Atlantic Records‘ Craig Kallman is moving to a new role as chief music officer at parent company Warner Music Group, The Hollywood Reporter can exclusively reveal, as the long-venerated executive officially ends a three-decade run at the historic label for a broader A&R posting at the corporate level.
With his new role, Kallman will focus on signing artists through Big Beat Records, the record label he’d founded in the ’80s before it was acquired by WMG in 1991, when Kallman first joined the company. Kallman will report to WMG CEO Robert Kyncl, and his signees at Big Beat will be worked through WMG’s US labels, which include both Atlantic and Warner Records.
Kallman’s first new Big Beat signing in this era is the producer Elkan, who produced Drake and PartyNextDoor’s double-platinum hit “Nokia” this year. He’ll release his EP “The Baby Bundle” on Friday through Atlantic.
“I’m deeply grateful for my time at Atlantic, where I’ve had the privilege of contributing to the careers of so many remarkable artists,” Kallman said in a statement Tuesday. “It’s been great seeing Elliot take the helm and open a bold new chapter in the label’s illustrious history. I am excited to take on this new role and work alongside our outstanding A&R teams around the world, while reimagining the Big Beat brand as a force across genres. As my first signing, Elkan is a statement of intent, which underscores my commitment to nurture and champion extraordinary, trailblazing talent.”
There’s arguably no record executive more synonymous with a label over the past 30 years than Kallman with Atlantic. Since he joined Atlantic in 1991, Kallman became widely respected as one of the best A&Rs in the industry, with some of his early Atlantic signings being Brandy, Aaliyah and Timbaland.
By the early 2000s, he was a co-president of the label, and he was named chairman and CEO of Atlantic in 2005. While he was CEO, Atlantic had signed major acts including Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Cardi B, Lizzo and Death Cab for Cutie among many others. He was also a key architect of Cardi B’s diamond-certified smash hit “I Like It,” for which he received a producer credit.
Kallman spent nearly two decades leading the label alongside Julie Greenwald, Atlantic Music Group’s former chairman and CEO. In a major changing of the guard, Elliot Grainge took over as CEO of Atlantic Music Group (AMG) in October 2024, and Greenwald stepped down from her post, as did 300 Elektra chairman Kevin Liles. Kallman himself had his title changed from CEO of Atlantic Records to chief music officer.
Kallman’s move comes amid continued change at both Atlantic and the Warner Music Group parent company. Back in July, WMG had announced a $300 million cost-savings program, which included $170 million in headcount reductions across the company. Meanwhile at Atlantic, back in August Marsha St. Hubert was appointed co-president of 10K Projects and Executive Vice President at Atlantic Music Group, while Molly McLachlan was also promoted to Atlantic Music Group EVP. And Dave Rocco, who joined AMG last year, was appointed to the new role of chief creative officer.
“Craig has helped shape the sound and direction of modern music, leaving a lasting imprint on artists, fans, and the industry at large,” WMG CEO Robert Kyncl said in a statement. “With decades of experience working at the highest level with the biggest stars, he will be an invaluable creative force and deep resource in his new post … helping drive and support A&R strategy and artist development across WMG, signing exciting new talent, and collaborating with our label leaders to bring bold, original music to the world.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.hollywoodreporter.com ’
