Mike Chester appointed CEO of Warner Records
Mike Chester has been named the CEO of Warner Records.
Most recently, he served as a performer for promotion and commerce. In his newly expanded role, Chester will supervise marketing, digital marketing, artist development, and viral marketing, while maintaining oversight of promotion and commerce.
Chester’s leadership and experience
According to Warner Records, Chester will spearhead the creation of “innovative campaigns for marketing and development of artists,” contributing to the label’s goal of becoming the premier label for artist development in the music industry.
Chester is based at the company’s headquarters in Los Angeles and reports to co-chair and chief operating officer Tom Corson.
He will collaborate closely with Corson and general director and co-chairman Aaron Bay-Shakh to establish company goals and strategies for artist releases.
Chester joined Warner Records from Scooter Braun’s SB Projects, where he served for four years as SVP of marketing and promotion, working closely with chart-toppers such as Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande.
Previously, he spent over a decade at Def Jam Recordings, where he rose to the position of vice president of advancement.
Chester kickstarted his career at Arista Records, later moving to Atlantic Records before joining Island Jam in 2004.
“He has extraordinary leadership qualities, has excellent skills in relations with the artist and knows how to balance everything with confidence, compassion and honesty.”
Tom Corson and Aaron Bay-Shakh
Reflecting on Chester’s promotion, Corson and Bay-Shakh remarked: “Mike played a key role in the successful revitalization of Warner Records since he joined the label in 2018. He is completely prepared to take on the responsibilities of general manager, as we continue our push to the forefront.”
“He possesses remarkable leadership qualities, exceptional artist relationship skills, and knows how to maintain equilibrium with confidence, compassion, and honesty.”
“He is an invaluable part of our senior management team, and we are confident that he will continue to thrive and innovate in his new role.”
“The team here at Warner is phenomenal, and our roster of artists—from emerging talents to superstars—has no equal.”
Mike Chester
Chester expressed his excitement about this new chapter in his career: “I am thrilled to take this next step under the remarkable leadership of Tom and Aaron.”
“The team here at Warner is exceptional, and our roster of artists—from new talents to superstars—stands unmatched.”
“We are proud to be the premier label for artist development, and we are continuously discovering new opportunities to bring even more music to fans. I look forward to driving promotion, innovation, and career-building in this dynamic and rapidly evolving music landscape.”
