Dr. Alexander Buhr (pictured) has been appointed Managing Director of Universal Music’s London-based Decca Classics, succeeding Paul Moseley, who is promoted to Senior Vice President of Strategic Content and Partnerships, Global Classics.
Buhr was previously Managing Director of Universal Music’s Mercury Classics, a label he set-up in 2012 and will continue to run as it becomes part of the Decca Records Group.
In this new international role, Moseley will work across all Universal Music’s classical labels worldwide, including Deutsche Grammophon, Decca Classics and Mercury Classics, to oversee the strategic management of the company’s classical recording and audio-visual assets.
Buhr will report to Rebecca Allen, Decca Record Group’s Managing Director, who now assumes responsibility for all of Decca’s operations. Moseley reports to Dickon Stainer, Universal Music’s President and CEO of Global Classics.
Said Buhr: “It is an honour to take the helm of this outstanding label and I am excited to lead its exceptional team.
“I have been inspired by Decca’s extraordinary artists as long as I can remember – I can’t wait to collaborate closely with them to further develop their remarkable careers, to bring new artists on board and to explore, with them, the incredible opportunities that lie ahead.”
“I have been inspired by Decca’s extraordinary artists as long as I can remember – I can’t wait to collaborate closely with them to further develop their remarkable careers, to bring new artists on board and to explore, with them, the incredible opportunities that lie ahead.”
Moseley (pictured, right) added: “I am hugely excited at the opportunity to develop my passion for content across all our wonderful labels. I look forward to working with both our creators and our curators of content as we find ways to satisfy and anticipate the needs of our consumers and partners better and faster.”
After 10 years in Deutsche Grammophon’s International Marketing and A&R teams, working with artists including Lang Lang, Krystian Zimerman, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Elina Garanča, Magdalena Kožená, Gustavo Dudamel, Hilary Hahn and Lisa Batiashvili, Buhr was appointed Managing Director and tasked with launching Mercury Classics in 2012.
Over the following four years he enjoyed success with artists including Miloš Karadaglić, Yundi, Tori Amos, Olafur Arnalds, Andreas Ottensamer and Mari and Hakon Samuelsen.
Buhr holds a PhD in Musicology from the University of Hamburg as well as an MBA (SMI Steinbeiss, SDA Bocconi, and Stern School of Business).
Moseley has worked in a variety of roles at Decca including UK Label Head and International Vice President of Marketing.
In 2005, he set up the Onyx Classics label before returning to Decca Classics in 2009 as General Manager of A&R and then Managing Director.
Under Moseley’s leadership, Decca Classics was named Gramophone Label of the Year in 2013.
Artists he’s worked with include Daniel Barenboim, Cecilia Bartoli, Renée Fleming, Luciano Pavarotti and Georg Solti.
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