Emma Robinson upped to VP, Partnerships at Merlin amid series of senior promotions

Merlin has promoted Emma Robinson to Vice President, Partnerships, as the independent music licensing organization strengthens the team responsible for managing its expanding roster of global platform deals – including a growing number of agreements with AI-driven services.

Robinson’s promotion is one of five senior appointments across Merlin’s Partnerships division, announced on Tuesday (June 2), with four further promotions across the team.

She has been with Merlin since 2018, when she joined the organization’s London office as Member Services Manager.

In the years since, Robinson has moved into an increasingly central role across Merlin’s commercial operations, working at what the organization describes as “the intersection of commercial strategy, rights management and platform relations.”

In her new role, she will oversee key global partner relationships while helping shape Merlin’s broader partnership strategy across established DSPs, social platforms and emerging AI-driven services.

Alongside Robinson’s elevation, Merlin has promoted four additional members of its Partnerships team.

Shannon Bradley has been promoted to Director, Commercial Partnerships.

Based in New York, Bradley joined Merlin in 2021 and is now the organization’s day-to-day partnerships lead with Spotify, Meta, Twitch, Apple and Peloton.

Prior to Merlin, she worked as a Project Manager at Glassnote Records and has served on the board of Queer Capita.

Alice Moss and Daniele Yandel have each been promoted to Director, Partnership Operations.

Moss, based in Berlin, joined Merlin in 2024 and has led member integrations with several new partners including Udio, Singa and Audiomack, while also driving member engagement across Merlin’s social media partnerships.

She previously worked at SoundCloud, where she advocated for independent rightsholders and helped music partners optimize their catalog and platform strategies.

Yandel, based in New York, has been with Merlin since 2020.

Before joining the organization, she co-founded the independent label Sister Polygon Records and performed in the band Priests.

Simon Marcel has been promoted to Manager, Partnership Operations, based in Merlin’s London office since 2023, bringing more than six years of YouTube CMS and digital rights management experience to the role.

“Independent music continues to shape culture globally, and Merlin plays a vital role in ensuring independent rightsholders have the infrastructure, access and representation needed to compete at the highest level.”

Emma Robinson, Merlin

Robinson said: “Independent music continues to shape culture globally, and Merlin plays a vital role in ensuring independent rightsholders have the infrastructure, access and representation needed to compete at the highest level.

“I’m incredibly proud to take on this new role and to continue working alongside our members, partners and the wider Merlin team as we help build meaningful, sustainable opportunities for the Merlin community worldwide.”

“As the digital ecosystem continues to evolve, from AI and social platforms through to new rights management challenges, investing in the people helping our members navigate that complexity remains a key priority for Merlin.”

Charlie Lexton, Merlin

Charlie Lexton, CEO of Merlin, said: “These promotions recognize a group of executives who have played an important role in strengthening Merlin’s partnerships and operational capabilities during a period of rapid change across the digital music landscape.

“Emma has already made an outstanding contribution to Merlin and she, Shannon, Alice, Daniele and Simon each bring deep expertise, strong industry relationships and a clear commitment to supporting Merlin’s members globally.

“As the digital ecosystem continues to evolve, from AI and social platforms through to new rights management challenges, investing in the people helping our members navigate that complexity remains a key priority for Merlin.”

The promotions come amid a period of rapid expansion in Merlin’s partnership portfolio – particularly in the AI space.

In August 2025, Merlin struck a licensing deal with ElevenLabs for its Eleven Music platform, positioning itself as an early mover in licensing independent music catalogs for AI music generation.

That was followed in January 2026 by an AI licensing agreement with Udio, which had previously settled copyright infringement litigation with Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group.

At the time of the Udio deal, Lexton said: “As AI develops, it is critical to Merlin that we work with partners who respect artists, their work, and the requirement to license music.”

Merlin also renewed its multi-year global licensing partnership with Spotify in September 2025.

Lexton, who took over as CEO on January 1, 2026, has also overseen a wave of internal investment.

Last month, Merlin announced a series of senior promotions across its Membership team, including the elevation of Jim Mahoney to the newly created role of Chief Membership Officer.

Merlin says its membership spans more than 70 countries and represents 15% of the global recorded music market.

The organization says it has negotiated deals with Apple, Canva, ElevenLabs, Meta, Spotify, Udio, YouTube, and more than 40 other platforms worldwide, and is funded entirely by a 1.5% administration fee.Music Business Worldwide