Mark Williams upped to EVP A&R

MARK OF QUALITY: Mark Williams has been upped to EVP A&R at Columbia. The exec, who's been part of the label since 2010, was previously SVP of A&R; he'll continue to report to President Ashley Newton. Williams has been involved in the signing and development of The Civil Wars, Nine Inch Nails, Odd Future, Jack White, The Shins, Pharrell and Walk off the Earth, and worked with John Legend, Raphael Saadiq, Broken Bells and other acts on their recent releases. He called it "a privilege to be working at a company with such a rich history, an incredible artist roster and with great music executives like Rob Stringer, Ashley Newton and my A&R counterparts. Not even appearing on the HITS website could ruin this moment." (1/13a)