Ed Sheeran Pays Tribute to Outgoing Warner Music Exec Max Lousada at MBW Music Business UK Awards

Before hitting the stage to receive the Sir George Martin Award at MBW’s Music Business UK Awards in London on Tuesday night (Nov. 5), outgoing Warner Music Group CEO of recorded music Max Lousada was introduced by someone who truly needs no introduction: longtime Atlantic Records superstar Ed Sheeran, who characterized Lousada as part of a rare and dying breed.

“When I got asked to introduce this award tonight, Max had just been let go of by Warner, and I wanted to make sure that I was here to say they don’t make people like him anymore. Music people,” said Sheeran, who noted it had always been his “dream” to be signed to Atlantic: “All my heroes and all the people that I aspired to be were all housed there.”

Sheeran went on to list some of the artists whose careers Lousada was personally instrumental in launching — “from The Darkness to Stormzy, to James Blunt, Coldplay, Dua Lipa and beyond” — before making a call for the industry to support more young executives who can carry on his legacy. “The industry is at risk of becoming reactionary, rather than just following heart and gut feelings on things that are just good,” he continued. “I really hope young people who are like Max are nurtured in the future, because for real art to thrive, we need real people like him in the music industry fighting for it.”

While accepting the award, Lousada said he was inspired in his own career by the example of the legendary George Martin and his work at Parlophone Records: “What he built was this kind of ever-welcoming shelter for unconventional minds, and that was something that has struck me and has been my North Star, the people that don’t quite seem to fit in.”

“It’s not just that [Martin] himself was a complete one-off, a maverick,” Lousada continued. “It’s that when he saw originality, he leaned into it hard. When some saw misfits, he saw pioneers. He never tried to mold his artists to fit the mold. He tried to break it into pieces with them. And I’ve always been inspired by that kind of creative bravery. And if I’m honest, that kind of creative bravery is what we need more and more.”

You can watch the full clip above.

27 Sep 2024

Max Lousada, Outgoing Warner Music CEO of Recorded Music, Pens Goodbye Note to Staff

Max Lousada, who has served as CEO of recorded music for the Warner Music Group since 2017 and who will soon be exiting the company, has penned a farewell note to staff, which was obtained by Billboard.

“My entire career, from my indie roots through my 21 years here at Warner, has been guided by one simple truth: People who can make music that moves people are special,” Lousada wrote. “The world needs them. It’s a privilege to help those artists be seen, heard, appreciated and, ultimately, to succeed.”

Lousada has spent two decades at the Warner Music Group, starting in the mid-2000s, when he joined Atlantic U.K. and ran that company for nine years. He took over Warner Music’s whole U.K. operation in 2013, before shifting to take on the top music role at WMG under then-CEO Stephen Cooper in 2017. A longtime artist advocate within the building, Lousada is credited with playing a major role in the careers of Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Coldplay, David Guetta and more.

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During his tenure, he was part of the leadership team that helped WMG become a public company once again in 2020, while also helping facilitate and integrate the acquisitions of 300 Entertainment, 10K Projects and Spinnin Records.

Prior to his time at Warner, Lousada ran his own distribution company in the late 1990s before joining indie labels Rawkus Records in 2000 as European managing director, and Mushroom Records in 2002 as head of A&R.

On Aug. 1, current WMG CEO Robert Kyncl announced a major restructuring of the label group, which included news of Lousada’s exit; his last day in his post will be Sept. 30, though he will remain in an advisory capacity through January. His position within the company will not be replaced. As part of the transition, a number of high-profile leaders at Warner are also leaving the company, including Atlantic Music Group CEO Julie Greenwald, who herself penned a farewell letter to staff yesterday (Sept. 26). Elliot Grainge will take over as CEO of Atlantic Music Group beginning Oct. 1.

Read Lousada’s full note to staff below.

Hi everyone,

Monday will be my last day as CEO, Warner Recorded Music.

Although I’ll be working in an advisory capacity till the end of January, it feels like this is the moment to thank you all for what has been the most extraordinary experience and the most incredible honour.

My entire career, from my indie roots through my 21 years here at Warner, has been guided by one simple truth: People who can make music that moves people are special. The world needs them. It’s a privilege to help those artists be seen, heard, appreciated and, ultimately, to succeed.

So I want to express my gratitude to all the artists and managers who put their faith in me and in Warner to support them. Being there from the beginning with superstars like Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Dua Lipa, and David Guetta; our partnerships with legends like Coldplay and Linkin Park; being entrusted with the catalogs of icons like David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, Madonna, and Led Zeppelin; seeing artists like Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Uzi Vert, CKay, Zach Bryan, Myke Towers, Gunna, Lizzo, Jack Harlow, Benson Boone, and Charli xcx make their mark on culture…these and so many others are memories and relationships I will treasure.

I want to give huge respect to everyone who champions artists every day by supporting their creativity, telling their stories, fuelling their fandom, and taking them global, as well as the unsung heroes protecting artists’ rights, getting them paid, and making sure all of us are equipped to do our best work. Everyone here plays their part and, whatever your role, know that I see you and I appreciate you. It has been my privilege to work with you and to lead you.

I would like to thank Len for backing Warner, and to wish him, Robert, and the WMG leadership team every success in steering this unique and historic company forward.

For all of you taking Warner into its next era, remember that, at its very best, music is the sound of change. What the most iconic artists and the most enduring businesses have in common is evolution. Sometimes that’s exhilarating, sometimes it’s messy and difficult. I encourage you to embrace ALL of it because it’s when we challenge ourselves to move forward that artists win, fans win, and we win. Ultimately, music has to win. It’s just too important not to.

Whatever my next era looks like, I’ll always be rooting for you and I hope many of our paths will cross again.

For now, I’m going to go and put a record on…

Thank you, all of you, for everything.

Max