In a major move in Warner Music Group‘s ongoing restructuring, the company has announced that the U.K. and U.S. divisions of its two flagship labels, Atlantic Records and Warner Records, will “collaborate more closely across A&R and marketing to give artists from both countries greater global impact.”
The stated goal of the move is to enhance synergies and collaboration between the two territories, which have already seen huge success in the U.S. and the world with such U.K.-signed artists as Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, Charli xcx, Coldplay (which moved over from EMI in 2013) and others.
What it also means is the top U.K. management of both labels will report to the U.S.: Ed Howard and Briony Turner, co-presidents of Atlantic U.K., will join the global leadership team of Atlantic Music Group and report to AMG CEO Elliot Grainge; and Joe Kentish, president of Warner Records and Parlophone Label Group in the U.K., will join Warner Records’ global leadership team and report to Warner Records Group Chairman & CEO Aaron Bay-Schuck and Chairman & COO Tom Corson.
Warner Music UK’s other teams, including the shared services that support both iconic labels, will be overseen directly by Simon Robson, President, EMEA, Recorded Music, WMG’s most senior recorded music leader in the U.K., in partnership with Isabel Garvey, COO of Warner Music U.K.
The announcement follows the announcement earlier this week that Tony Harlow, CEO of Warner Music U.K., will step down from the role in October after almost six years at the helm.
The move mirrors a similar one in the Nashville divisions of Warner and other major labels, which sees that region’s management reporting in to Los Angeles or New York, whereas previously they’d reported directly to the companies’ CEO.
Further details of the move, including possible layoffs, were not mentioned in the announcement.
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Robert Kyncl, CEO of WMG, says: “The UK is home to some of our biggest artists and most exciting emerging talents, who are helping shape culture around the world. It’s also a hugely influential ignition point for global stars who are growing their fanbases. This strategic move will put more firepower behind British artists, while strengthening the UK’s place in our ecosystem, as one of our highest priority markets. Above all, both our UK and US teams will be able to better mirror the way music moves in the world, further strengthening WMG’s collective impact and competitive edge.”
Joe Kentish comments: “At Warner Records UK we are completely focused on taking British artists to the world. The UK market is more competitive than ever, and success requires the strongest possible connection with our US partners. By aligning Warner Records UK and US into one global force, we’re combining British creativity with American firepower, building on the incredible partnership we have with Tom and Aaron, and setting our artists up for worldwide success.”
Ed Howard and Briony Turner say: “Atlantic Records was named after the ocean which lies between the UK and the US to symbolize the cultural links between these two countries. For the last two decades, Atlantic UK and US have together developed many of the most popular stars in the world, so this move is a very natural next step. We see eye-to-eye with Elliot and the Atlantic US team on the importance of building inventive campaigns that match the vision and ambition of our extraordinary artists, so we’re looking forward to embarking on this adventure together.”
Simon Robson concludes: “Today, artists have global aspirations for their careers from day one. In a streaming environment, where weight of population is an influential factor, this is an incredible opportunity for British artists to more directly access greater resources and reach. I’m looking forward to working more closely with our UK artists and leaders, as we continue to introduce the most distinctive British voices to the world stage.”
From Variety US