Darcus Beese Joins Warner Music UK
• On the heels of today’s news that A&R pros Imran Majid and Justin Eshak have been appointed Co-CEOs of Island Records, effective on Jan. 1, 2022, it was announced that former Island Pres. & CEO Darcus Beese is joining Warner Music UK (WMUK) on July 1 in the newly created dual role as EVP, WMUK and President of a new joint-venture record label.
Beese will report to WMUK CEO Tony Harlow, who said, “For the entire time I’ve been in the music business I’ve heard about Darcus as a truly great music man — a person who heard great music in every and any genre, and could care and nurture artists to bring the best out of them. Darcus was a talent who could actually add to the legacy of a label as great as Island Records and who understood that labels need to build a culture both musically and of success. Darcus would sign smashes and then balance them with important records that needed to be made and voices that needed to be heard. I couldn’t be more pleased to have persuaded him to join us at Warner Music as he embodies so much of what we stand for and what we want to stand for. He’s going to help me shape the future of Warner Music and help us by bringing compelling, urgent music to us through his label.”
Beese began his music industry career in 1989 as an intern in the Island Records promotion department before moving into A&R. He progressed steadily through the ranks at Island Records UK, becoming A&R Director, then co-President of the label in 2008, and President in 2013. During his tenure at Island, Beese signed and guided the careers of numerous notable artists, including Amy Winehouse, Ben Howard, Bon Jovi, Demi Lovato, Dizzee Rascal, Jessie J, Florence and the Machine, Mumford & Sons, Shawn Mendes, Sugababes, Taio Cruz, The Killers and U2, to name a few. In 2018 Beese moved to the U.S. to take on the President & CEO role before leaving the label and returning home to the UK earlier this year.
Beese said, “Working at Island for as long as I did, I was never going to be comfortable working for another label. Talking to Max [Lousada] and Tony crystallized that the natural next step for me was to head up my own label while still being part of a broader record company leadership team. I’ve known Max, Tony, and the team for a long time, and their commitment to building a community that inspires and supports its artists is very much in line with my own philosophy, so I couldn’t be more pleased to be taking this next step with Warner Music. I’m looking forward to working together to create a label that puts artists at its heart, moves the cultural needle, and delivers music that stands the test of time. I want to thank Max and Tony for this wonderful new opportunity.”
