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Warner Music Group Announces Transition in Digital Strategy Team
| Source: Warner Music Group
NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - February 25, 2008) - Warner Music Group Corp. (NYSE : WMG ) announced
today a leadership transition of its digital strategy team. Effective June
1, 2008, Michael Nash will be promoted to Executive Vice President, Digital
Strategy and Business Development, succeeding Alejandro (Alex) Zubillaga.
In his new role, Nash will be responsible for the company's worldwide
digital strategy and business development activity including key
initiatives driving Internet and mobile commerce, and new music-based
products and services.
Nash has served as WMG's Senior Vice President, Digital Strategy and
Business Development since February 1, 2000. In his new role, he will
report to WMG Chairman and CEO, Edgar Bronfman, Jr. Zubillaga has agreed
to remain with WMG through June 1, 2008 to ensure a seamless transition.
Following his departure from WMG, Zubillaga will pursue entrepreneurial
activities in media and other businesses.
In making the announcement, Bronfman said, "Over the past four years, WMG
has established itself as a leader in the music industry's transition to
the digital era with innovative initiatives at the core of its corporate
strategy. During that critical period, Alex helped set the company on the
right course. Alex has brought a non-traditional approach to the music
business based on his history as a venture capitalist and in building a
successful media company. Most of all, his talent, imagination and
enthusiasm, have been critical in enabling WMG develop its aggressive,
industry-leading digital strategy. We are sad to see Alex leave but we
wish him all the best in his next endeavors."
Bronfman continued, "We are very pleased to have Michael Nash, one of the
architects of our digital success and a professional of great experience
and talent, assume Alex's role. Over the past eight years, Michael has
demonstrated his ability to find the right opportunities, create the key
partnerships and deliver on the deals that have become a cornerstone of
this company's future. I am confident of his ability to successfully lead
our digital strategy."
Zubillaga said: "Since joining the company, my mission has been to make WMG
the most innovative, experimental and creative major music company in the
digital space. Through numerous groundbreaking partnerships, we've put in
place a strategy that will benefit both the company and its artists. I
leave knowing that Michael is the ideal executive to lead WMG's digital
efforts into the next phase of growth and beyond. While I am eager to
return to my entrepreneurial roots, I'll miss the phenomenal team at WMG."
"It has never been clearer that digital opportunities are key to the music
industry's future growth," said Nash. "Having worked with new media and
emerging technologies for most of my career, and having been on the
frontlines of WMG's digital efforts for the past eight years, I am eager to
extend the company's digital leadership position. It has been my great
pleasure and privilege to work with and learn from Alex. I look forward to
overseeing the very capable and dedicated team he has assembled to execute
WMG's digital strategy."
Nash has been labeled a "visionary" by The Atlantic Monthly, and since
joining WMG in 2000, has overseen WMG's new media projects, strategic
relationships and business development activities. Nash has also played a
key role in building WMG's distribution footprint and partnership
portfolio, including important initiatives with AT&T, Amazon, Google,
Microsoft, Motorola, Verizon and Sony Ericsson. In addition to his
responsibilities for driving WMG's worldwide digital revenues, Nash has
focused on development and execution of WMG's wireless strategy,
spearheading deployment of new mobile music services and establishing a
number of industry milestones.
In recent years, WMG has aggressively developed new product and
distribution opportunities in the mobile and online music spaces. Four
years ago, WMG had virtually no digital revenue. In the first quarter of
2008, WMG's digital revenue of $141 million represented 14% of the
company's total revenue and 22% of its total U.S. Recorded Music revenue.
Last year, based on SoundScan data, WMG maintained its digital leadership
with the greatest U.S. digital album share advantage over physical album
share of any of the major music companies.
Before joining WMG, Zubillaga served as managing director and co-founder of
Lexa Partners LLC, a management venture capital group based in New York
City, where he was responsible for sourcing, analyzing and managing
investment opportunities in the media and technology sectors. Lexa
Partners was part of the investor group that also included Thomas H. Lee
Partners, Bain Capital and Providence Equity Partners, that purchased
Warner Music Group from Time Warner in 2004. Previously, Zubillaga served
as founder, chairman and chief executive officer of NETUNO, a leading
provider of broadband communication services in Venezuela.
About Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group became the only stand-alone music company to be publicly
traded in the United States in May 2005. 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,
Bad Boy, Cordless, East West, Elektra, Lava, Nonesuch, Reprise, Rhino,
Roadrunner, Rykodisc, Sire, Warner Bros. and Word. Warner Music
International, a leading company in national and international repertoire,
operates through numerous international affiliates and licensees in more
than 50 countries. Warner Music Group also includes Warner/Chappell Music,
one of the world's leading music publishers, with a catalog of more than
one million copyrights worldwide.