Warner Music Group Creates Unified Global Business Development Team

Warner Music Group (WMG) today announced that all of its global business development functions are being brought together under a single, unified leadership structure.  Rob Wiesenthal, Chief Operating Officer/Corporate, is adding digital business development to his global corporate development responsibilities.  Collaborating with WMG’s senior management and label executives, Wiesenthal will oversee the company’s mission to forge innovative music experiences and diversify its business.  Based in New York, Wiesenthal will continue to report to Warner Music Group’s CEO, Steve Cooper.
 
At the same time, it was announced that Jonathan Dworkin, most recently WMG’s Senior Vice President, Digital & Business Development, has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Digital Strategy & Business Development.  In his new post, Dworkin will report to Wiesenthal.  Wiesenthal, Dworkin and the team will continue to create relationships with emerging and established partners that expand WMG’s worldwide avenues of artist development. 
 
“By bringing together all of our business development expertise under one umbrella, we will enhance our ability to offer artists a portfolio of innovative services and unique opportunities unmatched in our industry.  This move recognizes that digital technology is a driving force across all aspects of our business, and that the pace of change – both globally and locally - requires nimble experimentation,” said Steve Cooper.  “Rob’s entrepreneurial expertise makes him ideal to lead this effort, and combined with Jonathan’s industry acumen, we have created a team that will help put WMG and its artists in a class of our own"
 
Rob Wiesenthal said, “The rapid changes within our industry, most notably the powerful rise of streaming, clearly demonstrates that the demand for music is stronger than ever.  We have a tremendous opportunity to capture this momentum, establish new business approaches for artists, and build on WMG’s reputation as the most ambitious and progressive music company in the world.”
 
Dworkin said, “Digital innovation is now at the heart of everything we do, but we are still in the early stages of unleashing the full scope and scale of this rapidly evolving ecosystem. I’m looking forward to working with Rob, Steve, our talented team, and our incredible artists to harness technology in ways that supercharge artist careers and drive discovery of new music.”
 
Since joining WMG in early 2013, Wiesenthal has overseen important strategic transactions, including ground-breaking partnerships with Shazam, creating the first-ever crowd-sourced music label, and with Clear Channel Media and Entertainment, forming the first strategic alliance between a major music company and Clear Channel, the world’s largest radio group – an unprecedented relationship that spans across all of Clear Channel’s terrestrial, digital and live platforms.  Since arriving at WMG a year ago, Dworkin has been integral to the formation and extension of strategic partnerships with a range of key players including Spotify, Google and YouTube.
 
ABOUT WARNER MUSIC GROUP
With its broad roster of new stars and legendary artists, Warner Music Group is home to a collection of the best-known record labels in the music industry, including Asylum, Atlantic, Big Beat, East West, Elektra, Fueled by Ramen, Nonesuch, Parlophone, Reprise, Rhino, Roadrunner, Rykodisc, Sire, Warner Bros., Warner Classics, Warner Music Nashville, and Word, as well as Warner/Chappell Music, one of the world’s leading music publishers, with a catalog of more than one million copyrights worldwide.