Wes Donehower has been promoted to senior vp of A&R for both Mercury Records and Big Loud Records, in recognition of the alliance between the two labels. He was most recently senior vp of A&R at Republic Records.
The New York-based Mercury and Nashville-based Big Loud have worked closely together on artists including Morgan Wallen as part of Big Loud’s distribution deal with Mercury.
“Wes has an exceptional track record of discovering and signing game-changing talent, and he’s firmly established himself as one of the industry’s top A&R executives,” Big Loud partner/CEO Seth England said in a statement. “I respect his work ethic, his creative instincts, and the impact he makes on the culture. We’re honored to welcome him into the Big Loud family through our partnership with Mercury.”
“Wes is an incredible A&R executive who has an innate ability to work across every genre. He has great instincts, but more impressively has a gift of building long lasting and genuine relationships with artists,” added Mercury Records chairman/CEO Tyler Arnold. “We’ve shared a lot of great moments already, and I’m so excited to team up with Wes for many years to come.”
Donehower, who will report to both England and Arnold, led the partnership with BMG/Broken Bow Records to bring Jelly Roll to Republic during his tenure at the latter label. He also helmed A&R for Republic on Jelly Roll’s Beautifully Broken album, which was the singer-songwriter’s first to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Donehower began his career as an intern at Columbia Records in New York, rising to director of A&R and signing such acts as Lil Nas X and Koe Wetzel. He joined Republic in 2021.
“Tyler and Seth have set a standard for our business with their dynamic and artist centric approach,” Donehower said. “It’s a privilege to work with both the Mercury and Big Loud teams. I’m looking forward to continuing to build new relationships in country music while fostering my longstanding partnerships across all genres.”
