Mike Chester has been promoted to general manager of Warner Records, the company announced on Thursday.
Chester was most recently executive vice president of promotion & commerce. In his newly expanded role, he will add marketing, digital marketing, artist development, and viral marketing to his purview while continuing to oversee promotion and commerce. In his new role, he will spearhead the development of marketing and artist development campaigns.
He is based at the company’s Los Angeles headquarters and reports to co-chairman & COO Tom Corson, and will work closely with Corson and CEO & co-chairman Aaron Bay-Schuck in setting company goals and artist release strategies.
Chester joined Warner in 2018 from Scooter Braun’s SB Projects, where he served for four years as senior VP of marketing and promotion, working closely with Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, and many other chart-topping artists. He previously spent over a decade at Def Jam Recordings, rising to VP of promotion. Chester began his career at Arista Records, moving to Atlantic Records before joining Island Def Jam in 2004.
“Mike has played a key role in the successful revitalization of Warner Records since he joined the label in 2018. He is perfectly poised to take on the General Manager duties as we continue our push to the top,” said Corson and Bay-Schuck in a joint statement. “He possesses extraordinary leadership qualities, has excellent artist relations skills, and knows how to balance all with confidence, compassion, and integrity. He is an invaluable member of our senior management team and we know he will continue to thrive and innovate in his new role.”
Chester added, “I’m thrilled to take this next step in my career under the incredible leadership of Tom and Aaron. The team here at Warner is phenomenal, and our artist roster – from emerging talent to superstars – is second to none. We pride ourselves on being the premiere artist development label, and we constantly discover new avenues in which to bring even more music to fans. I’m excited to continue promoting, innovating, and building careers in this dynamic and rapidly expanding musical environment.”