BRISBANE, Australia — Warner Music Group is taking another step towards realizing its ambitions for Asia, with the appointment of Chris Gobalakrishna and Jonathan Serbin to jointly oversee operations across the region.
Announced today (Nov. 4), Gobalakrishna and Serbin are named co-presidents Warner Music Asia, reporting to Simon Robson, president, International, Recorded Music, Warner Music Group.
Both executives are based in Hong Kong, and they’ll be expected to expand the major music company’s presence across Asia, a goal high on WMG’s agenda for several years.
Speaking with Billboard in 2019, Robson pointed out the significance of the region and, in particular, China, which had the potential as the largest recorded music market “in a few years.”
Getting “China right is crucial to the future of our company,” he told this reporter. Part of that process was “investing in great artists and rebooting our senior leadership team structure.”
The promotions for Gobalakrishna and Serbin, both “hugely talented and experienced execs who’ve already been very impactful at Warner Music Asia,” says Robson of their new roles, is part of that ongoing plan.
Gobalakrishna joined Warner Music Asia in May 2020 as senior VP, finance and operations, while Serbin came into the fold November 2020, becoming CEO of Greater China and head of strategic investment.
Their skills “complement each other perfectly and make for a formidable partnership,” adds Robson, “which will be hugely beneficial to growing the success of Warner Music’s domestic and international artists in Asia and beyond.”
Warner Music has been steadily building its business in Asia over the past decade, during which time the company has acquired the catalogs of Gold Typhoon (2014) and ISS (2016); launched an affiliate in Vietnam (2020); and several new labels, including Japan’s +809 (2019) and Whet Records (2021); and welcomed to the region its independent artist and label services arm ADA (2020).
Gobalakrishna and Serbin will “accelerate this strategy over the coming years,” in the coming years, reads a WMG statement unveiling their new roles.
Asia’s potential is no secret. In a marketplace that’s now dominated by digital products, recorded music revenue in 2020 grew by 9.5%, according to the IFPI’s Global Music Report. Excluding Japan, the trade body reports, Asia would have been the fastest-growing region, with “exceptional growth” of nearly 30% year-on-year.
WMG’s own business has gone through change in the past year. Last November, Robson, the president of Warner Music Asia since 2015, was tapped to become the president of International, Recorded Music, effectively assuming Stu Bergen’s responsibilities for international recorded music.
And earlier this year, long-standing ARIA and PPCA chief executive Dan Rosen was recruited to lead WMG’s presence Down Under, as president, Australasia.
