We will electrify the market: Inside new label Atlantic Records Germany

Warner Music recently cut the ribbon on Atlantic Records Germany, a newly launched Berlin-based label with a core focus on the nation’s rap scene. And according to Doreen Schimk and Fabian Drebes, co-presidents, Warner Music Central Europe, the label will soon become the go-to label for the genre’s biggest artists.

Located in Berlin-Kreuzberg, Atlantic Records Germany will be commited to discovering and promoting German hip-hop, particularly underground rap, a scene which has grown significantly in recent years.

“It feels like the right time to launch Atlantic Records Germany,” Schmick and Drebes told Headliner. “The rap scene here is fizzing with talent and Berlin is one of the epicentres of a movement that’s about both music and wider culture. We think there’s a huge opportunity to help talented rappers build long-term careers in music and we want Atlantic to be the go-to label for the hottest artists in the genre.

“The launch of Atlantic Records Germany will really electrify the market here. We have one of the most exciting rap scenes in Europe and we want to work with the best of its artists to offer them a platform and support for long-term careers in this business. And we’re so excited to sign Yung Hurn as our first artist on the label.”

The signing of Hurn, one of the most influential German-speaking artists of the last few years, marks the star’s first deal with a major label.

Hurn, one of the most influential German-speaking artists of the last few years. The deal marks the first time Yung Hurn has partnered with a major label. Hailing from Austria - the Viennese district Donaustadt - he made his breakthrough in 2015 with EP Wiener Linien.

The label will benefit from close collaboration between the recorded music and music publishing arms of Warner Music Group. Warner Chappell Music is the number one domestic music publisher in Germany, driven in part by its success in signing and supporting writers from the country’s rap scene.

As part of the launch of Atlantic Records Germany, Natascha Augustin, VP at Warner Chappell Music Germany, who works as an A&R exec with many of the biggest names in German rap, will take on an additional, consultancy role with the label, while continuing to act as creative lead at the publisher.

“I’m so excited that the iconic Atlantic Records label is coming to Berlin,” Augustin commented. “I think it’ll be a natural home for some of the most exciting artists on the scene, so I’m delighted to offer some guidance and support based on my experience of working in the genre.”

Atlantic Records Germany is also set to become a creative hub in Berlin, offering regular sessions such as SHE, an all-female rap camp, and Foreign X Change, where international producers link up for sessions and collaboration tracks with local artists.

Simon Robson, president, international, Warner Recorded Music, added: “Atlantic Records has been home to generations of legendary artists and it’s played a significant role in the evolution of hip-hop. We believe Atlantic Records Germany can have a similar cultural impact, tapping into the fast-evolving scene there and helping elevate its most creative artists, amplifying their voices and their stories, and bringing their music to the widest possible audience.”

Earlier this month Augustin spoke to Headliner about how Warner Chappell Germany was reinventing the country’s musical landscape, while just this week, Warner Chappell Music announced that it had renewed its publishing agreement with the George Michael Estate.

Meanwhile, back in October, Warner Music revealed that it had put pen to paper on a new long-term deal with Coldplay ahead of the release of their latest album Music Of The Spheres. The agreement sees the band continue its relationship with Warner’s Parlaphone label.