Chassagne, who is retiring, was the Warner division’s longest-serving chief
Alain Veille will succeed longtime managing director Thierry Chassagne as president of Warner Music France, signaling a major leadership change at the label’s subsidiary.
The move, which will take effect on Jan. 1, will see Veille, a 19-year veteran of Warner Music France, replacing its longest-serving leader. Chassagne, who led WMG France since 2004, is retiring after 35 years in the music business. He was instrumental in the success of artists such as Aya Nakamura, Amir, Ninho and Christophe Maé; and worked with icons such as Johnny Hallyday, Julien Clerc and Véronique Sanson. The executive also helped develop the French careers of international artists like Bruno Mars, Cardi B, Dua Lipa, Madonna and Michael Jackson.
Veille, 53, is currently the managing director, digital and export director for WMG France. He will report to Stu Bergen, Warner Music Group CEO international and global commercial services.
Veille began his music career in 1993 at Sony Music France, where he undertook special marketing projects. He moved to Universal Music France in 1997, spending four years at the company, where he last oversaw TV marketing. In 2001, he joined Warner Music Group as managing director of WEA France, just as the company was beginning its evolution from a traditional physical distribution arm to a full services organization encompassing advertising, business development, content creation, data management and social media.
Chassagne leaves as preliminary figures suggest the 2019-2020 year will prove to be the “most successful ever” financial year for WMG France, which was founded in 1971, according to a company press release. Among his accomplishments, he oversaw Warner’s merger with Parlophone in 2013. Chassagne also became president of SCPP, the French neighboring rights collecting society, in 2016. And in 2017 French president Emmanuel Macron made him a Knight of the National Order of Merit, an honor bestowed on individuals with distinguished military or civil achievements.
“This is a historic day for our business in France,” Bergen said in a press release. “Alain is the perfect choice to build on Thierry’s legacy and support our artists and team today and in the future. Warner Music France is one of our company’s jewels, with a cultural thread that connects the legends of Edith Piaf and Johnny Hallyday to the contemporary sounds of Aya Nakamura and Ninho.”
