The major label dance music expansion into Asia continues today with Warner Music Asia’s launch of Whet Records. Servicing pan-Asia, the label will be operated by Jonathan Serbin, the CEO of Warner Music Greater China.
A dance music veteran and the former head of Billboard Asia and CEO of Mixmag Asia, Serbin has served as executive producer on tracks by electronic artists including KSHMR, Ferry Corsten, Steve Aoki and Jane Zhang. He founded Whet Records in xx and aims to work with emerging and established artists to provide distribution, marketing, management and more.
“Whet will blend the power of Warner Music’s network and expertise with the DNA of a true electronic music label,” Simon Robson, Warner’s President of International Recorded Music, says in a statement. “Jonathan has worked quickly to get this off the ground and we’re excited to show the world the talent brewing throughout Asia.”
Whet Records is the most recent major label launch into Asia, where Sony Music, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group have all been setting up local imprints for the past few years. On the dance front, Sony and Tencent Music Entertainment launched a joint venture imprint, Liquid State, in 2018, UMG announced the Singapore-based Astralwerks Asia in 2019 and Dutch heavyweight dance label Spinnin’ expanded into Asia that same year via a deal with parent company Warner.
Whet’s first signing is Chinese DJ and producer Lizzy Wang, who has performed at major dance music festivals including Ultra, Electric Daisy Carnival, Jungle Festival and the Singapore F1 Grand Prix. Her Whet Records debut, “Flexy” is out now.
