Mike Chester has been promoted to the newly created position of Executive Vice President, Promotion & Commerce for Warner Records. In his expanded role, Chester will continue to lead the label’s formidable, multi-faceted promotion department, while also overseeing its strategy across streaming, digital, and commercial platforms and accounts. Chester is based at the company’s LA headquarters and reports to Co-Chairman & COO Tom Corson.
Since joining Warner Records in 2018 as EVP of Promotion, Chester has spearheaded the complete revamping and revitalization of the label’s promotion team and strategy across every format and platform. The result has been an extraordinary run of more than 30 No. 1 singles and the breaking and developing of a multi-genre array of artists, from Dua Lipa to Saweetie.
“The creation of this new post not only recognizes Mike’s wide-ranging creative vision and unparalleled drive, but reflects the rapid evolution of the media landscape,” said Corson. “As fans consume music from multiple sources, from radio to streaming to gaming, boundaries between platforms are increasingly fluid. We’re fortunate to have an executive of Mike’s deep knowledge, experience, and passion to bring together these key promotional and commercial areas under a unified strategic approach. Combined with his outstanding artist relations skills, Aaron and I both feel Mike is the perfect choice to leverage exciting newfound opportunities for our amazing talent and their music.”
“I’m thrilled to take this next step in my career under the incredible leadership of Tom and Aaron,” said Chester. “The people at Warner are phenomenal, and our artist roster – from emerging talent to superstars – is delivering one fantastic record after another. Long-term artist development is our top priority, and the avenues to bring more music to more fans are multiplying by the day. I’m looking forward to working with our promo and commerce teams to break records and build careers in a hugely dynamic, expanding musical environment.”
Chester came to Warner Records from Scooter Braun’s SB Projects, where he served for four years as SVP, 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 Vice President of Promotion. Chester began his career at Arista Records, moving to Atlantic Records before joining Island Def Jam in 2004.
