Sports company Puma has tapped A$AP Rocky as its new creative director “for the category with a focus on the intersection of the sport and streetwear,” according to a press release announcing the long-term partnership between the fashion brand and rapper.

Rocky will work on Puma’s new collaboration with Formula 1, developing capsules designed by him that will influence the brand’s seasonal design directions moving forward. For the remainder of this year, Rocky will design visuals and video content for the brand, starting with his first campaign that explores car culture in America and the impact it has on streetwear and fashion.

Later this year, Rocky will drop a limited Puma and F1 collection as a sneak peek into a series of capsule collections that will launch in 2024. In the coming year, Rocky will focus his creative attention on several Grand Prix races beginning in Miami. He will curate activations at each race and serve as the creative director for all the marketing efforts surrounding these collections.

By 2025, Rocky plans to more fully immerse himself into the holistic product creative designs for all of the Puma and F1 products, spanning from racewear to fanwear to fashion.

“Working with brands as iconic as PUMA, and as innovative as F1, has been truly inspiring,” said Rocky. “When the world sees what we’re doing, I believe a shift will happen with how brands approach taking risks and working with diverse creatives.”

“We couldn’t be more excited to be working with A$AP Rocky,” said Maria Valdes, Puma’s chief product officer. “He’s incredibly talented, deeply thoughtful and invested in our brand. He will showcase his vision with elevated F1 race capsules globally which attract new audiences and undoubtedly disrupt the track. In the future, he will influence the broader Puma and F1 range and will continue to help push sport and culture forward.”

+ Sony Music Publishing has hired Robin Nastri as senior vice president of the global business office.

In this newly created role, Nastri will be responsible for advancing the company’s growth strategy by spearheading global initiatives to “streamline operations, enhance technology, and optimize processes,” per the company’s official announcement. Nastri will report to Sony Music Publishing’s Chief Financial Officer, Tom Kelly.

“I am deeply grateful to be joining Sony Music Publishing at such an exciting time. My heartfelt thanks go to Jon Platt, Tom Kelly, and the entire SMP team for entrusting me with this incredible opportunity,” said Nastri. “It is a privilege to work with such a talented and dedicated team, all with a passion for changing the world by supporting the songwriters who inspire it.”

“Robin will be a fantastic addition to the company as we build for the future of music publishing and continue to advance growth on behalf of Sony Music Publishing’s songwriters,” added Kelly.

+ Dice has launched in Toronto today marking its debut in Canada and furthering its expansion across North America. The company simultaneously is locking in new and exclusive deals with partners, including Collective Concerts (Toronto’s largest independent concert promoter), Transmit Presents, The Garrison, Baby G, Not Dead Yet, Soluna, Prepare the Ground, South Paw, and more.

“Toronto is the perfect stage for Dice’s Canadian debut,” said Dice President Russ Tannen. “With our new partners, we can bring fans in Canada the shows they love with an easy, innovative, and transparent ticketing experience that was designed for them.”

Dice also announces Dave Lock, director of venue and promoter partnerships, as its first Canadian hire.

Dice, an independent music ticketing platform, first arrived in North America in 2019 and quickly scaled into key markets across the U.S. including New York City and Los Angeles. In August, the company raised a $65M funding round led by MUSIC. This funding has gone towards accelerating Dice’s geographical expansion in North America and across the globe. Its debut in Canada also follows Scotland, Liverpool, and Miami as newer regions for Dice, in addition to landmark deals in Europe with institutions like Alexandra Palace and recent renewals with Troxy, amongst others.

+ The Circuit Group has announced a new partnership with Defected Records to help the label build its presence in North America, while Defected will support The Circuit Group as it expands its presence in the UK, Europe, and other territories around the world.

The Circuit Group was launched earlier this month between two established artist management companies – Seven20 and AYITA – to form a new kind of music enterprise. Circuit’s vision is to create a new business model centered around artists’ intellectual property, partnering with artists and strategic partners to create business verticals around recorded music, publishing, merchandise, brand partnerships, gaming, events, Web3 technologies, and cutting-edge music innovations. Circuit principals include industry veterans Dean and Jessica Wilson (Seven20), along with Brett Fischer, David Gray, and Harvey Tadman (AYITA).

Under the new agreement, Defected will provide Circuit with services to help them expand their record labels, publishing business, branded events and agency. In turn, Circuit will assist Defected with a variety of services in North America, including event and technology expertise, IP monetization, brand building and consultation on artist development across Defected’s roster and esteemed labels, including D4 D4NCE, DFTD, Glitterbox, Big Love, Soulfuric, Nu Groove, Classic, 4 To The Floor, DVINE Sounds, Stay True Sounds, and The Remedy Project.

+ HeadCount has hired CAA Foundation executive Travis Merriweather to its board of directors. In his newly appointed role, Merriweather will support HeadCount’s mission of engaging young people to participate in democracy through strategic partnerships across music, sports and pop culture.

Merriweather is currently an executive at CAA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Additionally, Merriweather leads CAA Civics, a non-partisan employee group dedicated to promoting civic engagement and citizenship. Earlier in his career, Merriweather mobilized grassroots support for President Obama’s legislative priorities and 2012 re-election campaign with Organizing for America. He also worked as a chief of staff intern to First Lady Michelle Obama.

HeadCount has registered millions of voters, largely through its work with endless music icons such as Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, Madonna, Alicia Keys, Kehlani, Dead & Company and The Lumineers.

+ PRG (Production Resource Group), a provider of production tools for entertainment and live events, has announced the hiring of Ariane Coldiron as senior VP of corporate events. Coldiron will head the corporate events division, reporting directly to PRG CEO Stephan Paridaen.

Coldiron was most recently senior VP of brand experience at Freeman where she worked for nearly a decade. As senior VP, she drove the company’s agency business, developing and implementing go-to-market and long-term strategies while managing a large and complex portfolio of accounts including Google, SalesForce, Sage, and HP. She also held tenures at experiential agencies Jack Morton, InVision Communications, and TBA Global Events.