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Warner Chappell announces new base in Shanghai

By Chris Cooke | Published on Monday 22 June 2020

Warner Chappell has announced the launch of a second office in mainland China, this one in Shanghai. The company says that the city has an “incredible music scene”, while also noting that it is home to many potential sync clients.

Commenting on the new base, Warner Chappell Music Asia’s President Monica Lee said: “Shanghai has an incredible music scene and many songwriters move here from across China to pursue their careers. The city is also home to many of China’s advertising, brand and entertainment businesses, so it’s the logical place to open our new office that’ll complement our existing presence in Beijing”.

Meanwhile, in a joint statement, the over-all bosses of Warner Chappell – Guy Moot and Carianne Marshall – added: “We’re committed to growing the presence of Warner Chappell Music in Asia, and our new office in Shanghai is a significant milestone on that journey. There are so many exciting publishing opportunities in China, and we’re looking forward to better connecting local songwriters and brands with our global network”.

Although the booming Chinese music market has been a big talking point in the industry for quite some time now, most of the opportunities to date have been in live and recorded music, with the country’s music publishing sector much less well developed.

However, both local and global players on the publishing side are now seeking to capitalise on that booming market, with a particular focus on the country’s super popular karaoke and live-streaming apps and the potential of a Chinese sync business.

Warner Chappell recently announced a partnership with Chinese streaming service NetEase Cloud Music as part of its bid to pursue those opportunities.