Warner Music Hires Google Exec Carletta Higginson as Chief Digital Officer
Carletta Higginson, most recently head of music publishing at YouTube and Google Play, is joining Warner Music Group as EVP and chief digital officer.
Higginson will start at WMG on Oct. 16, based in New York and reporting to CEO Robert Kyncl — a reteaming of the two execs, as Kyncl had formerly been chief business officer at YouTube before joining WMG a year ago. Higginson’s hiring comes after Oana Ruxandra, former chief digital officer and EVP of business development, last week announced she was leaving WMG.
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Higginson joins WMG after a decade at Google, where she worked in business development and legal roles, across both music publishing and recorded music, most recently as global head of music publishing at YouTube and Google Play. She first joined the internet giant in 2013 as manager of music partnerships for YouTube. Higginson previously worked as a litigator on behalf of record labels, music publishers, artists and songwriters.
In her new post at WMG, she will oversee all of the company’s global digital partnerships, from deal-making through account management, while she and her team “will explore commercial innovation and forge new digital partnerships,” the company said.
“It’s rare to find someone of Carletta’s multifaceted expertise – who understands the full scope of the music publishing and recorded music businesses as well as the dynamics of streaming, social media and AI,” Kyncl said in announcing her hire. “She has great commercial instincts, a sharp legal mind, and a collaborative approach to building well-aligned partnerships.”
Higginson commented, “This is a very exciting time to be in music with many new avenues opening up. I’ve worked closely with the outstanding team at WMG for many years, and I’m very happy to be joining Robert and everyone at WMG to help chart the future together. Above all, I’m a huge fan of the company’s incredible roster of songwriters and artists.”
Prior to joining Google in 2013, Higginson worked as a securities litigator before transitioning to specialize in the content, media and entertainment space. In 2011, she became a partner at law firm Jenner & Block, where she focused her practice on litigating copyright, contractual and other disputes in the recorded music and music publishing industries. Higginson holds a law degree from Columbia Law School and a bachelor of arts degree from New York University. She was named one of Variety‘s New York Women of Impact in 2022.
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