely with the incredible labels and artists across the Virgin family, because when artists, labels, and partners win together, the whole industry moves forward. This is especially important for our emerging markets.”
PHOTO: Dutch Doscher
