Warner Music Brazil has made a series of changes, which it says have been designed to “turbocharge” its presence across a range of the country’s domestic genres.
As part of the restructure, Leila Oliveira, President of Warner Music Brazil, has made two strategic hires to strengthen her leadership team, with Tatiana Cantinho joining as General Manager and Mariana Frensel named as Director of Marketing.
They both start their roles immediately and will be based in the company’s Rio de Janeiro headquarters.
According to the IFPI, Brazil is the world’s ninth-largest recorded music market. It is valued at USD $573.6 million and grew at 13.39% last year.
Tatiana Cantinho has more than 20 years of industry experience. The exec previously worked in regional roles at Sony Music, before moving to then-prominent indie label Som Livre (acquired by Sony in 2022), and then setting up her own music company Stamina Musical in 2022.
Mariana Frensel takes up her role after working at online dating giant Match Group for the last eight years, most recently serving as Director of Revenue and Growth, New Verticals.
Frensel was also previously an International Label Manager for Warner Music Brazil between 2011 and 2015.
Warner Music Brazil is also reorganizing its A&R and Marketing departments to focus on the sertanejo, forró, samba, funk, and urban music genres.
Marcos Kilzer, currently the A&R director, will continue to lead the team and work closely with Cantinho.
Meanwhile, Thiago Abreu will head a new Creative Services team, which will report directly to Leila Oliveira. The team will support the marketing and A&R teams while also working closely on special brand partnerships and live music projects.
The moves are the latest changes made by Oliveira since she became the first female label head in Brazil back in 2022.
Earlier this year, she worked with colleagues at Warner Chappell Music and ADA Brazil to launch the Warner Music Space, a new company HQ in the Barra da Tijuca area of Rio de Janeiro.
Last month, ADA Brazil and Warner Music Brazil announced an investment in the Sua Música group, which owns the largest Brazilian music platform and the Sua Música digital distributor.
Warner Music Brazil is home to artists including IZA, Pedro Sampaio, Ferrugem, MC Hariel, MC Ryan SP, Kayblack, MC IG, MC Don Juan, Azzy, Marvvila, Thiago Freitas, US Agroboy, João Bosco & Vinícius, and Clayton & Romario.
“Warner Music Brazil is reinventing the role of the record company in our rapidly changing industry.”
Tatiana Cantinho
Tatiana Cantinho said: “Warner Music Brazil is reinventing the role of the record company in our rapidly changing industry.
“We need to be more nimble than ever when it comes to connecting artists with fans and building a wave of support for our talent that can be turned into a sustainable career. Music can travel further and faster than ever before and we want to help artists from different backgrounds take their place centre stage.”
“I want to bring my experience to bear as our new genre-focused teams get to work supporting Brazil’s most vibrant talent.”
Mariana Frensel
Mariana Frensel added: “I’m super pleased to be returning to Warner Music at this key moment in its development. Leila has a vision for how a modern music company should evolve and the importance of artist narratives is at the heart of it.
“I want to bring my experience to bear as our new genre-focused teams get to work supporting Brazil’s most vibrant talent.”
“This is a key moment for Warner Music Brazil.”
Leila Oliveira
Leila Oliveira added: “This is a key moment for Warner Music Brazil. The arrival of Tatiana and Mariana strengthens my leadership team and together we’ll rewrite the rules about how the industry operates here.
“Our new genre-specific teams mean that we’ll be able to superserve artists better than ever and help all types of Brazilian talent connect with fans here and around the world.”
“Leila’s game changing plan will see us laser focused on key genres across this huge music market and I’m excited for the next chapter in Warner Music Brazil’s development.”
Alejandro Duque, President, Warner Music Latin America, said: “As we elevate our regional approach to be closer to our global leadership, expanding our presence in Brazil, the world’s ninth largest music market, is crucial to the company’s growth.
“We’ve always had a strong presence in the country, but we know we need to do more to support its diverse musical genres. Leila’s game changing plan will see us laser focused on key genres across this huge music market and I’m excited for the next chapter in Warner Music Brazil’s development.”Music Business Worldwide
