Kevin Liles will step down from his role as chairman and CEO of 300 Entertainment at the end of September, the respected executive announced on Tuesday (Sept. 17).

In an internal note to staff obtained by Billboard, Liles said he would be departing as CEO of the Warner Music-owned label at the end of the month but staying on as a consultant through the year. WMG CEO Robert Kyncl called Liles an “extraordinary brand-builder, artist advocate, and champion of creative expression,” adding that the role would not be filled once Liles steps down.

billboard.com/pro/kevin-liles-300-entertainment-ceo-warner-music

"Liles, Lyor Cohen, Todd Moscowitz and Roger Gold launched 300 in 2015 and quickly gained recognition and influence for signing and developing future hip-hop superstars including Megan Thee Stallion, Gunna, Migos, Fetty Wap and Young Thug, among others.

In 2021, the label was acquired by Warner Music Group, which later incorporated it into the Atlantic Music Group by forming the 300 Elektra Entertainment Group in 2022."

damn. end of an era

oh wow

hitsdailydouble.com/near_truths_item&id=342515&title=NEAR-TRUTHS%253A-RIP-TIDE

"The Atlantic saga continues to stir much chatter as it becomes clear that the label has been a paper tiger for some time, with huge financial losses. Key among these was the $400m deal for 300, which is now widely recognized as a fiasco."

"The changes at 300 follow the departure of longtime Atlantic leader Julie Greenwald and the announcement that Elliot Grainge will be taking over as CEO of the new-look label at the end of this month. Sources have told Billboard that other executive departures may also be in the works during this leadership transition as well."

Everything is changing

Nice

"Fired CEO Julie Greenwald had, we're told, intimidated the board into making her rich when she was still hot, and subsequently acted as though she were untouchable. She is spending her final weeks at the company, insiders say, stirring up all manner of s***—including threatening staff over their supposed loyalty to her and talking smack about everybody, especially board members. Why is she still there, exactly?

Those insiders suggest that once that chapter finally ends, she can go into business with her best friend, Lyor Cohen. (Though he didn’t do her any favors when he was politicking to replace Max Lousada and threw her under the bus.)

Now word has it they’re trying to raise money and have appealed to Geoffrey Ogunlesi and his dad, billionaire Nigerian investment banker Adebayo Ogunlesi, for funding, implying that they’ll be able to sign Bruno Mars and Ed Sheeran to their newco once the stars are out of their Atlantic deals."

“The cultural impact we created in 10 years when starting from scratch is simply unmatched in the modern era,” said Liles. “We transformed our value proposition – ‘mindset of independent, muscle of a major’ – into a model for the rest of the industry to chase in this new era of music. But if there’s one consistent in music and culture, it’s that change is inevitable.”

billboard.com/pro/kevin-liles-300-entertainment-ceo-warner-music

They probably all just gonna make a Larry Jackson type move after seeing his success last year. Niggas all got a bag now and connections, who needs the label

this last point is probably the real reason why cardi's album isnt out

Liles’ full memo to staff

A Celebration of Who We Are

Team,

From the start, 300 was centered around the idea that when you intensely focus on servicing artists and the culture, good things happen. When we combined that intention with our fearlessness, creativity, and passion, it unlocked greatness and delivered impact.

Next month, 300 will be celebrating its tenth anniversary of greatness and impact. I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude to our team and share some news.

A Decade of Influence

Throughout the past decade, we stayed true to our original vision and values. As we created the first ever label ecosystem in the industry, we celebrated Trap Queens, we Dripped Too Hard as a Lifestyle, and it was always a Hot Girl Summer, even on our Skis. We have leaders like the Bad and Boujee Rayna Bass who can switch between Pushin P and being Savage with No Promises other than excellence. Then there’s the Awwsome Selim Bouab who is Hot regardless of whether in Japan, The London, or From The D To The A.

Our whole team is One of Wun. Our Bread & Butter was saying less and doing more – when others talked, we didn’t stop to ask Fukumean, we just said Good Morning Gorgeous and proved Boy’s A Liar.

Whether Lydia, Kehlani, or 679 of Your Friends, we made fans evangelists. We Mixed Personalities, put in work like it’s First Day Out, and ran up Digits that made everyone Pick Up The Phone.

Then when we became part of the WMG family and joined forces with Gregg Nadel and other brilliant minds and artists across Elektra Music Group, we continued to deliver Religiously and Right On Time. As 3EE, we had The Craving to always make it Bigger Than The Song, whether it felt like we were on Holiday or between a Rock And A Hard Place.

The cultural impact we created in 10 years when starting from scratch is simply unmatched in the modern era. We transformed our value proposition – “mindset of independent, muscle of a major” – into a model for the rest of the industry to chase in this new era of music. But if there’s one consistent in music and culture, it’s that change is inevitable.

As committed servants of the culture, we know growing and empowering the next generation of leaders is a responsibility, and when the time is right, we pass the torch. As I mentioned above, at 300 we have two of the most talented, home-grown young leaders in the entire music industry, Rayna Bass and Selim Bouab.

On this tenth anniversary of 300, it’s their turn to lead our 300 team into the next decade of excellence. At the end of this month, I’ll be stepping aside and departing WMG, although to ensure a successful transition, I’ll continue to consult with the team through the end of the year.

300 has never been about one person or one artist. It’s a movement united in belief in our culture and community. Personally, I’m looking forward to my next chapter where I will continue to Listen, Learn, Lead, and Love.

Specifically, I will be continuing the fight to end the criminalization of hip-hop lyrics exemplified by the unjust prosecution of Jeffery Williams.

And in the short-term, I’ll be dedicating all my other time to making history by electing Kamala Harris as the first African-American female President, as well as holding the Senate and winning back the House to make Hakeem Jeffries the first African-American Speaker. This chapter may be closing, but always remember: #jobnotdone.

I have full faith in the leadership of Rayna, Selim, and Gregg, and I want to extend a sincere thank you to Len and the senior leaders at WMG who have empowered our success, particularly Robert, Max, and Julie.

Thank You and God Bless,
Kevin

I f*** wit Kevin Liles even more so him standing up for Thug I respected it

:scary:

Julie Greenwald stepped down at Atlantic.
Max Lousada stepped down Warner.
Kevin Liles stepped down at 300.

what does it mean when ONE family controls over 30% of the music business

Can anyone tell me what this really means fr.

burn a whole village we start over.

Rap's Ragnarok

@NotHulkHogan

Streaming services the new record label. Don’t be shocked when UMG drops their own streaming service and something like 100 gigs is an added feature to entice people to subscribe

what a time

regime changes always feel like the end of the world but they’re really just the start of something new