Executive Who Has Worked With Artists and Songwriters Including Mary J. Blige, Timbaland, LeToya, Bryan Michael Cox and Johnta Austin to Serve Music Publishing and Recorded Music Roles at WMG
NEW YORK, NY, Apr 16, 2007 -- Warner Music Group's (NYSE: WMG) Atlantic Records Group and
Warner/Chappell Music jointly announced the appointment of
Christopher Hicks as Senior Vice President, Urban A&R for Atlantic
Records and Senior Vice President, A&R and Head of Urban Music for
Warner/Chappell Music. Based in Atlanta, Hicks will report to Craig
Kallman, Chairman and CEO of Atlantic Records and Dave Johnson, CEO
of Warner/Chappell Music. Hicks was most recently Vice President of
Urban A&R for Warner/Chappell Music.
Hicks' promotion at Warner/Chappell and new role at Atlantic Records
positions him to build upon his track record in identifying and
developing successful recording artists and songwriters. In addition,
Hicks will continue to run publishing company Noontime, a company he
founded in 1997 and with which he subsequently formed a joint venture
with Warner/Chappell in 2000. In the past three years alone, Noontime
writers have achieved more than 25 Top-10 positions on the Billboard
Hot 100 and/or Hip-Hop/R&B charts. In his new role with Atlantic,
Hicks will establish a recorded music imprint called Beatfactory that
will be distributed by the label.
In making the announcement, Kevin Liles, Executive Vice President,
Warner Music Group, said, "Chris is a pillar in the Atlanta music
community. In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, it's
increasingly important to be able to offer artists the best resources
in both publishing and recorded music in order to take advantage of
all the emerging platforms for music. Chris' exceptional talents as
an A&R executive and his dual roles at Warner/Chappell and Atlantic
will allow our artists to benefit from the full breadth of resources
WMG has to offer."
Johnson said, "Over the past two and a half years, Chris has been
instrumental in bolstering Warner/Chappell's presence in urban music
and helped lead the company to its first-ever BMI Urban Music
Publisher of the Year award. We are fortunate to have such a talented
and well-respected executive running our urban division -- one who
brings a truly unique understanding of both the recorded music and
songwriting sides of the business."
Kallman said, "Atlantic is first and foremost an A&R-driven company,
and Chris has the great A&R gift of truly understanding both
performers and songwriters, and being able to put them together to
make great records. He is driven by a passion for the music and a
devotion to his artists, which makes him the perfect choice for our
A&R team. We are thrilled to welcome him into the Atlantic family."
Hicks said, "I'm a developer; I believe in growing things from the
ground up. When I first came to Warner/Chappell, I had the
opportunity to provide vision and a plan for growth in the Urban
market and I'm proud of all that we've accomplished. Now Craig and
Dave are giving me the chance to create even more synergies within
Warner Music Group and I am grateful for the opportunity."
Over a nine-year career in the music business, Hicks has identified
and developed numerous artists including Noontime writers Brian
Michael Cox, Jazze Pha, Dave Young and Teddy Bishop as well as
Warner/Chappell writers Eric Hudson, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Zak
Wallace, Drumma Boy, among others. Through his management activities,
Hicks also has played a key role in the career of Billboard's 2006
Urban Songwriter of the Year, Johnta Austin. Hicks' ability to unite
artists and songwriters that result in hit records has earned him a
reputation as a leading industry executive. For example, Hicks
brought Mary J. Blige several songs on her Grammy-Award winning album
"Breakthrough" including the track "Be Without You" which won Grammys
for "Best R&B Song" and "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance." Hicks is
credited for his A&R work on Blige's recent "Reflections" album and
served as Executive Producer of LeToya's eponymous debut album.
Hicks joined Warner/Chappell as a Vice President, Urban A&R in 2004
and played a key role in striking publishing agreements with T.I.,
Lil' Wayne, Yung Joc, LeToya, Eric Hudson and Lloyd, among others.
Hicks spearheaded Warner/Chappell's purchase of the Timbaland catalog
and his re-signing in 2006, as well as the re-signing of Dr. Dre in
2005. Through Hicks' efforts, Warner/Chappell has also secured a
number of finder/co-publishing agreements with: Mosley Music (Danja);
SwishaHouse (Mike Jones and Paul Wall); Grand Hustle (Young Dro and
Lil' C); First 'N' Gold (Trick Daddy, Trina, and Rick Ross); December
First Publishing (Kendrick Dean); and Block Entertainment (Yung Joc).
About Warner/Chappell Music
Warner/Chappell Music is WMG's award-winning global music publishing
company. The Warner/Chappell Music catalog includes standards such as
"Happy Birthday To You," "Rhapsody in Blue," "Winter Wonderland," the
songs of Cole Porter and George and Ira Gershwin, as well as the music
of Dido, Dr. Dre, Eric Clapton, Green Day, Led Zeppelin, Madonna,
Nickelback, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sheryl Crow, T.I. and others.
Warner/Chappell Music is a leader in creating innovative strategies
for marketing and promoting its songwriters and their music. The
company's extensive catalog makes it a natural first stop for A&R
executives and record producers, feature film and television
production companies, and others looking to record or license some of
the world's greatest music.
About Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is celebrating its 60th Anniversary in 2007.
Founded in New York City, the label grew from literally a one-room
operation into one of the world's preeminent music companies.
Atlantic has released a string of recordings that have had a profound
impact on the course of modern music, its rich history including such
musical icons as Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, John Coltrane, and Led
Zeppelin.
The Atlantic roster today includes many of the world's most popular
recording artists, among them Bjoerk, James Blunt, Tracy Chapman,
Phil Collins, Death Cab For Cutie, Missy Elliott, Gnarls Barkley, Jet,
Jewel, Juvenile, Kid Rock, Lil' Kim, matchbox twenty, Jason Mraz,
Musiq Soulchild, Panic! At The Disco, Sean Paul, Pretty Ricky, Rush,
Shinedown, Staind, Rob Thomas, T.I., Trick Daddy, Twista, Yusuf, and
many more.
Please visit www.atlanticrecords.com for more information.