Scott Cohen will now help chart Warner Music Group’s long-term music strategy.
In addition to its brand-new deal with Dubset, Warner Music Group (WMG) has confirmed a major hire.
Scott Cohen, Co-Founder of Sony’s The Orchard, will now serve as Chief Innovation Officer.
In the newly created role, he’ll work closely and report to Max Lousada, WMG’s CEO of Recorded Music. Cohen will also work with other members of Warner’s senior management team to help chart the long-term course of the company “at the intersection of music, technology, and culture.”
The move comes after Cohen confirmed his retirement from The Orchard last month. He had served at the digital distributor for 22 years after founding the company alongside Richard Gottehrer. The company first launched as a way to support indie musicians in selling their music to a larger audience. In 2004, The Orchard claimed to be the first digital distribution company to hit 1 million paid downloads on iTunes.
Four years ago, Sony purchased The Orchard from Dimensional Associates, which bought the digital distributor in 2003. Two years ago, Sony merged the digital distributor with RED, operating both companies under The Orchard brand. This created a large-scale global digital distribution company which now operates across 40 global territories.
Cohen first started his career in the music industry in the late 80s in artist management.
He remains a proponent of AR, VR, blockchain technology, and AI. Cohen also co-founded CyborgNest. The company explores biological and digital intelligence interfaces.
Speaking about his new position, he said,
“It’s no longer enough for entertainment companies to merely embrace change, they need to create the future themselves.
“What attracted me to Warner was the sense that Max and his team are building an environment where truly original, disruptive ideas can flourish.
“Warner is uniquely positioned to take an agile but principled approach to growing the universe of opportunity for music.”
Lousada added,
“Scott spots and champions emerging technology with the same level of passion, creativity and ambition that our A&Rs bring to artist development.
“A valuable addition to our senior team, he’ll be an amazing brand ambassador and thought-leader, who joins a great lineage of maverick entrepreneurs at the independent major.”