Warner Music France unveiled a new dance label called Adore Music in Paris on Monday (March 24).
The launch signals the company’s push to strengthen its position in the electronic music landscape, said Romain Pasquier, the label’s Managing Director.
“France has a rich legacy of global superstars like Air, Daft Punk, David Guetta and Gesaffelstein. Our ambition is to honor this tradition, while propelling the next generation of talent onto the global stage,” Pasquier said.
The new imprint will leverage the global resources of Warner Music and its network to support its artists. It will scout and support talents from France and internationally, providing them with new ways to reach new audiences, Warner Music France said.
The label has already begun operations with its first release, Need You the Most, from French duo Ofenbach. WM France said the duo is the most-streamed French group internationally in 2024.
“The launch of Adore Music marks a key milestone in WM France’s evolution in dance music,” said Adrien Morin-Guardia, A&R and Head of Marketing at Adore Music.
“It is a great privilege to collaborate with artists and teams driven by passion and to see these partnerships last so long. Some of which began over ten years ago with the likes of local icons Feder and Ofenbach. Together, we aim to shine a light on emerging talent and celebrate the creativity of our superstars by sharing their music with the world.”
To mark the label’s launch, Adore Music held a creative camp bringing together over 30 artists, producers, and composers at Warner Music France’s new headquarters. The collaborative session included partners from Ultra Music Publishing and Warner Chappell Music.
The launch comes amid the continued global growth of dance music, with MIDiA Research estimating in its IMS Business Report that the dance music industry grew 17% YoY in market size in 2023 to $11.8 billion.
“Adore Music is a project built with music at its core, with the mission to discover and support new talent. We aim to create an environment where artists can thrive and become true icons. In an ever-evolving dance music landscape, our goal is to shape the future by blending digital innovation with artistic heritage,” said Nicolas Klersy, A&R, Adore Music.
“In an ever-evolving dance music landscape, our goal is to shape the future by blending digital innovation with artistic heritage.”
Nicolas Klersy, Adore Music
Warner Music Group acquired Dutch dance label Spinnin’ Records in 2017 for over $100 million. In 2023, Warner Music Group-owned Warner Records launched what it called “its first-ever flagship electronic dance music label”, Major Recordings.
The following year, Warner Music South East Europe unveiled Balkan Electro, a record label dedicated to amplifying EDM artists from the Balkans and Ukraine.
Aside from Warner, other major music companies have also ventured into dance music in recent years. In April 2024, Sony Music Germany launched ‘noted. records,’ an imprint that seeks to cultivate the electronic and techno scene.
In 2022, Universal Music Group’s Capitol Records UK introduced a dance music label called Lift Me Up Records in partnership with Belfast DJ and A&R Connor Coates. UMG also launched a dance imprint in 2016 called Casablanca Records.
Warner Music Group, which reported $1.666 billion in Q4 2024 revenue, has been expanding its genre-specific labels across various markets. In September, it launched a new label called MPLIFY in Korea, dedicated to supporting Korean artists.
Also in 2024, Warner Music Latina launched a record label called SOL in partnership with Dominican artist Tokischa and her manager Angelica Piche, within WML.
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