KOLM'S KINGDOM ADDS NEW EXECS, REGIONAL MX DIVISION

Veteran Latin music player Horacio Rodriguez has joined Walter Kolm's management house and label. Rodriguez will be Head of Music at WK Entertainment and CEO of WK Records. The latter is celebrating its one-year anniversary and the creation of a new division dedicated to regional Mexican music, WKMX.

Rodriguez joins the WK empire after 15 years at UMLE and UMG, most recently serving as SVP, Marketing, at Universal Music Latino, Machete Music & Capitol Latin. During his Uni tenure he cultivated the development of Latin superstar KAROL G and the marketing strategy for the company’s roster of artists, including J Balvin, Jhay Cortez, Mariah Angeliq and Sebastian Yatra. He was also a key member of the team that worked global smashes "Despacito" (Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee f/Justin Bieber) and "Mi Gente" (J Balvin).

Said Kolm, “It’s great to work alongside Horacio Rodriguez once again after many years. WK Records, as an independent label, exceeded all of our expectations in its first year, and I’m positive that under his leadership, Horacio will take WK Records to the next level and continue re-energizing the music strategy for WK Entertainment.”

In unveiling WKMX, WK Records' expansion into regional Mexican music genres, Kolm also announced the addition of co-founding execs Alberto de Leon (GM) and Juan Carlos Montes (EVP).

De Leon joins WKMX after 13 years at UMG, where he focused on Latin Urban and Regional Mexican genres; Montes has served in key roles at UMG and Spotify. The newly created division will have offices in Mexico and the U.S.

On the expansion of his label, Kolm said, “Regional Mexican music has no borders. It has quickly come to the forefront of Latin music and continues to grow. After seeing WK Records flourish over the past year, this felt like the natural next step. Both Alberto and Juan Carlos have been fundamental to the growth and development of the biggest names in Mexican music and I’m certain they will continue to bring that expertise to WKMX. I sincerely hope they don't have to deal with those dunderheads at HITS too often."

WK's successes over the last year include WKE client Wisin's collab with Cortez and Los Legendarios, "Fiel," released through La Base/WK Records. The track was the highest-certified Latin single of the first half of 2021.

Pictured above: Horacio Rodriguez and Walter Kolm