Virgin Music Group has appointed Syaheed MSBI as Vice President of its AMEA region.
The company confirmed the newly created role on Thursday (August 13), announcing that he will oversee Virgin Music Group’s activities across Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
He joins from Believe, where he spent more than 13 years, most recently as Global Artist Success and International Director.
“Syaheed has built his reputation as a fierce advocate for artists first as a founder of his own independent music company and later as a seasoned exec building a robust business in support of independent labels and artists,” said Michael Roe, Virgin Music Group’s Managing Director of AMEA.
“With his deep connections on the ground across AMEA, we’re looking forward to having him come in to lead and inspire our great team as we continue to build our best-in-class offering for the independent community around the world.”
“Syaheed has built his reputation as a fierce advocate for artists first as a founder of his own independent music company and later as a seasoned exec building a robust business in support of independent labels and artists.”
Michael Roe, Virgin Music Group
During his tenure at Believe, Syaheed built the company’s artist services business across Southeast Asia and Australia.
He worked with artists including Hindia, Yura Yunita, Sal Priadi, Saran, Blvckheart, Nik Makino, Young Bleed Neet and Cub Sport.
He also played a key role in building Believe‘s team and offices in Singapore and Malaysia.
Syaheed got his start in 2002, when he founded his own independent music company, Bedsty.
At Bedsty, he signed, produced and developed artists across Singapore and Malaysia.
His roster there included Sezairi, the first Singaporean artist to cross 100 million streams on Spotify.
He also worked with Sheikh Haikel, THELIONCITYBOY and Wicked Aura.
Syaheed‘s appointment follows Virgin Music Group’s acquisition of Downtown Music Holdings, first announced in 2024.
Following the deal, Pieter van Rijn was named Chief Operating Officer, with Downtown founder Justin Kalifowitz stepping away.
FUGA and Downtown Artist & Label Services now operate within its regional leadership structure.
Downtown’s businesses also include CD Baby, Songtrust and Downtown Music Publishing.
Virgin Music Group is led by co-CEOs Nat Pastor and JT Myers.
“I’m excited to join Virgin Music Group, where Nat [Pastor], JT [Myers], Michael, and the entire team are building one of the most exciting companies in music today,” said Syaheed.
“Virgin is known for its industry-leading service, artist-first ambition, and global reach, and now that’s combined with Downtown‘s best-in-class global infrastructure, we are able to ensure entrepreneurial labels and artists in AMEA have the premier solution to find their fans and build lasting success.
“I’m looking forward to working closely with the incredible labels and artists across the Virgin family, because when artists, labels, and partners win together, the whole industry moves forward. This is especially important for our emerging markets.”
“Virgin is known for its industry-leading service, artist-first ambition, and global reach, and now that’s combined with Downtown‘s best-in-class global infrastructure.”
Syaheed MSBI, VIRGIN MUSIC
Virgin Music Group has built a team across the AMEA region.
The network includes Haluk Cerahaman in Turkey, Amit Sharma in India and Cindy Gu in Southeast Asia.
It also includes Marcus Rowland in China, Kay Ikazobo in Nigeria, Nicole Thomas in South Africa and Anita Zagar in South Korea.
In June, Virgin Music Group also organized its worldwide operations into six regions, with Michael Roe as Managing Director of AMEA.Music Business Worldwide