UnitedMasters hires Alessandro 'Moz' Moro to lead UK division; signs London acts Grace Carter and Kid Apollo. May 5, 2026 UnitedMasters is doubling down on its presence in the UK, bringing on music industry veteran Alessandro "Moz" Moro to run its UK division as Senior A&R. At UnitedMasters, he will work alongside Jesse Morav, the company's VP of A&R, with the two overseeing operations, artist development, and growth across the UK. The independent music distribution platform also announced on Tuesday (May 5) that it has signed London-based singer-songwriter Grace Carter and songwriting-production trio Kid Apollo. Moro comes to the role with 15 years of industry experience, having worked across Warner Records, Island Records, Platoon and EMPIRE. He oversaw digital strategy for artists including Drake, The Weeknd, Jessie J and A&R for artists like Ayra Starr, Teni, and Kwengface. For UnitedMasters, the UK push follows the success of banner artists like BigXthaPlug, FloyyMenor, Veigh, Bay Swag, and Armanii in 2025, the company said. "We're honoured to be working with both Grace Carter and Kid Apollo and feel they are perfect partners to reflect United Masters' ethos of empowering independent artists in various chapters of their careers." Alessandro "Moz" Moro, UnitedMasters Alessandro "Moz" Moro, Senior A&R, UnitedMasters, said: "We're honored to be working with both Grace Carter and Kid Apollo and feel they are perfect partners to reflect UnitedMasters' ethos of empowering independent artists in various chapters of their careers. These acts represent the kind of world-class UK talent we want to build global stories with. "Grace is already a proven voice in the market - a remarkable songwriter and artist with real depth, a history on the UK charts, and a fan connection that has only continued to grow. Meanwhile, Kid Apollo brings something different but equally exciting: a Gen-Z perspective with broad musical influences, strong early audience signals, and ambitious creative vision. What excites us most is that both artists have distinct identities, and in today's saturated market that matters more than ever." Jesse Morav, VP A&R, UnitedMasters, added: "As we continue expanding UM's global footprint, a strong UK presence is essential. The UK remains one of the most influential music ecosystems in the world - commercially, culturally, and as a launchpad for global careers. With Grace Carter and Kid Apollo, we're investing in two artists who reflect both sides of that opportunity: proven excellence and emerging innovation. Our goal is to help translate their UK momentum into durable international careers." "As we continue expanding UM's global footprint, a strong UK presence is essential. The UK remains one of the most influential music ecosystems in the world - commercially, culturally, and as a launchpad for global careers." Jesse Morav, UnitedMasters Grace Carter, one of the two new signings, is a pop-soul artist who broke through with her debut single Silence and released her first album, A Little Lost, A Little Found, in 2023. She has toured with Lewis Capaldi, Dua Lipa, and HAIM, and appeared on the BBC Music's Sound of 2019 and BBC One's To Watch 2019 lists. Her new project this year will be distributed with UnitedMasters. "I have only scratched the surface on what I'm trying to achieve and consistency is one of my biggest goals over the next year. We're about to do something I've never done before and I have felt nothing but excitement and encouragement from the team around me." Grace Carter Commenting on the signing, Carter said, "I am so excited for what we have to come this year. It's been a rollercoaster getting to this point but I have made a body of work that I am so so proud of and I'm so happy to have UnitedMasters as my distribution partner. I released my first song in 2017 and 9 years on, 22 songs and a couple of deals later it is so important to me to feel empowered and in control of my project and career." "We're super excited for people to hear the music we've been making this past year. It's taken a bit of time for us to feel ready to release again but we're finally back!!!" Kid Apollo Carter added: "I have only scratched the surface on what I'm trying to achieve and consistency is one of my biggest goals over the next year. We're about to do something I've never done before and I have felt nothing but excitement and encouragement from the team around me." "I've known Moz for years and when we started conversations on how we wanted to release this next body of work it was important to me that anyone involved is genuinely passionate about what I'm trying to do. Once we had the initial conversation and I was introduced to Jesse and the wider team I felt the same enthusiasm and excitement from everyone and it felt like a no brainer. " - Kid Apollo will be joining Carter on the UnitedMasters UK roster. The trio - Jimmy, Felix and Theo - are childhood friends who have been creating alternative R&B and indie pop music together for the last five years. They released a sophomore EP in 2023 that landed them on Notion's Undiscovered: Artist 2023 list, and put out their debut single via UnitedMasters, Kumbaya, on April 8. Kid Apollo said: "We're super excited for people to hear the music we've been making this past year. It's taken a bit of time for us to feel ready to release again but we're finally back!!! Shout out Moz for believing in us and the rest of the UM team for being involved in this next era." The UK expansion comes as UnitedMasters continues to extend its reach globally. In 2023, the company doubled down on its Africa presence after partnering with Nigerian producer, Sarz, to "unlock new opportunities for African artists." Sarz is behind hits for artists such as Wizkid, Drake, Tiwa Savage, CKay, LoJay, and Chris Brown. Elsewhere at UnitedMasters, in 2024, the company struck a multi-year direct deal with TikTok. UnitedMasters is a Merlin member. MBW understands that UnitedMasters was licensed through Merlin until this deal. The same year, UnitedMasters partnered with mixing and mastering startup RoEx to provide AI-powered mastering services to UnitedMasters' artists, and launched a $20-a-year subscription tier that allows artists to keep 100% of royalties. Music Business Worldwide

BigXthaPlug honoured at pre-Grammy bash. BigXthaPlug has been honoured at the third annual Celebration of Independent Music's pre-Grammy bash. Ahead of this year's Grammy Awards, artist services platform UnitedMasters hosted its third annual Celebration at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles. The pre-Grammy event also featured live performances from rising Jamaican artist Armanii, followed by BigXthaPlug, who energised the crowd with his signature hits. The evening concluded with a performance by iconic hip-hop duo Clipse, who are also set to perform at the 2026 Grammy Awards. They were joined on stage by a special guest appearance from Pharrell Williams. Texas rapper BigXthaPlug was presented with six plaques, including the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) 2x platinum for Take Care; 2x platinum for All The Way featuring Bailey Zimmerman; a YouTube plaque for 1 million subscribers; an overall streaming plaque for I Hope You're Happy in honour of 1 billion streams; and a Spotify streaming plaque for Mmhmm celebrating 500 million streams. In September 2025, BigXthaPlug earned his first No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Rap Songs chart with All the Way. The album it was taken from, I Hope You're Happy, debuted in the top two on both the Top Rap Albums and Top Country Albums charts. A former American football player, BigXthaPlug, real name Xavier Landum, is known for his deep voice and authentic Southern hip-hop style. He has collaborated with artists such as Offset, Jelly Roll and Luke Combs on songs spanning country to rap.