The music industry’s game of executive musical chairs just got a lot more interesting. Jim Roppo, the chairman and CEO of Republic Records, has exited the label to become COO at Warner Records, where he’ll report directly to chairman/CEO Aaron Bay-Schuck. It’s a major move for a guy who spent nearly 30 years at Universal Music Group.
Roppo’s track record speaks for itself. He joined Republic in 2012 and helped steer campaigns for some of the biggest names in music, including Drake, The Weeknd, Ariana Grande, and Post Malone. Before that, he worked across sales, marketing, and commerce at UMG, kicking off his career back in 1988 at LA’s famed Aron’s Records, right as vinyl was giving way to CDs. He’s basically seen every format evolution the industry has thrown at us.
The timing is notable too. Warner just promoted former Warner Records COO Tom Corson to COO of the entire Warner Music Group, and UMG has been going through its own leadership shake-ups. When the top brass moves around like this, it often signals new priorities for the artists we love. So which label do you think has the stronger roster right now? Let us know in the comments.
About the Author
Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.