Warner Music Group‘s newly launched Elektra Music Group, which will arrive on October 1, has announced its first A&R appointments as Will McDonald and Shawn Cohen.
Formerly of Dualtone, McDonald will be based in Nashville as Vice President, A&R and Marketing, while Cohen, who has been a consultant, will work from Los Angeles as Senior Director, A&R.
They both report to New York-based Elektra Music Group Co-Presidents Mike Easterlin and Gregg Nadel.
McDonald (pictured, right) has spent the past decade with Nashville-based independent label Dualtone Music Group, most recently as Senior Director of A&R and Marketing.
He was instrumental in signing much of the company’s roster, including multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated folk rock band the Lumineers, as well as Shovels & Rope, Shakey Graves, Mt. Joy, and many others.
Alongside his A&R duties, McDonald was involved in the marketing and product management of all of the label’s releases.
Cohen (pictured, left) has been working as an A&R consultant, and is responsible for signing The Revivalists, who scored with the #1-charting, RIAA gold single, ‘Wish I Knew You.’ He has also worked with artists such as Jillette Johnson, Allday, and SPEAK.
He previously spent six years at Wind-up Records, rising to Senior Director of A&R before leaving in 2016.
While there, he worked with artists such as the Griswolds, Citizen Zero, Crobot, Young Guns, and Filter, and spearheaded the formation of Eclypse Records with Feenixpawl.
“Signing and nurturing authentic artists will be at the core of everything we do, so it’s only fitting that our first staff announcement is about two of the most creative, independent-thinking young A&R people in the business.”
Mike Easterlin and Gregg Nadel, elektra music group
Easterlin and Nadel said: “As we said when we announced the launch of Elektra Music Group, we’re going to be passionately devoted to long-term artist development.
“Signing and nurturing authentic artists will be at the core of everything we do, so it’s only fitting that our first staff announcement is about two of the most creative, independent-thinking young A&R people in the business.
“Will and Shawn come to us with great experience in discovering and working with original, compelling artists.
“And with Will in Nashville and Shawn in LA, we’ll solidify our cross-country A&R presence, which will enable us to build a dynamic roster of world-class talent.”
Elektra Music Group will include Elektra, Fueled By Ramen (FBR), Roadrunner, Low Country Sound, and Black Cement Records.
Its roster will include artists such as Twenty One Pilots, Sturgill Simpson, Zac Brown Band, Brandi Carlile, Fitz and the Tantrums, Paramore, Slipknot, Panic! At The Disco, Coheed and Cambria, Kaleo, Gojira, and others.
At launch, Elektra Music Group will boast a 60-plus member team embracing all key music company functions, which will be led and staffed by a combination of current members of the Atlantic, Elektra, FBR, and Roadrunner teams, as well as new hires.
More staff details will be announced shortly.
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