Sylvia Rhone, President of Universal Motown Records, has announced the appointment of Pat Monaco as the Executive Vice President & General Manager of the label, which is a division of Universal Music Group. Formerly, Mr. Monaco served as Executive Vice President of Sales & Field Marketing for Universal Motown Republic Group.

Mr. Monaco expressed his appreciation for his new role by saying, “I am grateful to Mel Lewinter (Chairman, Universal Motown Republic Group) and Sylvia for their continued confidence and trust in me as I enter this next phase of my career.” Mr. Monaco also adds, “I believe that Universal Motown is poised to take great strides as an industry leader and I am privileged to be part of the new leadership tasked to keep us in the forefront.”

“Pat has a breadth of experience and a depth of knowledge that truly sets him apart,” said Ms. Rhone. “With extensive experience and a background that encompasses both the creative and business spheres, he is ideally suited for the post of General Manager. Since joining Universal Motown ten years ago, Pat has taken the lead in exploring new business models and dramatically strengthening our artists’ presence across multiple platforms. He is a consummate music man with strong leadership capabilities who has earned enormous respect throughout the industry. I join the entire Universal Motown family in congratulating him on this much-deserved promotion.”

Prior to joining Universal, Mr. Monaco served as General Manager of Island Records. He has worked in numerous senior positions with Island Records and PolyGram Distribution, as well as having served as President/Owner of Landmark Distributors.

In honor of the legendary pop icon, Michael Jackson, who died tragically on June 25th, Universal Motown Records is releasing Michael Jackson: The Remix Suite on October 20th.

The project is a tribute CD comprised of a collection of top producers commissioned to remix 12 of their favorite songs from the Jackson 5’s catalogue during the Motown era, including popular tunes by the group such as “ABC and “Dancing Machine,” as well as more obscure records like “Maria” and “Skywriter.”

“It’s no secret that Michael Jackson’s phenomenal talent inspired countless entertainers,” says Universal Motown President Sylvia Rhone. “But his music also inspired many of today’s finest producers. That’s why we thought it would be exciting to invite them to put their own unique spin on his work.”

Enlisted on the project are top-notch producers such as Akon, Polow (Da Don), The Neptunes, Stargate, Dallas Austin, Salaam Remi, and Mark Hoppus (Blink-182), just to name a few.

“We jumped at the opportunity to be involved with this project because Michael is a legend who influenced our entire career and redefined the world of music,” says Pharrell Williams (of The Neptunes), who remixed “Never Can Say Goodbye.”

Producer Salaam Remi, who has worked with Nas, The Fugees, and Amy Winehouse (amongst others), remixed the classic “ABC” by adding a reggae vibe to the song. Commenting on the new version, Remi says he “imagined the Jackson’s taking a trip to Jamaica in the early ’70s with a Jamaican band playing behind them.”

For Polow (Da Don), the challenge he faced in re-creating “Dancing Machine” was “to mix what the Jacksons had done in 1974 with today’s music to create something new that sounds just as good now as it did back in the day.”

The release of Michael Jackson: The Remix Suite follows the model of Universal Motown’s bi-weekly four-part digital suite series, which started online on August 25th until it ended on October 6th.

Universal Motown has announced that emerging rapper Kid Cudi has joined the label’s roster, and is currently completing his debut album, Man on the Moon: The Guardian, which is scheduled for a late summer release on Dream On/G.O.O.D. Music/Universal Motown.  

“Kid Cudi is at the vanguard of a game-changing new generation of artists,” said Universal Motown President Sylvia Rhone. “He crosses musical boundaries with an appeal that goes beyond genre, format, race, language, and culture. Cudi lives easily in the hip-hop, indie rock, pop, and R&B worlds – a diversity that shows in his innovative music and his all-embracing persona,” while the executive added, “I am thrilled to welcome Kid Cudi into the Universal Motown family.”

“Partnering Kid Cudi with Universal Motown and Sylvia Rhone couldn’t be a more natural fit,” commented Emile and Plain Pat. “They were the first major company to take notice of our movement and truly grasp our vision. We are thrilled to extend and deepen our relationship. It’s a great feeling to watch the world discover the talent we saw in Cudi over these past years.”

Led by the breakout radio and digital hit “Day ‘N’ Nite,” which is performing well in multi-formats (Rhythmic-Crossover, Mainstream Top 40, Urban, and Alternative), the Cleveland, OH native caught the attention of fellow genre-bender and rap superstar Kanye West, eventually leading to Cudi joining the G.O.O.D Music imprint.

“Cudi is a combination of constant inspiration, struggle, reality and dreams put to melody,” says West.

In addition to his own music, Cudi most recently participated on Kanye West’s album 808s & Heartbreak, co-writing four tracks, including “Heartless” and “Welcome to Heartbreak,” which featured a vocal performance by the up-and-coming artist.

“Day ‘N’ Nite” is also receiving international acclaim with success in Canada, New Zealand, Sweden, Belgium, and the U.K., where the song was remixed by the DJ/production team Crookers.

Cudi is currently embarking on a national press and radio promo tour, with stops at festivals such as Bamboozled and Rothbury. The tour is scheduled to run through late spring and beyond.

As part of a joint venture with G.O.O.D. Music, Cudi plans to launch his own label, Dream On, later this year with partners Emile and Plain Pat.