TEAM
BUSINESS AFFAIRS & FINANCE TEAMRamon Villa
Partner and CFO
Ramon Villa wears many hats in managing the financial and operational functions for Primary Wave. His 20 years of experience within entertainment, including the first half of his career working closely with Island records founder, Chris Blackwell, has immersed him across many platforms including records, publishing, video, film, distribution, talent management, branding and marketing. He has been involved since the early days of Primary Wave building the publishing catalog and the various marketing and management arms surrounding it. As CFO and “chief aesthetic officer” he sees that the numbers and the vibe all stay in check.
John Luneau
Head of Business Affairs
John handles contract drafting and negotiations, copyright issues and other legal matters for Primary Wave’s music publishing, artist management, film & TV, marketing and branding divisions. He brings to Primary Wave over 25 years of significant, diverse experience in entertainment and copyright law. Before joining Primary Wave, he was Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs at Razor & Tie; Head of Business Affairs/Music at Chris Blackwell’s Palm Entertainment; Director of Business Affairs at Rykodisc; General Counsel of the Pennsylvania Ballet; proprietor of his own entertainment law firm; and intellectual property and litigation associate at a major international law firm. John has drafted and negotiated countless recording, music publishing, music & film distribution, artist management, joint venture, live engagement, branding, new media and other entertainment deals with major and independent artists, labels and music publishers. He is a former officer, Executive Committee member and Trustee of the Copyright Society of the U.S.A., was Chairman of its New York and Philadelphia Chapters for 6 years, and is also a former Vice President/Special Events at Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. John received his A.B. degree cum laude from Harvard College and his J.D. cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center.
Matt Jones
Partner and Director of Copyrights & Royalties
Matt Jones is responsible for all copyright and royalty functions for Primary Wave. Most recently he worked at Palm Entertainment Properties as Royalties Manager, where he oversaw the implementation of rights management and royalty systems for both its music and film divisions. He has extensive knowledge in copyright matters, including mechanical and synchronization licensing, catalog valuations and copyright terminations. Mr. Jones previously worked as Finance Director of Ultra Records, the country’s leading independent electronic music label.
Erica Emerson
V.P. of Finance
Ken Gu
Accounting Manager