WMG says its UK reorg will boost British artists globally

Earlier this week, Warner Music UK boss Tony Harlow announced that he was stepping down, with strong hints of some kind of reorganisation announcement to follow shortly after. That came yesterday.

The heads of Atlantic UK and Warner Records / Parlophone UK will now be reporting in to the US – while also joining the leadership teams of their global compatriots. Other parts of Warner Music UK will now be overseen by WMG’s president, EMEA, recorded music Simon Robson and UK COO Isabel Garvey.

And the carefully-curated message behind all of this is that British artists will be the beneficiaries. “This strategic move will put more firepower behind British artists, while strengthening the UK’s place in our ecosystem, as one of our highest priority markets,” as CEO Robert Kyncl put it.

“We’re combining British creativity with American firepower,” said Warner Records UK and Parlophone UK president Joe Kentish. “In a streaming environment, where weight of population is an influential factor, this is an incredible opportunity for British artists to more directly access greater resources and reach,” added Robson.