JULY 22, 2021 – Kobalt today announced the hiring of Stéphane Berlow as managing director, France. Based in Paris, Berlow will run and develop Kobalt’s French operations.

Most recently, Berlow was the CEO of BMG Rights Management France and prior to that he was the managing director and president of BMG Music Publishing France. In both roles, he started and managed the French companies, growing them through domestic acquisitions and numerous signings in music publishing, master recordings, artist services and production music. Berlow was integral in the signing and development of French major acts and songwriters including Nekfeu, Bigflo & Oli, Jeanne Added, Skip The Use and more. Berlow is also a board member of French music publishers association, Chambre Syndicale de L'Edition Musicale (CSDEM), and a board member of Victoires de la Musique (the French Music Awards organization).

With Stéphane’s extensive expertise across music publishing and recordings in France, we can’t think of anyone better suited to help us lead our French operations,” said Kobalt CEO, Laurent Hubert. "In Berlow, we have a highly experienced leader and I look forward to working closely with him to expand our global footprint and provide great service for our songwriters and rights holders.”

Added Jeannette Perez, Kobalt’s Chief Experience Officer, “We are thrilled to have Stephane on board. This is a big win for Kobalt’s international growth. His entrepreneurial mindset and ability to foster talent, both internally and externally, will undoubtedly enable us to fast track our expansion in this key market.”

Berlow added, "Kobalt France's operation promises to be such an exciting new adventure. And a different one, as Kobalt is clearly different with its focus on songwriter services, fairer deals, effective and tech-advanced tools, and unique one global roster with no borders concept. All this is so much better suited to songwriters' expectations in today's environment, and particularly in France. It is going to be exciting to be part of that and make Kobalt a home of choice for artists and songwriters in France."