The Warner Music Group has implemented an organizational restructuring that was under discussion when Lyor Cohen still headed up the company’s recorded music operation.

In the new alignment, the WMG will be divided into three divisions: frontline recorded music, which will consist of Atlantic Records, Warner Bros. Records and Warner Nashville; music publishing and catalog development, which will place Warner/Chappell and Rhino under the same business unit umbrella; and label and artist services.

In a memo to employees, obtained by Billboard.biz, WMG CEO Steve Cooper said that the frontline labels, the drivers of the recorded music business, will remain as they are with the label heads reporting in to him.
“Today’s announcement represents the next step in our evolution by creating a separate division where many of the services that WEA, ADA, 360° Operations & D2C provide to our labels can now be accessed by the entire organization,” WMG CEO Steve Cooper said in a memo to staffers.
The executive who appears to gain the most additional responsibilities in the new alignment is Warner/Chappell chairman/CEO Cameron Strang, who will oversee Rhino Entertainment, with Rhino president/CEO Kevin Gore reporting to him.

“Among the numerous benefits in aligning Rhino and Warner/Chappell will be enriched collaboration in the U.S. among our recorded music and music publishing teams with respect to catalog exploitation, synch efforts and rights acquisition,” Cooper told WMG staffers. [AlLindstrom]