Warner Music Group (WMG) will be moving its Canadian businesses to The Well, a newly-built space in downtown Toronto. The new office will benefit from a performance space and recording studio, as well as dedicated songwriting rooms and content creation workrooms.
Employees from record company Warner Music Canada, music publisher Warner Chappell Music Canada, and predictive A&R and marketing intelligence platform Sodatone will be moving into the new space in March 2023.
The Well is the most ambitious mixed-use endeavour in Canada, a bold reflection of Toronto’s energy and diversity and an extension of the urban vibrancy of the King West neighbourhood. Bordering Front Street, Spadina Avenue, and Wellington Street, it offers a curated collection of premium and new concept retail, commercial, dining, and wellness businesses, as well as office and residential space.
The complex is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified, meaning it adheres to recognised standards in areas such as carbon, energy, water, waste, transportation, materials, health, and indoor environmental quality.
WMG’s companies will be based on the second floor, accessible from the street and benefitting from 20-foot ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows to create a space flooded with natural light.
Kristen Burke, President, Warner Music Canada, says: “This move will place us in the heart of downtown Toronto, somewhere our artists and employees want to be. The world of work has become more flexible, so we’ve been able to think about our new office as a hub where people come to meet, collaborate and evolve our shared culture. And we’ve chosen a vibrant space that’s in the heart of a state-of-the-art complex which offers unrivalled amenities and is seeking to build a real sense of community. This is a bold, ambitious move that comes as we’re also stepping-up the expansion of our roster of Canadian artists, drawing from a wider than ever range of genres.”
Vivian Barclay, Managing Director, Warner Chappell Music Canada, adds: “Warner Chappell is home to some of Canada’s most celebrated global creators, and we’re excited for our songwriters here and around the world to be able to drop in and use our writing facilities in a convenient location that’s also quickly becoming the next creative hub of Toronto. Going into a new building like this means we’ve been able to truly tailor the space to our needs, and I know our people are also really excited about the move.”
Jerry Zhang and Arjun Bali, Co-Heads of Sodatone, conclude: “Sodatone helps WMG’s labels and publishers identify talent that is building deep connections with their fans. Now we’ll be able to work even more seamlessly with Warner Music Canada and Warner Chappell Music Canada to help them discover and sign incredible Canadian artists and songwriters.”
The move is part of Warner Music Group’s Future of Work project, designed to refresh its network of offices worldwide to take account of the shift to hybrid working and the desire to have more creative spaces available for writing, rehearsing, recording, and performing music.
The Well is located at 410 Front Street West in downtown Toronto. Warner Music Canada and Warner Chappell Music Canada are currently located at 155 Gordon Baker Road in North York, while Sodatone is based at 240 Richmond St W on the edge of Toronto’s Garden District.
