The Orchard appoints Heather Vassar as SVP for Nashville operations

In her new role, Vassar will lead the company’s Nashville division and report to Colleen Theis, President and Chief Operating Officer of The Orchard.

Vassar joins from EMPIRE, where she previously served as Senior Vice President and established its Nashville division. During her tenure, she was involved in signing and developing artists including Shaboozey, CeCe and Wyatt Flores. The Orchard said her work contributed to chart placements on the Billboard Hot 100 and generated billions of streams.

Headquartered in New York and owned by Sony Music Entertainment, The Orchard provides distribution and artist and label services. The company said Vassar brings more than a decade of experience in leadership and artist development.

Her responsibilities will include expanding The Orchard’s presence in Nashville, building relationships within the independent music community, overseeing daily operations, and supporting local clients in reaching international markets.

Announcing the appointment, Theis said: “We are excited to welcome Heather to The Orchard. Heather brings an invaluable level of expertise to our organisation, given her deep-rooted relationships within the Nashville market and significant connections throughout the wider music industry.”

She added: “Her proven ability to strategically cultivate opportunities for artists spanning an array of genres will be instrumental in helping us further our mission: to connect our diverse roster of clients with exponentially growing global audiences. Her appointment also represents a pivotal step in our ongoing commitment to elevating and empowering women in high-visibility leadership roles across our company.”

Vassar said: “I’m honoured to join The Orchard as SVP, Nashville, at an exciting time as genre lines blur and independent artists scale globally. I look forward to elevating our footprint to support this momentum while maintaining the vision and integrity established by Brad, Colleen and The Orchard team.”

She will continue to oversee her own company, Casual Media Partners, alongside her new role.

The appointment comes amid continued activity at The Orchard. The company recently entered a global partnership involving children’s entertainment firm Animaj and its Magic Star division, alongside Sony Music Publishing. It has also confirmed a distribution agreement with Avex Music Group.