Following a series of layoffs, shakeups, and controversies, Downtown Music Holdings is undergoing yet another re-organization.
Life hasn’t been easy in the trenches of Downtown Music of late. The company recently announced a round of layoffs in March, with impacted people working at CD Baby, Songtrust, Downtown’s publishing unit, and Downtown Music Holdings.
The layoffs were initiated as part of a “number of cost-saving measures,” which apparently included earlier layoff rounds as well. Sprinkle a reorganization and YouTube monetization scam into the mix, and the recent history of Downtown Music Holdings is complete.
Now, Downtown Music is shifting its decks once again. Just this morning, the company announced the promotion of Ben Patterson to President of its newly-created Artist & Label Services division. The Artist & Label Services division was born from Downtown’s distribution arm, DashGo. Downtown Artist & Label Services will roll up the repertoire of artists and labels previously serviced by DashGo and Downtown Music Services.
Patterson previously worked in senior roles at The Firm and GMG Entertainment. He founded DashGo in 2004 as an artist and label-centric distribution company, which was later acquired by Downtown in 2019. Patterson served as the Chief Operating Officer of Downtown Music Services.
“Artist independence has been the central driver of my career, and empowering artists is at the core of everything we do at Downtown. With a global team focused on artists’ success during the lifetime of their projects, the Artist and Label Services division enables artists to succeed on every platform and build a listening fanbase to sustain careers,” Patterson said.
“I’m excited to continue my tenure at Downtown Music surrounded by colleagues that share the same vision and embrace the opportunity to support more artists and their teams at all stages of their careers.”
“With Ben’s move, we have completed a series of changes that we commenced two years ago, firmly establishing Downtown as the premier provider of distribution, publishing, artist, label, and related services to the broader industry. We’re extremely fortunate to have Ben and the rest of the leadership team that guides this division and I am excited to see how they continue to grow and evolve.”