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Warner appointments: Phil Christie, Jo Smith

By | Published on Thursday 6 February 2014

Warner Music

Announcements from both sides of the Warner Music empire yesterday.

First up, Phil Christie has been appointed to the role of Head Of A&R at the major’s Warner Bros UK label which, those paying attention to such things will remember, now sits alongside Parlophone in the firm’s new corporate structure, meaning he will report into Miles Leonard, overseer of Parlophone/Warner Bros.

Joining the Warner Bros label from an A&R role in Warner’s publishing division (don’t worry, Warner/Chappell MD Richard Manners is OK with the move, we checked), the there mentioned Leonard said of Christie’s appointment: “Phil is a world-class A&R talent with great ears and understanding of what makes a successful artist. He will be a fantastic addition to the newly-strengthened team we have in place at Warner Bros UK”.

Meanwhile, back at Warner/Chappell there will soon be a new Director Of Legal And Business Affairs in the house, in the form of Jo Smith, who is leaping over the wall from Sony/ATV, being a fan of music publishers with slashes in their name.

Says the aforementioned Manners, aka Warner/Chappell M/D: “I am thrilled Jo is joining Warner/Chappell at such an exciting time for us and our writers. She is known throughout the industry for her pioneering approach and strategic thinking, as well as her impressive negotiation skills. With Jo heading our legal and business affairs I am confident that we will continue to secure successful partnerships with world-class songwriters and provide them with a dynamic service that maximises revenue generating opportunities for their compositions”.



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