Director, A&R and Creative, China

Beijing
Permanent
Full-time

15 days ago

At Warner Music Group, we’re a global collective of music makers and music lovers, tech innovators and inspired entrepreneurs, game-changing creatives and passionate team members. Here, we turn dreams into stardom and audiences into fans. We are guided by three core values that underpin everything we do across all our diverse businesses:Curiosity: We do our best work when we’re immersing ourselves in culture and breaking through barriers. Curiosity is the driving force behind creativity and ingenuity. It fuels innovation, and innovation is the key to our future.Collaboration: Making music and bringing it to the world is all about the power of originality amplified by teamwork. A great idea, like a great song, travels globally. We ignite passions and build connections across our diverse community of artists, songwriters, partners, and fans.Commitment: We pursue excellence for our team and our talent. Everything in music starts with a leap into the unknown, and we’re committed to keeping the faith, acting with integrity, and delivering on our promises.WMG is home to a wide range of artists, musicians, and songwriters that fuel our success. That is why we are committed to creating a work environment that actively values, appreciates, and respects everyone. We encourage applications from people with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences.Consider a career at WMG and get the best of both worlds – an innovative global music company that retains the creative spirit of a nimble independent.Warner Chappell Music (WCM) is seeking a strategic and culturally-connected A&R and Creative Lead for the China market. Reports to Managing Director, China, and functionally to VP, A&R and Creative APAC. This is a high-impact management role focused on identifying, signing, and developing a world-class roster of songwriting talent (composers and lyricists). You will bridge the gap between local creative excellence and global commercial opportunities, securing song placements and driving WCM’s creative footprint across Asia. You will be responsible for securing high-value song placements, driving WCM's creative footprint across Asia, and executing cross-border initiatives including but not limited to local/regional/international songwriting camps, and strategic PR and promotional campaigns that elevate the WCM and Warner Music Group (WMG) brands.This position is open to both internal and external candidates.This position is targeted at the Director level. However, we maintain an adaptive hiring approach; candidates with slightly less experience or internal applicants in development roles may be considered for a Manager/Senior Manager level, with responsibilities and titles adjusted to reflect their current trajectory.Key ResponsibilitiesStrategic Planning: Architect and execute China's annual and mid-to-long term A&R roadmap aligning local talent acquisition with regional/global market demandsSongwriter Talent Acquisition & Development: Proactively scout and sign songwriters who define the sound of modern culture; proactively manage their career growth and artistic development.Creative Placement (Sync and Pitching): Champion the WCM catalog by pitching demos and securing high-profile placements with record labels, artist managers, and film/TV producers both in China and internationally.Market Intelligence: Monitor trends across social platforms (Douyin, WeChat, Instagram, etc.) to identify emerging hit-makers and viral song-writing trends.Creative Programming: Plan and lead songwriting camps, collaborative sessions, and industry events to foster a community of excellence.Regional Collaboration: Align with WCM’s global and regional creative initiatives to produce high-impact newsletters, curated playlists, and PR materials. Work with A&R and other regional teams to organize events.Retention and Renewals: Lead the strategic retention of priority songwriters, ensuring the successful negotiation and timely execution of all key contract renewals.Deal Negotiation: Manage the end-to-end commercial process for new signings and key renewals, from initial financial modeling to final contract execution in coordination with Legal and Business Affairs team.Catalog Optimization: Oversee the indexing and tracking of the local demo library and successful "cuts" to ensure maximum monetization of assets.Experience & QualificationsMusic/Music Publishing Industry Tenure.Experience: 5+ years in A&R, music publishing, or artist management with a proven track record of "cuts" (placements).Leadership: Demonstrated ability to manage a portfolio independently and influence regional creative strategy.Network: An extensive, existing network of songwriters, producers, labels, and other related talent, especially within China’s entertainment ecosystem.Education: Bachelor’s degree in music business, branding, promotion, marketing, or a related field.Trend Awareness: A deep, multi-genre passion for music and a proven "ear" for commercial hits and cultural shifts.Language: Strong command of spoken and written English and Mandarin Chinese.Skills & AbilitiesStrategic Leadership: Ability to work autonomously, manage high-pressure timelines, and lead a creative vision from concept to execution.Communication: Exceptional negotiation and presentation skills. Native-level fluency in Mandarin and professional proficiency in English are essential for regional and global reporting.Analytical Mindset: Comfortable managing ROI for creative projects and using data to inform signing decisions.Technical Proficiency: Mastery of standard office suites (Keynote/PPT, Excel), Google Workspace, and a deep understanding of music production workflows.Cultural Agility: Open-minded and flexible, with the ability to travel internationally and work across different time zones when required.Key Performance MeasurementsRoster Growth: Successful signing of "priority" songwriters and expansion of the local publishing catalog.Placement Rate: Quantitative increase in the number of demos sold or synched within the territory and abroad.Revenue & ROI: Achieving profitability targets for songwriting camps and creative PR activities.Operational Excellence: Timely and confidential management of contracts and internal database reporting.#WCMAs the home to 10K Projects, Asylum, Atlantic Music Group, East West, FFRR, Fueled by Ramen, Nonesuch, Parlophone, Rhino, Roadrunner, Sire, Warner Records, Warner Classics, and several other of the world’s premier recording labels, Warner Music Group champions emerging artists and global superstars alike. And our renowned publishing company, Warner Chappell Music, represents genre-spanning songwriters and producers through a catalog of more than one million copyrights worldwide. Warner Music Group is also home to ADA, which supports the independent community, as well as artist services division WMX. In addition, WMG counts film and television storytelling powerhouse Warner Music Entertainment among its many brands.Together, we are Warner Music Group: Independent Minds. Major Sound.Love this job and want to apply?Click the “Apply” link at the top of the page, or apply directly with your LinkedIn. Applying with LinkedIn will import all of the information you put in your profile, but will still allow you to upload a resume and cover letter.Don’t be discouraged if you don’t hear from us right away. We’re taking our time to review all resumes, and to find the best people for WMG.Thanks for your interest in working for WMG. We love it here, and think you will, too.
This position requires a minimum of 4 days per week in the office. We value in-office collaboration, which is essential for talent development and strong working relationships. #LI-OnsiteWMG is committed to inclusion and diversity in all aspects of our business. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and will evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, religion or belief, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, disability, pregnancy, childbirth or any other characteristic protected by law.

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