Simon Cowell's music company Syco Music appointed a US-based SVP A&R earlier this week, part of the firm's plans to expand directly into the US market.
US releases from Syco's artists have, in the past, mainly been handled by other divisions of the Sony Music empire. That said, new SVP David Gray (not that David Gray) has been working on a consultancy basis on Leona Lewis, Alexandra Burke and Westlife's US activity for a while now. Gray, himself a former artist and songwriter (but not that artist and songwriter), has previously worked for other Sony (well, BMG) affiliated music publishers, and also had a stint within Universal Music.
Confirming the appointment, Syco Entertainment MD Sonny Takhar told reporters on Monday: "I am thrilled David has agreed to join the team at Syco, he is an authentic A&R man who is not only respected and loved by artists but also by the writer and producer community. He has great creative instincts and a deep understanding of the global market place. David has already made his creative mark on the company through his involvement on the new Leona, Alexandra and Westlife records. David is a key hiring for Syco as we expand our capability in America".
David added: "It is such an incredible honour to be working for Syco here in the US. This past year has been a great experience working with Sonny Takhar and the Syco team. I believe that Syco's focused creative vision for the future in records and in the overall entertainment industry is second to none. I look forward to helping to build as successful a creative culture for Syco in the US as Sonny and Simon have done in the UK".
Syco, Simon Cowell's JV with Sony Music, has music, film and TV divisions. It's expected that Syco will become a division of the 'X-Factor' judge's new JV with Topshop man Philip Green next year.