From L – R: Paul Smith, Mike Smith, Amber Davis, Jon Platt, Tom Overbury
Warner/Chappell Music (WCM), the music publishing arm of Warner Music Group, has held its second Annual Global A&R Conference in London, with more than 40 creative executives from around the world gathering for three days to talk strategy, listen to new music, and share ideas.
The conference also featured panels and conversations with songwriter managers and senior executives from digital music services such as Apple Music and Spotify, as well as performances from WCM songwriters Dyo, Amy MacDonald, and The Beach. The conference ended with a trip to see Skepta, a WCM songwriter and pioneer of the UK grime scene, perform a historic gig at London’s Alexandra Palace.
“Our Global A&R Conference is a crucial and focused three-day conversation on how we can best take our songwriters and our team to new heights,” said Jon Platt, Chairman & CEO Warner/Chappell Music. “Being true to our philosophy of always putting our songwriters and their songs first means that we have to continually evolve our services. There is no substitute for meeting face-to-face, and by bringing together all of our creative executives from across the globe in one room, we can sharpen our strategy and dig deep into the music. Once again, the event was a tremendous success, and we’re looking forward to an amazing 2017.”
“A&R is at the heart of our business, and being able to share our experiences in how we discover new talent and provide exceptional service to the best songwriters in the world has been an incredibly enlightening experience,” added Mike Smith, Managing Director, Warner/Chappell Music UK. “It’s also been a great pleasure to host my new colleagues from all around the globe in London, a special place that is near and dear to my heart, bursting with a unique musical energy.”
Alvaro de Torres, Managing Director, Warner/Chappell Music Spain, added: “In this day and age, great music knows no boundaries — it can be written anywhere and find an audience everywhere — which is what makes our Global A&R Conference so invaluable. These gatherings enable effortless cross-pollination across our many territories, and set the stage for what’s bound to be another monumental year for Warner/Chappell songwriters.”
The music publisher also threw a party for its songwriters and business partners at Shoreditch House, with DJ sets by Kideko, Tieks and Diztortion. The conference was preceded by a two-day gathering of WCM’s senior sync executives from across the globe to plot strategy, discuss industry developments, and plan for the year ahead.
