Changing Of The Guard At Parlophone
Miles Leonard, Chairman of Parlophone Records, announced he will step away from the running of the label in January 2018. Leonard (left), who has worked at the iconic record company for 23 years, will remain in an advisory A&R role and support the leadership transition until late 2018, after which he will continue working with Warner Music on key artists and special projects. Mark Mitchell (below, left), GM of Atlantic Records UK has been named as co-President of Parlophone Records, effective January 1, 2018. He will report to Max Lousada, CEO Recorded Music, WMG & Chairman and CEO, Warner Music UK.
Leonard, who has signed and nurtured artists like Coldplay, Gorillaz, Tinie Tempah, Royal Blood, Blur, Kylie, Paul Weller and Lily Allen said, “Working at Parlophone has been the adventure of a lifetime. It’s been a privilege to be the custodian of a label that occupies such a unique place in popular culture and to have worked with so many unique and inspiring artists, managers and teams. It was a difficult decision, but now really is the right time for me to give up my day-to-day responsibilities so I can focus solely on the music and artists I love. Mitch and I have known each other for many years. He is driven, passionate and he’s a great guy. Stepping down is both easy and exciting when passing Parlophone on to a leader of his caliber. I just hope he’s also ready for the next 23 years…”
Lousada commented, “Miles is the definition of music man. Under his guidance Parlophone has discovered and championed seminal artists who’ve released important, much-loved music and been wildly successful doing it. Miles has always understood that true artist development takes a lot of heart and he brings that to everything he does, so I’m excited for how his relationship with Warner will evolve and grateful for his extraordinary contribution to music over the past two decades.” Weighing in on Mitchell, Lousada said, “I couldn’t be happier that Mitch is taking on this role. He has the rare skill of understanding how to break artists as well as delivering massive moments for global superstars. He thinks like an indie while operating in a major, which means a diverse array of artists have flourished thanks to his expertise. This is a fantastic new chapter for Mitch and for Parlophone.”
Mitchell said, “It’s an honour to work for such a prestigious label that’s considered a bastion of British cultural influence. Parlophone has never been scared to embrace distinctive and disruptive talent and that’s a tradition that I’m looking forward to continuing. I’d like to thank Miles for his support and Max for this remarkable opportunity.”
