AMSTERDAM, NL (CelebrityAccess) — Warner Music Group tapped music industry veteran Niels Walboomers for the role of President, Records and Publishing, Benelux, effective November 1st.
In his new role, Walboomers will oversee both Warner Music Benelux and Warner Chappell Music Benelux (a portmanteau of Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg) with each team continuing to operate independently.
He will also work closely with the team at Spinnin’ Records as WMG implements a plan for all three teams to centralize at a new headquarters in Amsterdam, the label group said.
In his new billet, Walboomers will report to Guy Moot, Co-Chair and CEO, Warner Chappell Music and Simon Robson, President, International, Warner Recorded Music.
“I’m so excited to be taking up this amazing opportunity,” Walboomers said of his new role. “The Benelux is a region that has always punched above its weight in the music industry, a real home for talent as well as a significant global market. It’ll be a privilege to separately serve their incredible rosters of artists and songwriters. I want to broaden the range of talent we work with even further and be super innovative about we connect them with fans in the web3 era.”
“I’ve known Niels for many years and he’s got an amazing grasp of both the creative and commercial sides of our business. He’s signed and developed so many great songwriters over the years, and has always had a global perspective when it comes to helping build their careers. This type of appointment wouldn’t work in many territories, but the Benelux has a strong tradition of innovative music companies with interests in both publishing and recorded music, so I’m so delighted he’s agreed to join us to take up this unique role,” added Guy Moot.
Walboomers got his start in the industry as an independent, launching the music distribution service Walboomers Music with his brother in 1996. The company handled distribution for Hip-Hop, Latin, Reggae and World Music before launching as a label, music publisher, and music management venture in its own right.
In 2010, Walboomers joined Sony Music Publishing, serving as Managing Director in Benelux. He also joined the board of NMUV, the Dutch music publishers’ association and would go on to serve as Chair between 2014 and 2018.
He’s also served as a board member of BMPA, the Belgian music publishers’ association since 2014 and as Secretary to the Supervisory Board of Dutch collecting society Buma/Stemra since 2011.
He holds a degree in Financial Business Administration from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and recently completed a study in disruptive innovation at Harvard Business School.
