Contact Information: Contact: Amanda Collins (212) 275-2213 Email Contact Sheila Richman (212) 707-3063 Email Contact
Christopher Hicks Named Senior Vice President, Urban A&R for Warner Music Group's Atlantic Records Group and Warner/Chappell Music
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
| Source: Warner Music Group
NEW YORK, NY -- (MARKET WIRE) -- April 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 Björk, 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.