The CEO of Warner Music Greater China, Andy Ma, has exited the role just seven months after taking it up, MBW can reveal.
Warner is understood to have told staff that the sudden exit of Ma is due to “family reasons”.
Ma joined Warner in 2011 as VP of New Media for Greater China and South East Asia.
He later became CEO of Warner Music China in 2018, before being promoted to CEO for Greater China in April this year.
MBW has confirmed that, in the wake of Ma’s exit, Warner Music has appointed Jonathan Serbin as CEO of Greater China, which covers mainland China, in addition to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.
Serbin has over 25 years’ experience in the music industry across Asia and the US, including sitting on the board of Avex, one of Japan’s biggest record labels.
With Serbin in place, the major has now begun a search for a new MD of Warner Music China. It is expected the successful candidate will have a mainland Chinese background.
Like Ma, Serbin will report to Simon Robson, President of Warner Music Asia.
China was the world’s seventh largest recorded music territory in revenue terms last year, according to IFPI data. The country’s industry paid out over half a billion dollars to labels, distributors and artists in 2019, a figure that IFPI says was up 16% year-on-year.
China was also the world’s fourth biggest recorded music market last year in streaming revenue terms alone.
China has been a priority global market for Warner Music Group for some time: WMG signed the first major label licensing deal with Tencent Music Entertainment in 2014, the same year that it acquired notable local independent record company, Gold Typhoon.Music Business Worldwide
