WMG Vietnam Managing Director Lisa Nguyen (photo: Warner Music Group)
Warner Music Group (WMG) has officially launched Warner Music Vietnam, with tech executive and University of Economics graduate Lisa Nguyen serving as managing director.
Warner Music announced its Vietnamese expansion this morning, with details emailed to Digital Music News shortly after kickoff. The affiliate wing is situated in Vietnam’s most populous city, Ho Chi Minh City, which is home to approximately nine million individuals. Additionally, Warner tabbed Lisa Nguyen, a former executive at Vietnamese tech company Zing Media, to lead the Vietnamese operations. Nguyen will report to Simon Robson, who serves as president of Warner Music Asia.
Addressing the debut of Warner Music Vietnam and Lisa Nguyen’s coming aboard, Robson said: “It’s vital that we [Warner Music Group] have a presence on the ground. I’m delighted that Lisa is heading our team [in Vietnam]. This is a milestone moment in Warner’s strategy of expanding its international footprint in our ever more globalized music market.”
Lisa Nguyen, for her part, stated: “It’s an honor to lead Warner Recorded Music’s expansion into Vietnam. We’re hitting the ground running and signing some amazing artists.”
In March, WMG opened offices in India, another rapidly developing music market. Moreover, the Big Three label has also established a foothold in Turkey and Peru during the last year.
Other companies are also working to reach fans in emerging industries; back in February, Live Nation planted a flag in Singapore, following the acquisition of a high-profile Taiwanese ticketing company.
The cited Warner Music release noted the success of multiple (already-signed) domestic acts, including Vũ and Chillies. To be sure, Chillies had secured the number one and two spots on Spotify’s Top 200 Vietnam chart at the time of this writing, beating the likes of Justin Bieber’s “Intentions” (number four) and BTS’s “ON” (number eight).
Presumably, Warner Music Vietnam employees will work from home until the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic subsides. Last week, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc signed a 15-day-long lockdown order that prohibits residents from leaving home except to purchase food and medical supplies.