What’s Lyor Cohen been up to since resigning from his position as Chairmen/CEO of the Warner Music Group? Apparently, he has become one of Kanye West’s most trusted advisers and has plans to launch a management company.
Cohen has been cozying up to Yeezy, offering wisdom culled from his years in the music industry. The Check Writer got his start in the biz when he was a road manager for Run-DMC and eventually a top executive at Def Jam Records before taking the reigns at WMG. Reports the New York Post:
We hear that Cohen, who left Warner Music in September, has been advising West on his music deals, including an upcoming tour. “He’s 100 percent in Kanye’s camp,” said a source. Rumors have swirled that Cohen will soon launch his own talent-management company to structure 360-degree, multiplatform deals for artists. Music industry heavy hitters — including former Def Jam exec Kevin Liles and Warner Bros. Records chief Todd Moscowitz, a former Cohen disciple who left the company last week — have been mentioned as potential partners. A friend of Cohen said, “Lyor is a friend of Kanye’s, and many artists reach out to him for advice.”
Cohen and Moscowitz, who resigned from his position as CEO/President of Warner Bros. last week, worked together before while at Def Jam and then again during their stints at Warner Bros. The latter was key in ramping up the label’s urban music division, helping to sign acts like Rick Ross’ Maybach Music Group, thus Wale and Meek Mill.
However, earlier this week, Rozay broke the news that his MMG label will now be distributed by Atlantic Records. Moscowitz also was a founder of the late Chris Lighty’s Violator Management, so the possibility of formally connecting with his old boss Cohen is very feasible. Kevin Liles was also an executive that came up under Cohen’s watch at Def Jam.
Labels reps have not commented on MMG’s move to Atlantic but sources say it’s a done deal. The shift of Warner’s artists to Atlantic also puts the alleged signing of Drake’s OVO imprint to the label in limbo, for now.
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Photo: AP
