Burke Named Pres., Warner Music Canada
• Kristen Burke has been appointed as the new President of Warner Music Canada, effective October 18. She succeeds Steve Kane (right), who has served as President of Warner Music Canada since 2004.
Burke (left) spent the past 20+ years with Universal Music Canada, rising to most recent role of EVP & General Manager in Jan. 2018. In her new position she will be based at Warner Music Canada’s Toronto office and report to Simon Robson, President, International, Recorded Music at Warner Music Group, who commented, “We’re so excited that Kristen is coming onboard to lead Warner Music Canada. It’s such a key territory given the incredible talent which has come out of Canada over the years. Kristen has a great reputation across the industry, combining great strategic insight with an instinctive empathy for artists.”
Burke said, “I’m honored to be asked to head up Warner Music Canada. As a country, we’ve always been a hotbed for talent that goes on to find a global stage and I want to make sure that we’re tapping into the diverse music scenes across Canada to help develop the next generation of talent. Steve has built an incredible team here and I know we’re going to do him proud as we write the next chapter in Warner Music Canada’s story.”
Under Kane’s leadership, Warner Music Canada was named Label of the Year three years running at the Canadian Country Music Awards. More recently, Kane was instrumental in the launch of 4N Records, a JV label fronted by the artist Ikky Singh which focuses on the exciting and fast-growing genre of Punjabi music. He was inducted into the Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame in 2015. Robson remarked, “I want to pay a huge tribute to Steve for almost two decades of service. He’s a hugely respected figure in the Canadian music industry, and a much valued colleague, who has signed and worked with some of the most compelling acts in Canada over the years. We wish him all the best for the future.”
