October 10
Indie global rights agency Merlin announced the official opening of its New York office on Nov. 1, with Jim Mahoney as U.S. GM.
The San Francisco 49ers’ Colin Kaepernick received a $10,000 fine for wearing Beats by Dre headphones to a post-game press conference, conflicting with the NFL’s endorsement deal with Bose. Kaepernick responded by taping over the Beats logo.
Waka Flocka Flame was arrested and charged with carrying a weapon in a prohibited place after the Transportation Security Administration discovered a loaded pistol in the rapper’s carry-on at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
October 11
A&R coordinator and award-winning studio musician Ann Ruckert, who worked with Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin and Quincy Jones, died from a stroke in New York. She was 75.
October 12
Country singer Jerrod Niemann wed longtime girlfriend Morgan Petek in a cliffside ceremony in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Longtime ICM agents Stephen Brush and Terry Rhodes launched a new firm — the Patriot Artist Agency — promising big-agency representation with boutique-agency attention.
October 13
Neil Diamond signed with Universal Music Publishing Group for an exclusive worldwide publishing administration agreement.
October 14
Sony Music CEO Doug Morris listed his two-bedroom apartment at the Plaza Hotel in New York for $11.45 million.
Joe Cuello, former senior vp music services at MTV, joined TuneCore as chief creative officer.
Neil Gaffney was named ASCAP senior vp international affairs.
Keyboard player Isaiah “Ikey” Owens, who played with Jack White and The Mars Volta, died in his hotel room in Puebla, Mexico. He was 38.
Ambrosia Healy was named senior vp/head of media strategy and relations at Capitol Music Group.
Chris McCarthy, executive vp of MTV and GM of sister networks MTV2 and mtvU, announced he will also serve as Logo TV’s new GM.
Warner Music Group annointed Eric Levin executive vp/CFO, with Brian Roberts moving from CFO to the newly created position of executive vp corporate strategy and operations.