INDUSTRY VET STRANG NEW WARNER/CHAPPELL MUSIC CEO

Veteran music industry entrepreneur Cameron Strang has been named CEO of Warner/Chappell Music by WMG Chairman/CEO Edgar Bronfman, Jr., and Warner/Chappell Chairman/CEO Dave Johnson.

Strang, the founder of indie Americana label New West Records and Southside Independent Music Publishing, will serve as Warner/Chappell CEO effective January 1, based in L.A. Johnson will continue as Chairman until July 1, at which point Strang will assume the additional role of Warner/Chappell’s Chairman. Johnson, who had served as WMG’s EVP and General Counsel since 1999, was initially elevated to serve as interim CEO of Warner/Chappell in 2006, and was subsequently promoted to Chairman/CEO in 2007. According to documents filed with the SEC, Johnson will receive a payout of $1.8 million on exiting, receiving $700k per year from July 2011 to January 2014.

It appears that current President Scott Francis, the music publishing vet who was named to that newly created post in July, 2008, is also out.

Warner/Chappell has also acquired Strang’s Southside Independent Music Publishing, which was behind some of the biggest hits of 2010, including two of the songs nominated for Record of the Year at next month’s Grammys—B.o.B.’s “Nothin’ on You” and Cee Lo Green's "Fuck You.” Other recent hit songs on Southside include Bruno Mars’ #1 hit, “Grenade” and “Just the Way You Are”; K'Naan's "Wavin' Flag"; Brad Paisley's "American Saturday Night” and Uncle Kracker's multi-format hit, "Smile.”

Bronfman said, “Cameron’s impressive track record of identifying and signing some of the industry’s most successful emerging songwriters and catalogs, and his proven success as an entrepreneur make him the ideal executive to lead Warner/Chappell. He has that rare combination of business smarts, operational experience and creative instincts, and I’m confident he’ll be a great fit for the progressive and entrepreneurial culture that exists within WMG.”

Added Strang: “I am thrilled to be joining the WMG team, the most innovative group of executives in the business. While the decision to transition from an independent to a major was a difficult one for me, the more I got to know the WMG team--including Edgar, Dave and Lyor Cohen—the more I realized that we share a common vision of what makes a successful modern music company and how companies must serve their artists nimbly and energetically. I can’t imagine a more exciting time to be joining Warner/Chappell or a better home for Southside. I’m looking forward to working with the legendary Warner/Chappell roster of writers and catalog as well as Warner/Chappell’s many talented employees. All of whom I read about in Fortune's Fool.”

Strang is the founder of both Southside Independent Music Publishing and New West Records, and co-founder of DMZ Records, a joint venture record label he launched with Grammy-winning producer T-Bone Burnett, and Joel and Ethan Coen. Since its founding in 2004 with the signing of J.R. Rotem (who went on to write numerous hits, including Rihanna's "S.O.S," Sean Kingston's "Beautiful Girls" and Leona Lewis' "Better In Time”), Southside's roster includes, aside from Bruno Mars and Cee Lo, Nashville-based writers Ashley Gorley and Blair Daly and Christian music star Matthew West. In 2009, Southside acquired Nashville-based music publishing company Combustion Music, featuring the catalog of multi-platinum, Grammy-winning recording artists Kings of Leon.

The Southside roster also includes hits recorded by Carrie Underwood, Trace Adkins, Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney, India.Arie, Darius Rucker and Flo Rida.

Strang launched New West Records in 1995 with the signing of singer/songwriter Billy Joe Shaver. In 1998, he moved the label’s home to L.A., and in 2000, merged New West with Austin-based Doolittle Records. In 2001, the label released the Grammy-winning album Nothing Personal by roadhouse rocker Delbert McClinton, Shaver’s critically acclaimed album, The Earth Rolls On, as well as albums from breakout artist Tim Easton and the late Stephen Bruton. During the last decade, Strang and New West have built an impressive roster that includes Steve Earle, Dwight Yoakam, Kris Kristofferson, Rickie Lee Jones, Drive By Truckers, Ben Lee, Old 97's, and Buddy and Julie Miller. New West recently acquired the Texas Music Group which bosts the Antone's and the Watermelon labels and released the Oscar-winning soundtrack to the film Crazy Heart.

Strang graduated from University of British Columbia Law School in 1992.