Talent agency UTA has named former Ingrooves Music Group CEO Bob Roback as its new Chief Operating Officer.
Considered a pioneer in the digital music space, Roback will now be responsible for business operations at the Beverly Hills-headquartered agency, and will oversee growth, strategy and technology, UTA said in a statement Wednesday (June 12).
He will report to CEO Jeremy Zimmer and President David Kramer. In the COO role, Roback succeeds Andrew Thau, who served in the position while also serving as co-head of UTA Sports. Thau will now focus on his work with sports talent.
Roback served as CEO of LA-headquartered Ingrooves from 2015 to 2022, During his time at the helm, the indie music marketing and distribution company expanded to numerous overseas markets, including Australia, Brazil, Japan, India, South Africa, and Spain.
Perhaps most notably, Roback presided over the sale of Ingrooves to Universal Music Group in 2019. UMG had been an investor in the company since 2006. (In October, Virgin Music Group combined Virgin Music and Ingrooves Music Group into united global operation).
Prior to that, Roback served as President and member of the board of directors at musical instrument company Fender.
“Throughout his accomplished career, Bob has built and led multiple businesses at the intersection of entertainment and technology, and he will be a valued partner at UTA.”
Jeremy Zimmer, UTA
In 1994, Roback co-founded LAUNCH Media, one of the first digital music companies. It was eventually acquired by Yahoo!, and became Yahoo Music. Roback served as Head of Music at the company and oversaw its global music operations until 2007.
After leaving Yahoo!, Roback co-founded and served as CEO of Dashbox, a workflow management system and marketplace for music licensing. That company was acquired by FilmTrack in 2014. Roback also served as Co-Founder/Managing Director of The Media Farm, a company which owns and manages entertainment intellectual property.
“I’ve long admired UTA’s dedication to its clients and ability to lead the way in defining what it means to be a global agency during a time of tremendous change and opportunity,” Roback said in a statement.
“I’m thrilled to be joining the company at this exciting time and look forward to shaping the future with UTA’s talented and ambitious team.”
“I’ve long admired UTA’s dedication to its clients and ability to lead the way in defining what it means to be a global agency during a time of tremendous change and opportunity.”
Bob Roback, UTA
“I’m delighted to welcome Bob Roback to UTA,” Zimmer said. “Throughout his accomplished career, Bob has built and led multiple businesses at the intersection of entertainment and technology, and he will be a valued partner at UTA as we help our clients thrive in an increasingly global and complex marketplace.”
Zimmer also took time to acknowledge “the many contributions of Andrew Thau, who served as our COO since 2007 and became co-head of UTA Sports last year. I’m excited for what Andrew will accomplish as he focuses full-time on building out our sports presence in the global arena.”
“Bob’s experience and approach make him an ideal fit in UTA’s entrepreneurial and future-focused culture.”
David Kramer, UTA
Kramer added: “Bob’s experience and approach make him an ideal fit in UTA’s entrepreneurial and future-focused culture. Artists, athletes and brands are looking to participate globally across every part of the entertainment landscape, and Bob will help ensure we continue to operate at a level that exemplifies best-in-class representation.”
UTA is one of the world’s most prominent talent agencies, representing actors, athletes, writers, musicians, gamers and digital influencers. The company’s services extend beyond talent representation to content production, strategic advisory work and marketing.
Headquartered in Los Angeles, the firm has offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Nashville, New York, London, Munich and Madrid. The agency represents numerous musical artists, including Bad Bunny, Cardi B, Cyndi Lauper, deadmau5, Dolly Parton, J. Cole, Karol G, Kylie Minogue, Lil Wayne, Lil Nas X, Lizzo, Major Lazer, Miike Snow, Paul Van Dyk, Post Malone, Ringo Starr, Timbaland, and The Chemical Brothers, among many others.Music Business Worldwide