Warner Bros. Records (WBR) announced a further expansion of its Dance Music capabilities with the addition of two experts in the field: Taryn Haight, who has been named Director of Dance Marketing & Artist Relations, and Lauren Lipsay, who joins the label as Manager of Dance Marketing. Together, they will be responsible for the development of domestic WBR dance artists as well as selected dance artists coming to the U.S. from WBR and Parlophone offices around the world. Haight and Lipsay report to Brian Harris Frank, Warner Bros. Records Executive Vice President, Marketing & Strategy.
Haight joins Warner Bros. from Ultra Music, where she was Marketing Manager, working with such artists as Benny Benassi, The Bloody Beetroots, Araabmuzik, Wolfgang Gartner, and others. Prior to Ultra, she wrote a music column for The Huffington Post and also helped launch YouTube’s premium dance network, Dance On, serving as Music Supervisor. Lipsay is an accomplished journalist and strategist in the dance music world, having worked extensively with Rolling Stone, Billboard, Dancing Astronaut, Elektro, and inthemix.
Warner Bros. Records Chairman & CEO Cameron Strang noted, “It is our mission to seek out creative excellence wherever it lives, regardless of genre. The level of innovative and exceptional talent within the burgeoning dance music scene is extraordinary, and we continue to deepen our commitment to this rapidly evolving sphere. I am thrilled to welcome Taryn and Lauren to the WBR team.”
Brian Frank commented, “The dance music culture is unique in our business, and to play in that arena requires specialized insight into the community and immersive expertise in its artists and various subgenres. Taryn and Lauren bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to their new posts, as we expand our dedicated enclave within WBR to recognize, cultivate, and market remarkable artists creating vital music.”
Among WBR’s upcoming dance music releases is Oliver Heldens & Becky Hill’s “Gecko (Overdrive),” which just premiered as Zane Lowe’s “Hottest Record in the World” on BBC1. The single comes via the WBR/Parlophone partnership with FFRR, the acclaimed electronic label founded by pioneering British DJ Pete Tong. WBR also handles U.S. marketing for Warner Music UK dance imprint One More Tune (OMT), headed by Anton Partridge. Other releases on tap include a Tom Starr remix of Dansson & Marlon Hoffstadt’s “Shake That,” and remixes of “Come On Now (Set It Off) by Tube & Berger feat. Juliet Sikora.
