Warner Music Group announced on Wednesday the launch of Warner Music Israel, becoming the latest major to set up shop in the Middle Eastern nation.
WMG’s newest outpost, headquartered in Tel Aviv, arrives nearly two years after Universal became the first major to open a branch in the country. UMG has since launched a publishing unit in Israel as well.
Leading Warner Music Israel as general manager will be veteran music executive Mariah Mochiach, who most recently worked as a consultant and until early 2020 was a member of the business affairs and sync team at indie label Anova Music. For more than a decade, Mochiach could be found at music distributor and label Lev Group Media, where as GM she dealt directly with WMG, Beggars Group and others. For most of the 2000s, Mochiach worked at legendary imprint Hed Arzi as a label & repertoire manager for WMG and BMG. An artist manager as well, Mochiach’s clients over the years have included regional artists Geva Alon and Victoria Hanna.
Mochiach reports into Alfonso Perez-Soto, the president of emerging markets at Warner Recorded Music, and will work closely on marketing matters with Gülce Özyeşilpınar, her GM counterpart at Warner Music Turkey.
Warner Music Israel will focus on promoting WMG’s global roster to the Israeli recorded music market, which grew by double digits last year, according to the IFPI, as well as attracting local talent to the label.
“Israel has a rich culture and is the home to some incredible talent,” said Perez-Soto. “Mariah has vast experience of the country’s music industry and so is the perfect person to lead our operations here. We hope to turn Warner Music Israel into a powerhouse full of local stars, and by offering artists the opportunity to tap into Warner Music’s renowned global network, we aim to attract the country’s most exciting talent.”
Mochiach echoed Perez-Soto’s comments: “Our country is full of unique and extraordinary talent which we hope to propel onto the global stage. We hope to find many inspirational artists in Israel in the near future.”
