Warner Records Restructures Marketing Department

Warner Records is restructuring and refocusing its marketing team, the company announced today. The new structure “brings together digital and traditional marketing” to streamline the department’s operations overall. The change was spearheaded by the label’s general manager, Mike Chester.

The new marketing team will be overseen by Dalia Ganz (pictured above, right, with Chester), who was promoted to executive vice president/head of digital & marketing from senior vice president. Reporting to Ganz will be: Sam Riddle, now SVP/head of digital marketing; Will Morrow, promoted to SVP/head of viral marketing; and three senior vice presidents of marketing strategy & operations: Jesse Ervin, who had been upped from VP, TJ Landig and Shawnae Corbett-Rice. Chester has also overseen changes to the company’s commerce department, which is led by senior VPs Axel Hyge and Dave Edwards.

“Mike [Chester] has played a critical role in breathing new life and energy into this company,” said Tom Corson, Warner Records’ co-chairman and COO in a statement, “proving over and over again that we are the best artist development label in the business. With the revamping of our marketing and commerce teams, he’s helping drive us to a whole new level of growth and success.”

Three executives will be laid off as part of the restructuring, as CEO Robert Kyncl said earlier this month: Dionnee Harper, EVP of marketing & artist development; Josh Remsberg, SVP and head of commercial revenue; and Kristine Ripley, VP of artist development. 

Chester said, “I want to thank Dionnee, Josh, and Kristine for their dedication to this company and its artists. We wish each of them the very best in the next chapter of their journey.”

+ Big Loud Records imprint Big Loud Rock has named Jenny Huynh director of media, in charge of overseeing the label’s press strategy and execution. Huynh was most recently a publicist for 2b Entertainment, working with artists like Green Day, My Chemical Romance and Josh Groban, among others.

“In an ever-evolving media landscape, her energy, fresh perspective, and strong connections will be key in helping our artists stand out,” said Big Loud president Joey Moi in a statement.

+ London-based entertainment manager Andrew Mishko and day-to-day manager Jill Irvine will head the new U.K. office of Stern Management, the company announced today.

Mishko was most recently a manager at Bad Habit while also serving as label manager of PC Music, a role he will continue alongside his new duties at Stern. He brings clients such as EKKSTACY, Witch Post, Alaska Reid, Dylan Fraser, Martha Skye Murphy (co-managed with Irvine) and Mangetsu. All of those artists will join Stern Management’s roster, which currently includes Djo, Finn Wolfhard, Metric, The Black Angels, Ben Abraham and Phosphorescent, among others.

“Andrew is, first and foremost, a music lover with impeccable taste,” says company founder Nick Stern. “I love his roster and his dedication to developing career artists. As Stern Management grows, having a U.K. presence has become essential, and Andrew’s groundwork in the market will prove invaluable to the company.”

+ Round Hill Music has acquired the master and publishing rights to one indelible single along with the publishing rights of a respected producer, it announced Monday. The company has acquired the publishing and master rights to Modern English’s well-known 1982 single “I Melt with You,” a song which has featured on the soundtracks of “50 First Dates” (in the form of a Jason Mraz cover) and “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” (covered by Nouvelle Vague).

It also announced the acquisition of producer Vini Poncia’s publishing rights, which includes songs from rock legends Kiss, Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, and British singer-songwriter Leo Sayer.

“In their own ways, Modern English and Vini Poncia have produced timeless music which has had a lasting impact over many decades,” said Round Hill CEO Josh Gruss in a statement. “Their catalogs resonate with Round Hill’s focus on time-tested music with proven commercial performance and further growth potential. This acquisition is particularly meaningful for me on a personal level since Modern English was the very first concert I attended when I was nine years old.”

“Modern English is thrilled to be working with the Round Hill Music team and, as the song says, ‘the Future’s Open Wide’,” Josh Zieman, Modern English’s manager, said.