Nicki Shamel has been named as Head of TuneCore in the US.
The exec’s appointment to the new US-focused role at the Believe-owned distribution company was announced on Thursday (July 24) by Brian Miller, TuneCore’s Chief Revenue Officer, to whom she will report.
She will be based in TuneCore’s headquarters in New York.
According to TuneCore, Shamel’s appointment arrives as the company “sharpens its focus on artist development” and marks a “strategic move to deepen the company’s impact in the US”.
As Head of TuneCore, US, Shamel is responsible for managing the platform’s artist roster, and will “champion the TuneCore suite of products and services to aid independent artists”, including TuneCore Accelerator and TuneCore’s ‘Advanced Trends and Analytics’ dashboard.
TuneCore released its trends and analytics dashboard in February, which it said is “designed to equip artists with deeper insights and performance metrics to accelerate their growth”.
The company reported in February that tracks within its ‘Accelerator’ platform clocked 21 billion streams in 2024, with the number of artists on the program nearing 450,000.
Shamel will also oversee a team of employees focused on artist acquisition, growth and development strategy throughout the United States.
TuneCore said she would play a key role in “aligning TuneCore’s Artist Success and DSP Partnerships teams to better serve the company’s artists.”
Prior to joining TuneCore, Shamel served as Senior Vice President at AWAL, where she built and expanded the Global Commercial Partnerships team and spearheaded the company’s digital strategy across major DSPs, including Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, and other key global platforms.
According to TuneCore, in this role, she “drove high-impact global partnerships, helped shape AWAL’s positioning in the streaming ecosystem, and elevated the careers of Laufey, Jungle, and Little Simz, among others”.
Shamel joined AWAL following seven years at Sony Music, serving in international marketing and sales roles.
She began her career in digital marketing at Primary Wave Music.
“The US is the most competitive and influential music market in the world, and it demands focused leadership.”
Brian Miller
Commenting on the appointment, Miller said: “At TuneCore, we’re doubling down on our mission to not just support artists — but to actively help them build lasting, successful careers on their own terms.
“The US is the most competitive and influential music market in the world, and it demands focused leadership. As we make artist development a core focus, Nicki brings the expertise needed to connect strategy with impact.
“Her proven track record of empowering artists makes her the right person to lead this next phase and ensure our teams, services and programs are driving real, long-term growth for independent creators.”
“I am honored to join TuneCore at this pivotal moment in its mission to empower and develop independent artists.”
Nicki Shamel
Shamel added: “I am honored to join TuneCore at this pivotal moment in its mission to empower and develop independent artists.
“TuneCore’s commitment to artist development, combined with best-in-class technology and innovative programs like TuneCore Accelerator, is unmatched at propelling the careers of independent artists, and I am grateful to TuneCore’s leadership for trusting me to drive the next phase of the company’s artist development strategy in the US.”
Shamel’s appointment comes five months after Kevin Ferguson was appointed Senior Vice President of Technology at TuneCore.Music Business Worldwide
