Julie Greenwald Named Chairman/CEO of Atlantic Music Group
Greenwald will continue to run Atlantic Records alongside Craig Kallman.
Julie Greenwald has been named the chairman and CEO of the newly-formed Atlantic Music Group, according to an announcement made by parent company Warner Music Group today (Oct. 12). In her new role, the longtime co-leader of Atlantic Records will oversee a combined operation that encompasses Atlantic Records and its subsidiaries (Atco, Big Beat, Canvasback) as well as the recently-combined 300 Elektra Entertainment, which includes 300, Elektra, Fueled By Ramen, Roadrunner, Low Country Sound, DTA and Public Consumption.
Greenwald will continue to run Atlantic Records alongside Craig Kallman, who will retain the title of chairman/CEO. Greenwald was previously chairman/COO of Atlantic, a post which she’s held for the past 16 years. She originally joined Atlantic as president in 2004.
“I love nurturing the next generation, contributing to culture and building vibrant communities for our artists,” Greenwald said in a statement announcing the news. “We have the most fantastic talent at Atlantic, 300 and Elektra, from superstars to baby bands, from expert execs to young people just starting out in the business. I want them all to feel that this is the best place to do bold, brave, creative work and build real careers. I’m so proud to be in it with them, shoulder to shoulder, every day. I’d like to thank Craig and Kevin [Liles, chairman/CEO of 300 Elektra Entertainment] for being my partners, Max [Lousada] and Steve [Cooper] for their leadership, and our allies across the industry who help us bring great music to the world.”
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Greenwald has long been one of the most respected leaders in the music business and has a reputation as one of the industry’s greatest marketers. She has helped shepherd the careers of such Atlantic artists as Bruno Mars, Ed Sheehan, Coldplay, Cardi B, Twenty One Pilots, Wiz Khalifa, Gucci Mane, Lizzo, Kelly Clarkson, Charlie Puth, Panic! At the Disco, Lil Uzi Vert and more in the past decade and a half, and has been named Billboard’s Executive of the Year at the annual Women In Music honors five times. She’s led the label to an industry-leading 9.62% current U.S. market share through the first three quarters of this year — up significantly over the same point in 2021 — and 9.13% overall market share, which ranks second among all labels.
“Julie’s a force of nature — a fearless champion of original talent, a mentor to countless artists and executives and the visionary behind game-changing moves, such as Atlantic’s early embrace of streaming and the spinoff of the Elektra Music Group,” Warner Recorded Music CEO Max Lousada said in a statement. “She’s made artist development an artform in its own right, by combining passion and intelligence, gut sense and strategic thinking, the big picture and the smallest detail. This new role only hints at the full scope of her influence and impact across our industry, but it’s still much deserved recognition of her dynamic leadership at our company.”
Greenwald started her career at Def Jam in the early 1990s, quickly rising through the ranks as that company grew into a formidable force in both hip-hop and R&B during that decade. In 1998, she became head of marketing at the then-newly-merged Island Def Jam Music Group, rising to executive vp/president of Island in 2002, before leaving for Atlantic in 2004. Since then, in partnership with Kallman, Atlantic has established itself as a strong leader in the new streaming music economy, with a broad blend of hip-hop, pop, rock and R&B stars that cross genres and borders.
“Julie’s strengths, combined with Craig’s extraordinary creative talents, make them one of the outstanding partnerships in the history of music,” Lousada continued. “We’re all extremely fortunate to be working with them as they write the next great chapter in the Atlantic story.”
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