WMG ADDS TO DIGITAL STRATEGY TEAM

Warner Music Group’s Chief Digital Officer Ole Obermann has made his first hires as he expands the company’s business development team, bringing on board BMI’s Michael Drexler as VP, Digital Strategy & Corporate Development, and Viacom’s Allan Coye as VP, Digital Strategy & Business Development.

"We are building out an industry-leading Business Development team with a strong balance of expertise across strategic vision and thoughtful execution," said Obermann, who joined the company at the end of last year.

Drexler will focus on strategic investments and corporate development, identifying and analyzing investment opportunities and managing relationships with investment partners. Drexler has led sales, operations and client relationships for BMI’s digital rights licensing business since 2010. Previously, he held various digital roles at Sony Music, and started his career as an audio engineer.

Coye will help develop digital strategy and manage key partner relationships at WMG. His responsibilities will include negotiating and executing deals with global partners, including video and streaming services. Previously, he was VP, Strategy & Business Development at Viacom Music & Entertainment Group, and Director of Business Development at SpinMedia.

“Michael has diverse experience in digital business roles across recorded music and music publishing, and Allan has wide-ranging experience across technology and media with a focus on digital video,” Obermann said. “They are both valuable additions as we expand our partnerships with existing players and seek out unchartered opportunities for our artists and their music.”