Interscope Geffen A&M Records has announced the promotion of David Nieman to the position of Senior Vice President of Sports & Gaming at the label. In his new role, Nieman will continue to be the label’s chief liaison with the sports and gaming sectors.
Over the last 8 years, Nieman has forged relationships with leaders in sports and gaming that have resulted in a number of impactful collaborations. IGA has had a partnership with ESPN college football for 8 out of the last 9 seasons to feature the label’s artists in broadcast and promotional spots.
The label’s association with the NFL has been particularly strong. The professional football league featured Interscope artists in multiple kickoff and tailgate performances, not to mention last year’s groundbreaking Super Bowl halftime performance by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige and 50 Cent, all of whom spent time on Interscope Records during their careers. The label was also involved in securing Super Bowl halftime slots for Lady Gaga (2017) and Maroon 5 (2019).
Nieman was also instrumental in brokering J. Cole’s 2019 NBA All-Star performance and the first-ever college football championship halftime performance with Kendrick Lamar in 2018. The label delivered custom music to ESPN last year for the NBA Playoffs and Finals (Paris Bryant, BAS & CMG The Label).
In the gaming world Nieman, has been instrumental in securing coveted soundtrack slots on the ever-popular Madden NFL and FIFA video games. Interscope forged a deal last year to release the exclusive soundtrack for NFL Maden22, featuring music by Swae Lee and Jack Harlow, Moneybagg Yo, Tierra Whack, JID and more. He’s also worked with some of the labe’ls biggest artists to place music and custom content in virtual reality game Beat Saber.
During Nieman’s tenure, additional sports and video game collaborations have been forged including with UFC, Barstool Sports, Bleacher Report, Epic Games, Ubisoft, 2K, Rockstar, EA and Nintendo.
“David and his team have built our sports and gaming capabilities into a very important commercial driver for our artists,” said Steve Berman, Vice Chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M. “I am pleased to be able to offer him this expanded role as he continues to create important opportunities for our diverse array of artists.”
David Nieman commented: “I’ve spent nearly a decade of my career working with an incredible team at IGA. Steve Berman and John Janick have been so supportive as we built foundational relationships in sports and gaming business which have given our artists access to a very diverse and engaged consumer base. I’m grateful for the new opportunity and look forward to continuing to break new ground here at IGA.”
