Press Named Pres., N. America, Warner Chappell
• Warner Chappell Music (WCM), the global publishing arm of Warner Music Group, announced the promotion of Ryan Press to President, North America. In his new role, Press will have direct oversight of WCM’s North American business and help drive overall strategy, with a focus on the U.S. and Canada. Vivian Barclay, Managing Director, Canada, will report directly to Press. In addition, Press will remain the publisher’s A&R lead for the U.S., excluding Nashville and Miami, and continue to report to WCM Co-Chairs, CEO Guy Mootand COO Carianne Marshall.
In a joint statement, Moot and Marshall said, “A master connector and dealmaker, Ryan has continued to grow as an exceptional leader and executive, and it’s been incredible to see his progression at Warner Chappell. He’s built a powerhouse U.S. A&R department and an award-winning roster, while becoming a highly regarded mentor to both our songwriters and our people. Ryan’s also been an invaluable partner to us and instrumental in Warner Chappell’s transformation, and we’re very proud to have him broaden his scope to help guide our business in the U.S. and Canada.”
Press remarked, “I’ve been with Warner Chappell for more than 12 years now and taking on this new role is a huge challenge that I’ve been working towards since day one. I’m incredibly humbled and grateful to Guy and Carianne for the opportunity and wouldn’t be here without the support of my incredible A&R team. I’m blessed to get to work alongside them every single day. I also want to thank the inspiring leaders and mentors who prepared me personally to get to this moment and those who came before me and opened the doors for people who look like me to achieve our dreams.”
Since 2019, Press has led Warner Chappell’s U.S. A&R efforts, managing the L.A. and New York offices, along with key regions such as Atlanta. With Press at the helm, the team has signed and extended deals with an impressive list of global superstars and A-list songwriters and producers in the past two years, including Cardi B, Jhené Aiko, Saweetie, Anderson .Paak, Tones & I, Daniel Caesar, Travis Barker, the late Pop Smoke, 42 Dugg, Lizzo, jxdn, Belly, Jenna Andrews, Pi’erre Bourne, Greta Van Fleet, d.a. got that dope, Mike WiLL Made-It, Yeti Beats, Lydia Asrat, Santigold, Fousheé, X Ambassadors, Sean Garrett, Carter Lang, and many more. He also brought Summer Walker into the fold in 2019 — right before she became a breakout act with the biggest release from a female artist since Lemonade – and re-signed her earlier this year. In addition, he’s been instrumental in delivering hit singles for Rihanna, Post Malone, Swae Lee, Miley Cyrus, Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, DJ Khaled, and most recently for Kane Brown‘s “Be Like That” (ft. Swae Lee and Khalid).
Press began his career with Warner Chappell in 2009 as Sr. Director, A&R, before being promoted to VP, A&R, followed by Co-Head, A&R, U.S., and then President, A&R, U.S. Prior to Warner Chappell, Press helmed Press Conference Management, an artist, songwriter, and producer management firm, and worked as a creative consultant at Notting Hill Music Publishing. He earlier served in a co-management capacity at the J. Erving Group, and was also a manager and record producer at Day One Productions.
In 2020, Press was named as a founding member of the advisory panel for the Warner Music Group/Blavatnik Family Foundation Social Justice Fund, where he helps oversee the $100 million effort to invest in organizations focused on underserved populations, with heightened attention given to Black communities. Last year, Press was also recognized on Variety‘s New Leaders report as well as its Hitmakers list. He’s also been named one of Billboard‘s R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players for the last five years running and was featured in its “40 Under 40 Power Players” list in 2015. [Photo Credit: Jonathan Weiner]
