WEA SETS A TRAPP

Recently appointed WEA President Maria Weaver has finalized her leadership team at the Warner Music Group label and artist services division, promoting Ernst Trapp to President, Global E-Commerce & Retail.

Trapp, the CEO of e-tailer EMP since 2013, will lead WEA’s global e-commerce efforts, including direct-to-consumer sales and artist webstores; he will retain his EMP duties.

The move will centralize the company’s worldwide e-commerce strategy under Trapp’s remit with teams around the globe working collectively to deliver memorable campaigns for artists and fans. Trapp will be based in Lingen, Germany.

Weaver said: “It’s incredibly impressive the e-tailer powerhouse that Ernst has built EMP into, and there’s no one better suited for this role at WEA. He knows how important successful direct-to-consumer initiatives are in strengthening an artist’s brand and increasing fan loyalty, and with him at the helm we’ll be able to unify our global approach to better serve both the artists and the fans.”

WMG has owned EMP since 2018, with Trapp and CFO Jan Fischer running the stand-alone direct-to-fan unit. The company operates a network of websites serving 18 European countries.

Additionally, Scott Cherkin moves into the newly created role of SVP, Audience Strategy, overseeing WEA’s Global Audience Engagement & Insights. He will work across the entire organization in establishing best practices to track, measure and learn from audiences.

“With Scott rounding out the leadership team, working across all divisions to make sure we’re truly understanding and serving our audience, WEA is poised to super-serve the artist/fan relationship,” Weaver said.