Warner Australasia head Tony Harlow scores NY posting

Tony Harlow, Managing Director of Warner Music Australasia for the past six years, is moving to New York.

He has been appointed as President of WEA Corp, effective March 1. WEA Corp is the global artist and label services, marketing, distribution, sales and research arm of Warner Music Group (WMG).

Harlow will continue to report to Stu Bergen, WMG’s CEO, International and Global Commercial Services.

Bergen said, “Over the past six years, Tony has transformed our business in Australasia. As the lines between commercial relationships and consumer-facing marketing continue to converge, and as musical boundaries between nations and cultures continue to dissolve, Tony’s deep experience and progressive viewpoint make him ideally suited to take on this pivotal post.

“WEA is a worldwide backbone that touches virtually every area of our business, and given that Tony has helped break an array of superstars, he’s ideally placed to maximize the global impact of our artists and their music.”

In his new role, Harlow will oversee an array of services that come under the WEA umbrella. These include commercial partnerships, traditional and digital sales, streaming account management and playlisting, analytics and insight, direct-to-fan and merchandising operations, content creation, media operations, legal & business affairs and finance.

“I am thrilled and honored to get an opportunity to play a more central role in the evolution and successful culture of the Warner Music Group,” said Harlow.

“I have loved working in Australia and New Zealand, and the company has enjoyed too many highs to briefly recount, but I am excited now to take those learnings and approach a fresh challenge.”

Harlow’s appointment follows the announcement earlier this year that current WEA President Matt Signore is to become COO of Warner Music Nashville.

UK-born Harlow first served in Australia in 1997 as MD of EMI Music Australia after rising through the ranks at EMI UK. He returned to the UK in 2002 after being offered the CEO role of Richard Branson’s V2 label.

When V2 was taken over by Universal Music Group in 2007, Harlow stayed briefly with Universal’s global marketing team before joining UMG’s merchandise division Bravado.

In 2010, he returned to Sydney as MD of Warner Music in Australia and New Zealand.

A replacement for Harlow will be announced “in due course”, the company said.