Cohen’s move to WMG was first reported by MBW last month. The exec co-founded digital music and video distribution company The Orchard, which now operates in 40 territories and is fully owned by Sony Music Entertainment. (SME sold off The Orchard’s film and video assets in January, leaving it as a pure music distribution and services company.)
At Warner, Cohen reports to Max Lousada, WMG’s CEO, Recorded Music. According to Warner, Cohen will work closely with Lousada and other members of the firm’s senior management team to help ‘chart the long-term course of the company at the intersection of music, technology, and culture’.
“A valuable addition to our senior team, Scott will be an amazing brand ambassador and thought-leader, who joins a great lineage of maverick entrepreneurs at the independent major.”
Max Lousada, Warner Music Group
Max Lousada said: “Scott spots and champions emerging technology with the same level of passion, creativity and ambition that our A&Rs bring to artist development.
“A valuable addition to our senior team, he’ll be an amazing brand ambassador and thought-leader, who joins a great lineage of maverick entrepreneurs at the independent major.”
Scott Cohen said: “It’s no longer enough for entertainment companies to merely embrace change, they need to create the future themselves.
“What attracted me to Warner was the sense that Max and his team are building an environment where truly original, disruptive ideas can flourish. Warner is uniquely positioned to take an agile but principled approach to growing the universe of opportunity for music.”
“Max and his team are building an environment where truly original, disruptive ideas can flourish. Warner is uniquely positioned to take an agile but principled approach to growing the universe of opportunity for music.”
Scott Cohen, Warner Music Group (pictured, main)
An outspoken proponent of AR, VR, Blockchain and AI, Cohen is also the co-founder of CyborgNest, a company exploring the interface of biological and digital intelligence.
He began his music career in the late ‘80s in independent and major label artist management..
In 1997, Cohen and Richard Gottehrer (co-founder of WMG’s Sire Records label), started The Orchard on New York’s Lower East Side to provide independent artists the ability to sell their music to mainstream audiences.
With the launch of iTunes in 2003, The Orchard delivered the largest catalog of independent music to the digital music consumer. A year later, it had become the first indie digital distributor to hit one million paid downloads.
Cohen sat on the British Phonographic Industry Council for many years and sits on the boards of many cutting edge companies. He is also a human rights activist and strict vegan. Cohen holds a BA degree in Psychology from George Mason University.Music Business Worldwide
