Big Loud Management has landed a big gun in the form of former Maverick/Live Nation president Greg Thompson, who is moving to the Nashville-based firm as president and partner, effective immediately.
He joins fellow partners Seth England, Joey Moi and Craig Wiseman but, unlike his Nashville cohorts, will continue to be based in Los Angeles, where he’s described as “expanding Big Loud’s footprint” to the west coast.
It’s not just Thompson’s appointment that has Big Loud in the news this week. The management roster includes Morgan Wallen, whose just-released sophomore album “Dangerous” will soon officially post massive first-week streaming numbers in the tens of millions and overall album-equivalent units of more than 200,000. Although the year is young, the Republic/Big Loud Records release is likely to maintain a hold as one of 2021’s biggest.
“I’ve worked closely with Big Loud in the past, and have been able to see what an incredible organization they have built,” Thompson said in a statement. “I want to thank Seth, Joey and Craig for this amazing opportunity to join the family. I’m thrilled to lead a group of world-class managers and have the privilege to be on the same team as some of the greatest artists in the world.”
Thompson comes to the country-focused management firm off a stint at Maverick where he was described as hands-on in the careers of U2 and Doja Cat, among others, and before that an extensive career at Capitol Music Group/EMI, where he worked on developing Coldplay, Katy Perry and Sam Smith. Earlier stops include the Island Def Jam, Chrysalis and Elektra labels.
Thompson will bring two clients with him, Philmon Lee and Ananya Birla, as he makes the move.
Said the other three partners in a collective statement, “It’s hard to imagine how things could get better at Big Loud right now, but adding Greg to our company is exactly that. He is a leader, mentor and first-class executive. We are very thankful to him for coming on board when he could have chosen just about anywhere. He will be key in overseeing all of our managers and assisting with each of their respective artists, not to mention being a key resource for us partners as well.”
Others besides Wallen on the Big Loud roster include Ben Burgess (who has a duet on Wallen’s album as well as writing credits), Hardy (another Wallen writing partner, and a recording artist with an airplay No. 1 in his own right) and Chris Lane (who has two No. 1s to his name).
Thompson’s move is not completely a jump from one umbrella to another; Live Nation, which holds Maverick, acquired Big Loud Management in 2017. Big Loud also has separate record label and publishing divisions that are independent from the Live Nation management partnership.