Warner Music China artist Loura Lou
Warner Music Group has announced that Andy Ma has been appointed CEO of Warner Music China in a new shakeup that will see Jackson Wong leaving the company.
Wong was appointed Managing Director of Warner Music China in March of last year, reporting to then CEO Sam Chen.
Andy Ma previously served as Warner Music’s Chief Commercial Officer for Greater China and Senior Vice President of Commercial Business Development for Greater China and South East Asia. Ma joined Warner Music Group in 2011 and served as Vice President for Warner Music China before moving to his Senior VP position in 2015.
He’s worked with the company for several years to create licensing deals between the label and Asian digital music services like Taiwan’s KKBOX and South Korea’s Melon. Warner Music hopes that Ma’s move to CEO will help the company capture more market share in one of the fastest-growing markets for digital music.
China became one of the top 10 countries for total recorded music sales for the first time in 2017, moving up from the 19th position in 2014. Estimated annual industry revenues for the region increased 35.3% in that time, up to $292.3 million (USD). Ma’s expertise in working with regional labels should help expand Warner Music Group’s presence in China and is part of a broader realignment of top executives.
Jackson Wong isn’t the only top exec leaving the company in this new shakeup, as former CEO Sam Chen departed the company a few weeks ago. Wong was in charge of running the daily operations of the label’s Beijing office but will be pursuing new opportunities.
Based on emails sent to DMN this morning, WMG believes Ma is the perfect person to manage its Chinese operations going forward. A representative for the company commented that Ma is “well placed to drive our business there forward.”