MUMBAI: Warner/Chappell Music has strengthened its Urban A&R team with the appointments of Juan Madrid as vice president urban A&R, and Ryan Press as senior director urban A&R.

Effective immediately, Madrid will be based in Los Angeles and report to Warner/Chappell Music president and Warner/Chappell Music U.S. chairman and CEO Scott Francis. Press, who is based in New York, will report to Warner/Chappell Music New York senior vice president and general manager Jason Boyarski. Francis will oversee the urban A&R team with Boyarski’s support.

Both Madrid and Press will develop and further bolster Warner/Chappell’s roster of Urban songwriters by signing emerging and established songwriters, working to acquire songwriter catalogs as well as marketing and promoting current and future Warner/Chappell songs and songwriters to recording artists throughout the industry.

They will work closely with Warner/Chappell Music senior vice president and head A&R Greg Sowders and his team as well as coordinate with the Company’s synch and licensing departments to create writer collaborations and secure song placements on album projects, as well as for film, TV, videogames and other media platforms.

Francis said, “It’s a tremendous coup having Juan and Ryan join us at Warner/Chappell. They are hardworking, experienced team players with a great passion for songs and songwriters. I worked with Juan during the early days of his career at BMG and am proud of how his drive and passion have made him a leading Urban A&R executive with a special ability to find great songwriter artists and producers. Complementing Juan will be talented, go-getter Ryan, whose ear for great songs and dedication to songwriters will strengthen Warner/Chappell as a leader in song placement and writer development.”

“I’d also like to commend Jason Boyarski for the outstanding job he has done during the past year, and continues to do as an important part of Warner/Chappell’s success in the Urban music business. I’m confident that with Juan’s and Ryan’s combined knowledge of the music industry, close relationships and experience with A&R, artist management and music publishing, we will successfully further our strategy of cross-genre collaboration,” continued Francis.