Warner/Chappell Reviews

Pros

- Some great colleagues
- Good benefits (healthcare, 401k, 10 biz days off per year plus 2 personal days and 6 sick days)

Cons

- Little to no opportunity for growth
- Skeleton crew (high volume - lots of work with pressure to turn things around quickly)
- Uncertainty (4 new CEO/Prezs within the past 5-6 years; WMG may acquire EMI.... - WMG was just sold this May to a private equity firm)

Advice to Senior Management

Does it even matter? Also, website list "Scott Francis" as the CEO... as I mentioned earlier: sorry we have yet another new boss... as of Jan 1, 2011 and July 1, 2011, Cameron Strang is the new CEO/President, US and Worldwide.

Pros

1. got to be involved in contracts for some amazingly creative artists, current and past
2. got to really stretch my ability to understand contract law (I am not a lawyer)
3. got to hold the politics at arm's length, for the most part
4. huge, remarkable catalog
5. great stories about the early days from folks who were still around when I was there

Cons

1. like the industry, the company had plenty of senior staff who did not grow up with a digital lifestyle and the real problem was that their (understandable) sense of having their livelihood threatened made them very stupid, for far too long.
2. I saw, again at senior levels, such contempt for the artist and the fans, it was really shocking too me (especially as I trained as an artist myself)
3. unbelievably petty attitudes spread throughout the company - not sure why, to be honest.
4. naive corporate decision-making that only focused on shareholder - shareholders are not the most important entities in a company., especially a company that sells art.

Advice to Senior Management

not sure - money is important, but morale and treating everyone with respect. can help you make money. maybe things are like that now.

Pros

The company is really transparent in that any employee has the opportunity to interact with upper management; there is not too much hierarchical power distribution at this company.

Cons

The pay is not as competitive as other companies in the entertainment industry; therefore, sometimes you get the sense that employees aren't as motivated to go above and beyond with their work.

Advice to Senior Management

Find an innovative way to motivate every employee in the office so that they feel excited about every project they take on.

Pros

I guess there are some positives. For instance, the benefits package is pretty good, as are the summer hours and the break between Christmas and New Years. It's a pretty laid back atmosphere which allows a very relaxed dress code, and there aren't many urgent deadlines requiring one to drop everything to complete that one. There might be a few live performances from up and coming artists and writers for all employees to enjoy. So far, overtime is available as it helps for extra income. There's also a foosball table and a TV with cable to blow off steam during breaks, or to enjoy all day long instead of doin work if the state of the company is pissing you off enough.

Cons

There are numerous. Once you establish a rapport with enough people, you will soon realize that you'll be in the same boat as most people when the time comes when you're sick of the job: You're not the only one looking elsewhere to work. Unless you sleep with the right people, promotions are few and far between and raises don't occur annually. Anyone who knows anything about economics would tell you that if you don't even get that standard of living increase, you're getting a pay cut. There are way too much BS politics, and even though it's easy to be cordial with almost everyone, it still feels like high school. The bullies don't stick your head in the toilet; they just give off this heir of superiority for no reason. Through the years, they've taken away perks gradually. If you want to one day be under-appreciated and exclaim to yourself, "of all companies I could have worked for, I just happened to end up at the one that did NOT give annual raises, took forever (if ever) to promote, and kept me in a state of stagnation while all my peers in various industries have progressed significantly in their respective fields!", I highly recommend seeking employment here.

Advice to Senior Management

The first raise in July in, like 3 years, was 3 years too late.