Believe’s Label & Artist Solutions is now open for business in the United States.
Music industry veteran Thomas Maxwell will lead the new activities as vice president U.S., Label & Artist Solutions (LAS), Believe, reporting to the company’s global head of music, Romain Vivien.
Going forward, Maxwell will sign and develop partnerships with independent labels, and expand the independent music specialist’s presence in the U.S., the world’s No. 1 recorded music market. He’ll split time between New York City, Nashville, and Los Angeles while “scaling the company’s U.S. operations and cementing Believe as a premier partner for growth-minded independent music companies in the region,” reads a statement.
Previously, Maxwell served in multiple positions at IDOL, where he opened and established the first U.S. office for the Paris-based indie distributor, and led signings including Mexican Summer, Young Art, The Ray Charles Foundation, HighNote Records, Old Soul Music, Roundhill, and Acrophase Records. During his time with IDOL, he worked on key releases from artists including Erick the Architect, Ginger Root, TOKiMONSTA, Cate Le Bon, Channel Tres, Yaeji, George Clanton, and Drugdealer.
Also, Maxwell has spoken at conferences and events including SXSW, Indie Week and Music Biz and is said to maintain strong relationships across the streaming and label ecosystem.
“For 20 years,” Vivien comments in a statement, “Believe has succeeded by supporting local music ecosystems and developing labels and artists in nearly every major music market around the world. Thomas’ expertise and connections make him the ideal candidate to lead Believe’s expansion into the largest music market in the world, the United States, and to scale our business to support local artists and labels throughout the region.”
Adds Maxwell: “I’m incredibly excited to be joining Believe at such a dynamic moment for the company and the independent sector. Throughout my career, I’ve focused on helping independent labels and artists navigate an increasingly complex digital ecosystem and build sustainable businesses. Believe’s global scale, technology, and artist-first approach uniquely position the company to support the next generation of independent success, and I’m thrilled to help expand those opportunities in the U.S.”
Believe has long held ambitions for the United States. In 2023, Believe CEO Denis Ladegaillerie told Billboard he was eying the U.S. Then, in 2025, the Paris-based business revealed it was ready to expand its artist and label services. “We’re building teams in 50 countries, and we’re going to build more in other countries, starting with the U.S. this year,” Vivien said at the time.
Founded in 2005 by Ladegaillerie, a former Vivendi executive, Believe has done impressive business by focusing on large European markets, and developing markets globally, including Asia, where the company first established a presence in 2013 (when it was known as Believe Digital).
From 2020 to 2024, Believe’s revenue rose 124% to 988.8 million euros ($1.05 billion) through organic growth and a mix of acquisitions and investments. The Americas, however, accounted for only 15% of Believe’s revenue in 2024, well behind Asia/Oceania/Africa’s 24% and Europe’s 61%, according to the company’s earnings report. Much of that Americas revenue came from U.S.-based digital distributor TuneCore, acquired by Believe in 2015.
Boasting a digital-first mindset, the business’s global portfolio includes German record labels Nuclear Blast and Groove Attack; French label PlayTwo; and Doğan Music Company, Turkey’s largest independent record label.
In 2023, the company moved into publishing by acquiring U.K.-based Sentric Music Group, which represented more than four million songs and over 400,000 songwriters in more than 200 territories at the time of the deal. From that deal, valued at €47 million ($51 million), Believe launched Believe Music Publishing two years later, in 2025.
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In 2023, Believe CEO Denis Ladegaillerie told Billboard he was eying the U.S. Two years later, the Paris-based company is ready to expand its artist and label services business to the world’s largest music market.
“We’re building teams in 50 countries, and we’re going to build more in other countries, starting with the U.S. this year,” says Romain Vivien, global head of music/president for Europe. In fact, Believe is currently hiring a Los Angeles-based vp of labels and artist solutions for the U.S. who can “grow, scale and motivate high output teams,” according to the job posting.
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Founded in 2005 by Ladegaillerie, Believe has done brisk business by focusing on large European markets and developing markets globally. From 2020 to 2024, Believe’s revenue rose 124% to 988.8 million euros ($1.05 billion) through organic growth and a mix of acquisitions and investments. Its portfolio includes German record labels Nuclear Blast and Groove Attack; French label PlayTwo; and Doğan Music Company, Turkey’s largest independent record label. In 2023, the company moved into publishing by acquiring U.K.-based Sentric Music Group for $51 million, and in 2025,
Believe Music Publishing launches more than two years after Believe acquired U.K.-based publisher Sentric Music Group, which represented more than four million songs and over 400,000 songwriters in more than 200 territories at the time of the deal. Believe bought Sentric from Utopia Music in a transaction that valued it at €47 million ($51 million)
