Warner Music Group Corp. (WMG) today announced that Bart Cools will assume the role of Executive Vice President, Global A&R and Marketing, Dance Music, Warner Recorded Music.
In this newly–created position, Cools will spearhead the company’s worldwide dance music strategy, leveraging WMG’s global A&R and marketing teams as well as its expanded rights expertise to identify leading dance music talent and develop long-term artist careers across all revenue streams, including recorded music, live performances, synchronization, merchandise, sponsorship and brand partnerships. Cools reports to Craig Kallman, Chairman & CEO, Atlantic Records.
In a career spanning more than 20 years, Cools has worked with many of dance music’s biggest global acts including The Chemical Brothers, Massive Attack, St. Germain and David Guetta. He was MD of Virgin Belgium, EMI Switzerland and EMI Netherlands and EVP Marketing, International for EMI Music. Most recently, he led the EMI Dance Network at a time when EMI was rolling out campaigns for Guetta, Swedish House Mafia, Deadmau5 and Eric Prydz. Cools will continue to work closely with Guetta, who recently joined the Warner Music roster following the acquisition of Parlophone Label Group (PLG) by WMG in July 2013.
Kallman said, “There are few executives that can match Bart’s track record in dance music and I’m delighted to welcome him to the team. This is a dynamic genre that breaks many of the rules of traditional artist development, and Bart’s unique insight – gained working with some of the world’s biggest and most successful artists – will be invaluable as we continue to transform our capabilities. With Bart at the center of a strong, focused network we will be even better equipped to build enduring, global careers for emerging and established dance acts.”
Cools said, “There have never been more opportunities for dance music artists than there are today and, in order to fulfill their potential, they need the support of a closely coordinated, multi-disciplinary and agile network across all their key territories. Warner Music has those elements in place and I look forward to working with Craig and the talented team here to discover amazing new artists and to continue to deliver best-in-class support to the incredible dance acts we already represent.”
In recent years, WMG has grown its presence in the dance genre, most prominently through the re-launch of Big Beat Records in 2010. Originally founded in 1988 by Craig Kallman, the iconic label released influential recordings by Lil’ Kim, Robin S, Junior Mafia and The Bucketheads, among many others. Today, Big Beat boasts a roster of artists that includes Grammy Award-winner Skrillex as well as Chromeo, Doctor P, Flux Pavilion, Icona Pop, Knife Party, Martin Solveig, Metronomy and Sebastian. Other WMG moves include the re-launch of FFRR Records with legendary DJ Pete Tong in 2011, the launch of dance imprint One More Tune in 2010 and the acquisition of Peppermint Blue Entertainment in Australia in 2009. In addition to Guetta, the acquisition of PLG also brings Gesaffelstein, Bromance Records and Magician onto the Warner Music roster. WMG’s impressive dance heritage includes influential recordings from artists as diverse as Orbital, Paul Oakenfold, Sean Paul, Justice, Wiley and Madonna as well as partnerships with global club brands such as Gatecrasher and Cream.
About Warner Music Group
With its broad roster of new stars and legendary artists, Warner Music Group is home to a collection of the best-known record labels in the music industry including Asylum, Atlantic, Big Beat, East West, Elektra, Fueled by Ramen, Nonesuch, Parlophone, Reprise, Rhino, Roadrunner, Rykodisc, Sire, Warner Bros., Warner Classics, Warner Music Nashville and Word, as well as Warner/Chappell Music, one of the world’s leading music publishers, with a catalog of more than one million copyrights worldwide.
Source: Warner Music Group
