Elliott Gold: Former Columbia Dir./Promotion Paige Elliott has joined Warner Music Nashville as National Dir. for the WEA promotion team. She steps into the role vacated by Stephanie Hagerty earlier this year (CAT 1/15/2025). Elliott left Columbia during Sony's promotion restructuring (Breaking News 2/11/2025), and previously spent seven years with Capitol. Concurrently, WAR Coord. Kayla Burnett has been promoted to Mgr./Radio for the WMN team, where she will work the West Coast following the retirement of Mark Niederhauser (CAT 1/27/2025).

"[Elliott] has built an exceptional reputation and her relationships with radio partners and artists are unparalleled," says SVP/Radio & Commercial Partnerships Kristen Williams. Of Burnett she adds, "Kayla joined Warner Music Nashville as a Coordinator in November of 2020 and has shown a commitment to excellence and an extreme dedication to our artists from day one on the job."

Reach Elliott here and Burnett here.

Hagerty To Depart: WEA Nat'l. Dir. Stephanie Hagerty is leaving the label at the end of the month. "After an incredible decade at Warner Music Nashville ... I’m stepping away to focus on my daughters, Emma (five) and Hannah (three-and-a-half), and take time to reflect, recalibrate and dream," Hagerty says. "Special thanks to Jordan Pettit, Adrian Michaels and Kristen Williams for shaping my journey." Hagerty joined the label in 2014, rising to her current role three years ago (Breaking News 2/15/2022). She's still participating in the CRS Women's Mentoring Breakfast, and can be reached here through the end of the month, and here thereafter. At Warner, the search is on and interested parties can contact VP/Radio Anna Cage here.

Toast Malone: CRS 2025's Women’s Mentoring Breakfast will take place Feb. 21 7:30-8:45am and feature WUSN/Chicago's Marci Braun, Triple Tigers' Raffaella Braun, KCYY/San Antonio's Christi Brooks, WNOE/New Orleans' Casey Carter, KILT/Houston's Melissa Chase, KFRG/Riverside's Heather Froglear, WMN's Stephanie Hagerty, BBRMG's JoJamie Hahr, WYCD/Detroit's Holly Hutton, UMGN's Miranda McDonald, Audacy's Katie Neal, WFMS/Indianapolis' Brooks O'Brian, Cumulus' Bev Rainey, WKLB/Boston's Dawn Santolucito, KKBQ/Houston's Lauren "Lo" Sessions, SMN's Lauren Thomas, iHeart's Angie Ward and Ashley Wilson and WHKO/Dayton's Nancy Wilson. CRS 2025 ticket and registration info here.

Cyanight: Warner/WEA's Warren Zeiders celebrates his No. 1 debut single, "Pretty Little Poison," with a CRS toast. Pictured are manager Charly Salvatore, WDRM/Huntsville's Erich West, the label's Stephanie Hagerty and Ray Mariner, WIL/St. Louis' Marty Brooks and Tommy Mattern, the label's Lauren Brown and James Marsh, KILT/Houston's Sarah Frazier, WLFP/Memphis' Chris Michaels, Zeiders, KILT/Houston's Melissa Chase, WDSY/Pittsburgh's Mark Anderson, KWEN/Tulsa's Caitlin Fisher, the label's Anna Cage, KWEN/Tulsa's Matt Bradley, the label's Brooke Merris, KWEN/Tulsa's Mark Shecterle and the label's Tom Martens.

Digit-Y'all: The CRS 2024 Day One agenda, also known as "The Digital Music Summit at CRS," will focus on the digital music landscape. Morning sessions include: "Y'all Means All: Diversity Breakfast," "Data Defining Hits: How To Know Your Numbers" and "Debunking Industry Myths." The midday sessions include "Cycle Of A Song: Bailey Zimmerman's 'Fall In Love.'" The three afternoon sessions are "The Podcast Opportunity," "AI And Identify" and "Cycle Of A Song: Jelly Roll's 'Son Of A Sinner.'" Featured panelists include BMG's Jon Loba, WWKA/Orlando's Steve Stewart, Warner's Stephanie Hagerty and WKHX/Atlanta's Mike Moore.

West Side Story: Curb Dir./Southwest Promotions Brooke Meris has been named Warner/WEA Regional Mgr. covering the West. She officially joins team members Ray Mariner (South; CAT 4/12) and Diane Monk (North) Monday (5/2) and reports to National Dir./Radio Stephanie Hagerty. “Brooke is highly respected by everyone in the industry, from radio to artists and managers,” says VP/Radio Anna Cage. Adds Meris, "I have always admired the team dynamic at WMN, so I’m really excited to now be a part of it and work with everyone … including the amazing roster of artists!" Meris completes the WEA radio team following the label group's recent restructure of radio promotion efforts (CAT 2/15). Prior to her five years at Curb, she spent time at Triple 8 Mangement, Columbia and KILT/Houston. Reach Meris here; no word on plans for the Curb position. 

Warner Reimagines Radio: Warner Music Nashville has reorganized its radio promotion efforts with the addition of a nationally focused Radio Accounts team headed by VP/Radio Accounts Tom Martens, and a geographically focused Radio team headed by newly promoted VP/Radio Anna Cage. Joining Martens' team are Dirs./Radio Accounts Lou Ramirez, James Marsh and Shari Roth. Reporting to Cage are WAR Nat'l. Dir. Michael Chase, newly promoted WEA Nat'l. Dir. Stephanie Hagerty and a to-be-filled national position leading the WMN team.

"Our new model is simultaneously conducive to curated relationships with individual radio stations and high-level, detailed collaboration with radio chains," says SVP/Radio Kristen Williams. "With an added emphasis on a national approach, the radio department will be able to super-serve radio on all levels while being focused, creative and nimble with the music and new artists we bring to the marketplace."

No current staffers are departing and, in addition to the WMN national, a radio-specific analyst will be hired. "Adding this critical resource to the radio department further emphasizes our commitment to radio by delivering them transparent and effective data," says EVP/GM Ben Kline.

Martens shifts from his group VP role, Cage rises from the Nat'l. Dir. post at WMN, Hagerty rises from a regional position with WEA, Ramirez shifts from a regional role with WMN, Marsh from his national group role and Roth from her national role at WEA. Each of the imprints is now comprised of a national, three regionals and a coordinator. Warner reorganized to its most recent Radio & Streaming structure in 2016 (Breaking News) but has been separating the two functions internally in recent months.

"Warner Music Nashville has always been willing to do things differently," says Chairman & CEO John Esposito. “We pride ourselves on being early to identify where the industry is going and taking the steps to meet it there .... We are now faced with an increasingly centralized radio landscape. Thanks to the expertise, leadership and passion of Kristen Williams, we have designed a targeted approach to meeting the needs of artists and partners at every level."

Accounts Playable: As reported via Breaking News, Warner Music Nashville is reorganizing its radio promotion efforts with the addition of a nationally focused Radio Accounts team headed by VP/Radio Accounts Tom Martens. The geographically focused Radio team will be headed by newly promoted VP/Radio Anna Cage. Reporting to Martens are Dirs./Radio Accounts Lou Ramirez, James Marsh and Shari Roth; Cage’s team is comprised of WAR Dir./National Michael Chase and newly elevated WEA Dir./National Stephanie Hagerty. A soon-to-be-filled WMN Dir./National will round out that team. No current staffers are departing, and a radio-specific analyst will be added to the team.

Crib Note: Warner/WEA Mgr./Southwest Promotion Stephanie Hagerty and husband Derek welcomed their second daughter, Hannah Grace, yesterday (5/5). She joins big sister Emma Elizabeth, who is 18 months old (CAT 10/30/19). Hagerty tells Country Aircheck she and the baby are happy and healthy but “feeling like I got hit by a taco truck that dropped off the most precious piñata.” Send best wishes to the family here.

Crib Note: Warner/WEA Mgr./Southwest Promotion Stephanie Hagerty and husband Derek welcomed their first child, Emma Elizabeth Hagerty, today (10/30) at 4am CT. Mom and baby are both healthy and happy. Send congratulations to the family here.