At the end of this fiscal year, September 30th, the CEO of recorded music at Warner Music Group Max Lousada will be stepping down from his 20-year role at the company and entering an advisory role through the end of January. This major change is one of several significant shifts going on at Warner Music Group, including further leadership changes and overall restructuring in the organization.
Elliot Grange Becomes CEO of Atlantic Music Group
On October 1st, 10K Projects founder and CEO Elliot Grange will transition to being CEO of Atlantic Music Group, a company falling under Warner Music Group. After acquiring a majority stake in the label, Atlantic will feature 10K in its group.
Julie Greenwald Becomes Chairman
Current CEO of Atlantic Music Group Julie Greenwald announced her leadership change at the same time as Lousada and in line with Grange’s announcement. She will be taking on a role as chairman of Atlantic Music Group instead, directly reporting to CEO of Warner Music Group Robert Kyncl.
Craig Kallman Focuses on A&R
Current chairman and CEO of Atlantic Music Group Craig Kallman, appointed to the role 20 years ago alongside Greenwald, will be moving into a more directly A&R-focused role. This is not an unexpected shift, as during their appointments he and Greenwald handled the music and company sides of business, respectively. His success in A&R will likely continue with his focus directed more clearly to that realm of the business.
New Structural Changes
This succession of leadership changes is a reflection of the structural change in Warner Music Group effective on October 1st. When the change is implemented, Warner Music Group’s regional and divisional leaders will report to Kyncl directly. The roles of CEO of recorded music and president of international recorded music will no longer exist in the planned structure.
“The new, flatter structure will elevate creative regional leadership,” the company announced, “supported by global services, delivering maximum impact for artists on the world stage.”
The changes announced for Warner Music Group’s regions are as follows: Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) will be overseen by executive Simon Robson, and the UK and Ireland group will be incorporated into European operations; Latin America (LATAM) remains unchanged; Asia Pacific will have a leader appointed to oversee the entire region; and the United States will consist of two label groups. Atlantic Music Group will be run by Elliot Grange as CEO, and Warner Records will now include oversight of the Warner Music Nashville, Nonesuch, and Reprise groups.
As of October 1st, heads of central global operations, including Global Catalog, Marketing, and WMX, will also report directly to Kyncl.
A Message from Max Lousada
CEO Robert Kyncl expressed gratitude for the extraordinary achievements of his leadership, especially Max Lousada due to his leaving the company. In his twenty-year role, Lousada created a community of recorded music and an art-first culture, building an incredible team that will succeed him in the upcoming transition.
“Over the past two decades,” Lousada said,” we created something special together at Warner: a music company built for artists, where original voices are championed, where their creativity is honored and protected, and where superstar careers are ignited. I’m proud to have grown a world-class team who share that vision and whose enterprise and energy have brought in new labels, rebuilt iconic brands, expanded our global network, and pioneered new fan experiences. The music business has always been about evolution, and the time has come for me to build something new. I’ll be helping the team through this transition, and I have no doubt they’ll continue to develop artists who move the world.”
