BMG still retooling

Prescott tops new Global Marketing Group

By JUSTIN OPPELAAR

NEW YORK -- BMG has rejiggered its marketing operations into a Global Marketing Group, to be overseen by exec VP Tim Prescott, marking the latest step in the music major's effort to scrap its regional reporting structure and group its units globally by function.

Under the structure, Prescott's group will be further divided into four subgroups: Global Frontline Marketing; Strategic Marketing Group/U.S.; International Commercial Group; and New Business Development and Visual Media.

Frontline Marketing -- based in New York -- will work directly with BMG's main imprints, including the newly reconstituted RCA Music Group, Jive/Zomba and Arista, focusing on artist development for BMG acts worldwide.

Strategic Marketing will focus on BMG's catalog divisions, including Special Products, BMG Heritage, Compilations and licensing and artist branding efforts. The unit will work closely with the International Commercial Group consolidating the company's global catalog and special marketing divisions worldwide under one roof.

Finally, Jive/Zomba exec Paul Katz will come into the BMG fold to head up the Bizdev/Visual Media unit as senior VP. Division will work on DVD, television and film projects involving BMG acts, as well as seek marketing opportunities for the label group.

Katz had worked at Zomba for more than two decades when it was acquired by BMG last year. Exec has held high-level posts in Zomba's music publishing division, its flagship Jive Records label and its Zomba Films unit.