Jacob Key has been promoted to the position of business development director for Warner Music Nordic & Baltic, following the recent expansion into digital business at the Baltic arm of the major.
The appointment is effective immediately and Key will remain based in Stockholm and report to Warner Music Nordic president Jonas Siljemark. Among Key’s responsibilities will be developing a cohesive digital strategy across the Nordic territories, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, generating new revenue streams in line with global business initiatives, building on existing partnerships in the mobile and online arenas, and conceiving new methods to connect the label’s roster with its Baltic audience.
“There is much potential for digital growth in these dynamic, culturally rich markets, and I am delighted to be leading the team in developing our business here,” said Key in a statement. “Many of our partners in the telecommunications, Internet and mobile sectors operate across both the Nordics and the Baltics, and this offers us and our artists a range of powerful creative, commercial and promotional synergies.”
As well as these new duties, Key will continue to focus on developing artist relationships into areas such as merchandise, endorsement and sponsorship.
“In the Baltics, where piracy has traditionally limited our commercial reach, digital technology is now providing ever-evolving possibilities for monetizing our content,” Siljemark said in a statement. “Jacob’s proven experience of cultivating compelling digital solutions in a rapidly changing music landscape, as well as his passionate commitment to innovation, make him the ideal choice to drive forward our digital business in these key markets.”
Key has been in the Warner Music fold since 2005 and in this time has been instrumental in partnering with music services from mobile operators and telcos such as Telenor and TDC. He was previously founder and CEO of the global mobile communications company Globalmouth.
