Merlin

Congratulations to all Merlin members and their artists who took home a Libera Award last week!

Great to see all of the incredible talent recognized, and all of the hard work rewarded in this way. Congrats!

Curve Royalty Systems plays a vital role in the independent music ecosystem, providing trusted royalty processing infrastructure to thousands of labels, distributors, publishers and rightsholders worldwide.

That’s why we are delighted to have helped ensure its long term independence and continued growth.

🔗 Read more on our website.

We’re looking forward to joining the conversation at Indie Week 2026.

Merlin CEO Charlie Lexton will be speaking at this year’s event on Why Merlin Has To Be A Dynamic Organisation.

As the largest gathering of independent music professionals worldwide, Indie Week continues to be an important forum for discussing the opportunities and challenges shaping our sector.

We’re looking forward to Charlie’s contribution to the conversation and connecting with colleagues and partners from across the community in New York this week.

Congratulations to Merlin CEO Charlie Lexton, and our many members and partners recognized on Billboard UK’s Power Players 2026 list!

We’re proud to see so many familiar names from across the independent music community, and the UK’s continued influence on the global music industry recognized.

We’re excited to continue our series of senior promotions now within our Partnerships team, reflecting our continued investment in supporting and developing Merlin’s global digital partner ecosystem on behalf of our worldwide membership.

Central to today’s announcement is the promotion of Emma Robinson to Vice President, Partnerships, who has played a key role in shaping Merlin’s relationships across the digital marketplace since joining the organisation in 2018.

Alongside Robinson’s appointment, Merlin has further strengthened its Partnerships division with additional promotions for Shannon Bradley (Director, Commercial Partnerships), Alice Moss and Daniele Yandel (Director, Partnership Operations), and Simon Marcel (Manager, Partnership Operations).

Merlin’s Executive Interview Series is a monthly series featuring executives from across Merlin’s dynamic and diverse worldwide membership, discussing some of the most pressing topics, developments, and innovations in independent music today.

This month’s piece features Board Member Manami Ogawa, Director and CCO at STARBASE, discussing Japan’s expansion into the Western music scene, maintaining open dialogue in an increasingly AI-driven field, and how independents grow sustainably in culturally distinct markets.

🔗 Read the full interview on our website.

Congratulations to the many Merlin members and partners recognized on Billboard’s 2026 Indie Power Players list!

It’s great to see so many familiar names from across the independent community acknowledged for their work and leadership across the industry. We’re proud to see the continued impact of Merlin members reflected throughout this year’s list.

We’re excited to announce a series of senior promotions within our Membership team, underscoring our deep commitment to supporting and developing our membership globally.

Central to today’s announcement is the promotion of Jim Mahoney to the new position of Chief Membership Officer, who has played a pivotal role in establishing Merlin’s North American operation.

Alongside Mahoney’s appointment, Merlin has further strengthened its membership team seeing additional promotions for Bela Zecker (Senior Director, Global Membership Development), Joe Mercer Danher (Director, Member Relations), and Ben Sperling (Manager, Global Membership Development).

We are thrilled to have launched Merlin Engage 2026 and we welcome this year’s mentors and mentees! 🎊

Now in its fourth year, Merlin Engage has supported more than 90 women globally and reflects Merlin’s broader push to strengthen representation and leadership development across its international membership.

This year marks incredible growth with a participation increase of 20%, and significant widening of international reach with participants spanning 21 cities.

Welcome 2026 cohort!

Billboard has named its Women In Music 2026. We’re proud to see so many familiar names from the Merlin community - from both our members and partners. Congratulations to all those recognized!