Merlin Bolsters Global Partnerships Team with Senior Promotions

Includes the elevation of Emma Robinson to Vice President, Partnerships

Merlin, the digital music licensing partner for independent labels and distributors, has promoted Emma Robinson to Vice President, Partnerships, one of several senior promotions across its partnerships division.

Emma Robinson:

Robinson will continue to oversee key global partner relationships while helping shape Merlin’s broader partnership strategy across established DSPs, social platforms and emerging AI-driven services.
She has been with the company since 2018, operating at the intersection of commercial strategy, rights management and platform relations to help independent labels and distributors navigate the digital marketplace.
Prior to Merlin she worked at music and entertainment communications agency Name PR.

Also promoted:

Alice Moss and Daniele Yandel have been upped to Director, Partnership Operations; Simon Marcel has been elevated to Manager, Partnership Operations.
Former SoundCloud exec Moss joined Merlin in 2024.
Based in Berlin she has led member integrations with new partners including Udio, Singa and Audiomack, while driving member engagement and compliance initiatives relating to Meta’s content policies.
New York-based Yandel has been with Merlin since 2020, and via her work as an independent label owner and musician brings what the company calls “a unique combination of artist, label and operational experience to the role.”
London-based Marcel joined in 2023, and the promotion recognizes his “growing contribution to Merlin’s operational support infrastructure.”

What they said:

Charlie Lexton, CEO of Merlin: “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, 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 independent music companies navigate that complexity remains a key priority for Merlin.”