Veteran music exec Alain Lanceron is stepping back from his role as President of Warner Classics & Erato to take up the position of Chairman Emeritus at the classical music labels, Warner Music Group said on Monday (December 15).
At the same time, David Bither, President of WMG’s Nonsesuch Records, will expand his role to include oversight of Warner Classics & Erato, while Markus Petersen, currently SVP Global Operations & Business Development, Classics, is being promoted to the new role of Executive VP & General Manager, Warner Classics.
Lanceron had been President of Warner Classics & Erato since 2014, following WMG’s acquisition of Parlophone Label Group (PLG), which included the EMI Classics label, where Lanceron had been Director, and the Virgin Classics label, where he had served as President.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to lead Warner Classics and Erato for the past eleven years,” Lanceron said in a statement.
“Working with so many brilliant and talented artists to both revitalize and premiere some of the greatest music ever created has been a dream come true. While I am stepping back from the day-to-day management to pursue other interests, I look forward to working closely with David, Markus, our great artists and wonderful team on the label’s strategic future.”
Bither added: “Alain has made outstanding contributions to the vitality of not only Warner Classics but the broader classical universe, and I know I will be drawing on his insight and support in his new role.
“I’d also like to congratulate Markus on his new post. We live in an era where classical composers and performers take inspiration from a wide range of musical influences. We look forward to bringing music both contemporary and historic to global audiences as we expand upon the rich history of Warner Classics.”
“While I am stepping back from the day-to-day management to pursue other interests, I look forward to working closely with David, Markus, our great artists and wonderful team on the label’s strategic future.”
Alain Lanceron, Warner Classics & Erato
Bither was named Co-President of Nonesuch Records in 2016, and became sole president the following year. He has been with the label since 1995, when he joined as Senior Vice President. WMG describes him as having an “instrumental role” in the label’s A&R direction and the development of its distinctive culture. His earlier resume includes roles at Warner Communications and WMG’s Elektra Records, where he was Senior Vice President and General Manager.
Like Lanceron, Petersen joined WMG through the merger with Parlophone. He was serving as EVP, Global Operations and Business Development at EMI Classics at the time. He previously held posts at Naxos, Universal Music Group and PolyGram International, in addition to heading up his own music and digital distribution consultancy firm.
Warner Classics and sister label Erato are home to the catalogs of EMI Classics, Virgin Classics and Teldec, and renowned artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Daniel Barenboim, Nigel Kennedy, Hélène Grimaud, and Natalie Dessay. Current notable artists include Sir Antonio Pappano, Piotr Anderszewski, Gautier Capuçon, Joyce DiDonato, Jakub Józef Orliński, Philippe Jaroussky, Bertrand Chamayou, Alexandre Tharaud, the Quatuor Ébène, Beatrice Rana, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Emmanuel Pahud, Vilde Frang, and Augustin Hadelich.
Although Nonesuch today operates across many modern music genres, the label notably began life as a classical label when it was launched by Elektra’s Jac Holzman in 1964. Today the label covers works in jazz, American roots music, alternative music, world music, classical music, and soundtracks and music theater.Music Business Worldwide
