Dan McCarroll, the recently installed President of Capitol & Virgin, announced a key hiring in the company’s talent team on Monday. Michael Howe will join the EMI-owned label as Vice President A&R, based out of its west coast headquarters in the Capitol Tower.
Howe previously held the same title at Downtown Records, where he was one of five label founders and worked with Gnarls Barkley, Santigold, Scissor Sisters and Mos Def. Prior to that post, he was Director of A&R at Virgin, responsible for signing We Are Scientists and handling domestic A&R duties for the Rolling Stones, and before that, Howe was a principal at LA-based independent artist development and management company Boundless Entertainment.
“There’s a huge opportunity at Capitol and Virgin, and I’m excited to be able to return to EMI to play my part in the next stage of their history,” said Howe in a statement. According to sources, the label is amping up for a slew of new signings so as not to be as reliant on catalog artists. EMI acts scored 46 nominations for the upcoming Grammy awards, including four for Katy Perry, Capitol’s breakout success.
