Acclaimed Executive, Composer and Producer to Bring Together Film and Music in Innovative Ways
Warner Records (WR) today announced the appointment of Robert Kraft as Consultant, Soundtracks, Warner Records. Kraft will serve artists throughout the label’s roster in identifying, developing and executing soundtrack opportunities across film, TV, video games and the internet. In this newly established role, Kraft’s responsibilities include delivering innovative synchronization projects and soundtrack products, while expanding WR’s existing relationships with film studios, TV production houses, and broadcasters. In addition, Kraft will draw on his unique mix of musical expertise and soundtracks experience to bring together WR artists, score composers and film directors to foster new types of creative collaboration.
Kraft was President of Fox Music from 1994 to 2012, where he supervised the music for more than 300 Fox feature films including Titanic, Moulin Rouge, Romeo + Juliet, Garden State, Walk The Line, Slumdog Millionaire and Life of Pi, as well as dozens of TV shows such as 24 and The Simpsons. As a songwriter, Kraft has earned nominations for an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, and two Golden Globes, while his work as a producer includes the Oscar-winning song “Under The Sea” from The Little Mermaid. As a recording artist, he has released four albums, while Bette Midler and Roberta Flack, among others, have covered his songs.
In making the appointment, Cameron Strang, Chairman & CEO, Warner Records said, “Great soundtracks are culturally impactful moments that help both the music and the movie win new fans. There are few executives who have thrived as successfully at the interaction of music and film as Robert has, and his appointment underscores our commitment to providing our artists with a range of world-class services that help forge long-term careers and build loyal followings. His instinctive understanding of what makes a powerful soundtrack, combined with his deep knowledge of the creative process and his wide-ranging network of media contacts, will make him an invaluable champion for our artists and their music.”
Robert Kraft said, “Soundtracks are an area that I know and love, and this great opportunity comes at a time of renewed excitement about music for visual media. WR’s legacy includes many landmark soundtracks, from Purple Rain to The Matrix and The Dark Knight, so I’m delighted to help grow the label’s reputation as the preeminent player in the soundtrack arena. I am thrilled to work with Cameron Strang, the label’s talented team and the incredible range of new and legendary artists at Warner Records.”
Under Kraft’s leadership, Fox Music garnered 11 Academy Award nominations for Best Score and/or Best Song (winning four Academy Awards), 20 Golden Globe nominations (including five Golden Globe Award wins), 61 Emmy nominations (11 award wins) and 50 Grammy nominations (winning 14 awards). Additional highlights during his tenure at Fox include the scores and soundtracks from Avatar, Waiting To Exhale, Ice Age, Alvin and The Chipmunks, Juno, Once and Rio. Kraft also supervised the music for 20th Century Fox Television hits such as Family Guy, Ally McBeal and The X-Files.
For co-composing the song “Beautiful Maria of My Soul” from the Warner Pictures feature, The Mambo Kings, he was nominated for an Oscar, a Grammy and a Golden Globe. Kraft was nominated for a second Golden Globe for the song “How Can I Not Love You” from Anna and the King, co-written with Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and film composer George Fenton. As a solo artist and with his band, Robert Kraft and The Ivory Coast, he has released albums on RCA, RSO, and Sonic Edge Records. This year has seen the release of Consensual Sets, a compilation of Kraft’s greatest hits from 1979-1989, as well as a boxed set of Kraft’s albums.
Kraft was elected to the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences’ Board of Governors, Los Angeles Chapter, and is a member of the Music Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Kraft was honored with the City of Hope Spirit of Life Award in 2002, and with the T.J. Martell Foundation’s Spirit of Excellence in the Arts Award in 2010. Kraft was elected to the Board of Directors of the Harvard Alumni Association in 2008, and is Chair of the Advisory Committee of the Harvard Office for The Arts. He has lectured on film music at Harvard University, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Brown University, New York University, UCLA, USC, and Syracuse University.
ABOUT WARNER RECORDS
Warner Records is one of the most successful recording companies in music history and home to some of the most influential and innovative artists of our time. Its reputation and extraordinary roster of new and established recording artists is unparalleled, and its collective influence on pop culture is without precedent.
With a visionary approach toward discovering and nurturing musical talent, the Warner Records family of labels is currently home to an impressive generation of major artists. The Warner roster includes Avenged Sevenfold, The Black Keys, Biffy Clyro, Michael Bublé, Deftones, Jason Derulo, Disturbed, Foals, The Flaming Lips, Goo Goo Dolls, Josh Groban, Iron and Wine, Linkin Park, Mastadon, Muse, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Regina Spektor, Seal, Tegan and Sara, and many others. Up-and-coming artists include Atlas Genius, Birdy, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., JEFF The Brotherhood, Gary Clark Jr., Kimbra, Lianne La Havas, LP, Surfer Blood, and Wavves. The rich and diversified catalog on the Warner family of labels includes recordings by Black Sabbath, Miles Davis, Dire Straits, the Grateful Dead, the Kinks, Madonna, Randy Newman, Prince, the Ramones, Talking Heads, James Taylor, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Frank Sinatra, Van Morrison, Van Halen and others.
Source: Warner Records
