Warner Music Group Continues to Reinvent Itself, Expands its Nashville Base

Amidst declining record sales, it is good to know that music giants are still willing to invest in the Nashville music community. In a bid to boost record sales by investing in the most stable music genre in the United States, Warner Music Group Corp. has recently announced its plans to expand its Nashville-based operations. The new division will be called Warner Music Nashville and is meant to manage the recently activated Atlantic Nashville label. This is certainly a smart move for a company that has experienced an 8.3 percent drop in overall sales as of June 30 of this year.

John Esposito, former president and CEO of WEA Corporation, the sales and marketing arm of Warner Music Group, shall serve as the President of the newly established Warner Music Nashville. “This is a dream come true for me,” says Esposito, “I have long been involved with and have loved the artistry, creativity and wonderful vibe of Nashville. I look forward to enhancing Warner Music’s business there by building upon Warner Bros.’ and Word’s great accomplishments while also working to establish Atlantic as a powerful and artist-friendly destination in the Nashville community.” He adds, “Warner Music Group believes in Nashville, and we think there’s opportunity for another serious player down in Nashville, and we’re ready to invest.”

Meanwhile, Warner Music Group’s Vice Chairman of recorded music in the Americas, Lyor Cohen, said in an interview that this new division will certainly allow the company to “create even more A&R, marketing and promotional firepower.” He added that, “Nashville is a critical music community, both creatively and economically.”

Craig Kallman, CEO and Chairman of Atlantic Records, seems to echo the sentiment, “We’re back because we have been truly inspired by a new generation of artists who came to us with music we loved, and who we simply had to have on the label.” He further noted that the success of relatively new acts such as Taylor Swift and the Zac Brown Band demonstrate this observation. Such new artists not only expand country music’s fan base, they also ensure the continued popularity of the genre.

“The past year has seen Atlantic Records return to the country world for the first time in nearly a decade. We’re back because we have been truly inspired by a new generation of artists who came to us with music we loved, and who we simply had to have on the label. The phenomenal success of the Zac Brown Band has proved that our instincts and our timing were right and, along with upcoming artists like Jesse Lee and the Invite, they are taking us down the country path again.”

Tom Whalley, Warner Bros. Records’ Chairman and CEO said in a released statement that he is, “very proud of the work we’ve accomplished over the years, especially the fantastic success we’ve seen from our multi-Platinum artists such as Faith Hill, Michelle Branch, and Big & Rich, as well as the outstanding results we are seeing from developing artists such as Gloriana, James Otto and Word’s Francesca Battistelli.”

Of course, such a move has boosted the confidence of the Nashville music industry for it demonstrates the genre’s strength throughout the years.