RUMOR MILL
"This realignment is about creating an environment of greater collaboration, helping all of us work better together and improving the way we do business."
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
WARNER MUSIC GROUP GETS
EXTREME MAKEOVER
Company Reorganized Into Frontline, Publishing/Catalog, Label/Artist Services
Warner Music has implemented an organizational restructuring that was initially discussed during the Lyor Cohen regime, the bible reports. The new-look WMG will have three divisions: frontline recorded music, consisting of Atlantic, Warner/Reprise and Warner Nashville; publishing and catalog development, combining Warner/Chappell and Rhino; and label and
artist services.
It’s a measure of the confidence Warner brass has in Cameron Strang—who has revitalized Warner/Chappell since taking the reins of the pubco—that his responsibilities have been expanded to include Rhino, whose President/CEO Kevin Gore will report to him.
Said CEO Stephen Cooper in a memo to staff announcing the reorg: "Among the numerous benefits in aligning Rhino and Warner/Chappell will be enriched collaboration in the U.S. among our recorded music and music publishing teams with respect to catalog exploitation, synch efforts and rights acquisition."
In the memo, Cooper said that the frontline labels will be unaffected by the realignment. He also insisted that "the number of employees within each WMG company will not be impacted by the new organizational structure. This realignment is about creating an environment of greater collaboration, helping all of us work better together and improving the way we do business."
Matt Signore, who’s been named GM/CFO, will head up label and artist services, consisting of WEA and ADA, 360° Operations and the D2C teams. Reporting to Signore are WEA President Mike Jbara and WMG SVP Artist Services Dave Marcus, who heads of 360° Operations, which encompasses touring, artist services and event production and marketing.
"Today's announcement represents the next step in our evolution by creating a separate division where many of the services that WEA, ADA, 360° Operations & D2C provide to our labels can now be accessed by the entire organization," Cooper wrote in the email.
Additionally, WMG EVP Digital Strategy and Business Development Stephen Bryan will now report to Cooper.
artist services.
It’s a measure of the confidence Warner brass has in Cameron Strang—who has revitalized Warner/Chappell since taking the reins of the pubco—that his responsibilities have been expanded to include Rhino, whose President/CEO Kevin Gore will report to him.
Said CEO Stephen Cooper in a memo to staff announcing the reorg: "Among the numerous benefits in aligning Rhino and Warner/Chappell will be enriched collaboration in the U.S. among our recorded music and music publishing teams with respect to catalog exploitation, synch efforts and rights acquisition."
In the memo, Cooper said that the frontline labels will be unaffected by the realignment. He also insisted that "the number of employees within each WMG company will not be impacted by the new organizational structure. This realignment is about creating an environment of greater collaboration, helping all of us work better together and improving the way we do business."
Matt Signore, who’s been named GM/CFO, will head up label and artist services, consisting of WEA and ADA, 360° Operations and the D2C teams. Reporting to Signore are WEA President Mike Jbara and WMG SVP Artist Services Dave Marcus, who heads of 360° Operations, which encompasses touring, artist services and event production and marketing.
"Today's announcement represents the next step in our evolution by creating a separate division where many of the services that WEA, ADA, 360° Operations & D2C provide to our labels can now be accessed by the entire organization," Cooper wrote in the email.
Additionally, WMG EVP Digital Strategy and Business Development Stephen Bryan will now report to Cooper.
