Warner Music Latina has shaken up its top team, with Roberto Andrade Dirak joining the company as Managing Director.
The WMG division has also announced expanded roles for Hector Rivera as SVP, Head of A&R, Latin Music, and Ruben Abraham as SVP, Marketing and Artist Strategy.
The move comes as Warner Music Latina looks to provide “best in class service” to its artist roster, break more talent in the US and across the region, and improve the synergies between its Latin American and US Latin operations, says the company.
In 2020, according to the IFPI’s Global Music Report, Latin America was the fastest-growing region globally (15.9%), as streaming revenues grew by 30.2% and accounted for 84.1% of the region’s total revenues.
Roberto Andrade Dirak was involved with the career of Colombian star Sebastian Yatra from the early days, managing the artist for six years.
Andrade also worked with Colombian artist Carlos Vives as his personal and tour manager.
In recent years, he founded the NIU Entertainment company, a hub for up-and-coming Latin artists.
Previously, Andrade was also in charge of marketing, press and promotion for artists such as Chino & Nacho, Mau & Ricky, Ricky Martin, Yandel and Wisin.
Abraham has been at Warner Music Group for more than 17 years, initially starting as a label manager in Mexico City, before being named Commercial Director for Warner Mexico.
He later became VP of Marketing at Warner Music Latina, where he’s twice been named as one of Warner Latina’s Latin Power Players by Billboard, and helped develop the career of artists such as Justin Quiles, Sofia Reyes, Danny Ocean, Lenny Tavarez, Micro Tdh, Blessd, Tiago PZK and The Change.
Rivera has worked at Warner Music Latina since 2017, taking up his previous role of VP of A&R two years later.
In his current role, he works closely with star Justin Quiles, Spain-based trap and drill artist Kidd Keo, and chart-topping act Myke Towers, who signed an exclusive global distribution deal with Warner Latina and Warner Recordsin 2021.
In 2021, Rivera was included for the third time on Billboard’s Latin Power Players List.
“I want to help support a new generation of Latin artists and turn them into superstars.”
Roberto Andrade Dirak
Roberto Andrade Dirak, said: “I’m so excited to be joining the team at Warner Music as we put in place a new structure that will help us break artists across borders even more quickly.
“I’ve worked with some of the biggest names in Latin music and I’ve seen their global appeal first-hand.
“Now I want to help support a new generation of Latin artists and turn them into superstars.”
“I’m honored to be part of a leadership team that’s got such ambitious plans.”
Ruben Abraham
Ruben Abraham, said: “I’m honored to be part of a leadership team that’s got such ambitious plans.
“The music market is changing fast and there are new opportunities opening up for artists every day.
“We’re here to help artists truly connect with fans and tell their stories in new and exciting ways.”
“These changes mean that Warner Music Latina is well positioned to be the first choice for Latin artists.”
Hector Rivera
Hector Rivera, added: “These changes mean that Warner Music Latina is well positioned to be the first choice for Latin artists from across the Americas.
“We’ve broken down old silos and we’re working as a team to break artists to regional and global audiences from day one.”
“This will help us empower the careers of our artists and develop more Latin superstars who can take their rightful place on the global stage.”
Alejandro Duque, said: “I’m delighted that Roberto has joined us at Warner Music and that Hector and Ruben have stepped up into these expanded roles.
“With Roberto on board we can accelerate our vision to be a truly artist-first label with a globalized approach to artist development.
“This will help us empower the careers of our artists and develop more Latin superstars who can take their rightful place on the global stage.”Music Business Worldwide
