Pico Cibelli has been named as the new President of Warner Music Italy. He will be starting the role in the near future and reporting to Simon Robson, President, International, Recorded Music, Warner Music Group. He joins from Sony Music Italy, where he has spent more than a decade working in A&R, developing the company’s frontline domestic artists.
He will replace Marco Alboni, who is stepping down as Chairman and CEO of Warner Music Italy after more than nine years, and who previously led EMI Music Italy, which was acquired by Warner Music Group in 2013.
Pico Cibelli says: “It’s an incredibly exciting move for me to join the team at Warner Music and take up the best role in the Italian music industry. Music fans in Italy have always embraced domestic repertoire, but that trend has accelerated in recent years, making it more important than ever for us to sign and nurture local talent. The success of artists such as Måneskin has also shown that Italian artists can take the world by storm, something we’ll see more of in the years ahead.”
Simon Robson adds: “There is some really exciting talent in Italy now, which deserves to be heard on the global stage. Pico, has a proven track record of developing artists and maximising their potential. I’m excited about what he can achieve, allied to our already strong Italian roster and our brilliant team in Milan, which he will lead with verve and style. I also want to thank Marco Alboni for his contribution, developing young artists from a variety of genres and building a great team in Milan, and I know everyone at Warner Music worldwide wishes him well for the future.”
Marco Alboni concludes: “I’ve had an incredible time leading the team in Milan, first as EMI Music Italy and then as Warner Music Italy. It’s been a privilege to work with some of the most interesting and passionate artists from Italy and around the world, to be part of their story, and help them achieve enormous success. I’m particularly pleased to be leaving on a high with the amazing Rondodasosa topping the Italian albums chart. I’ll be sharing some news on my next ventures soon.”
Cibelli first joined in the music industry in 1996, working as a Dance A&R and TV Marketing Product Manager at dance and house label Dig It International. He left Dig It International to join independent distribution company Self Distribution, leveraging his skills across label management, TV and radio promotion across his roster. He joined Universal Music Italy in 2000 and worked as an A&R Executive there for more than 10 years, signing and working with the likes of Club Dogo, Eiffel65, Fabri Fibra, Francesco Renga, Gabry Ponte, Gianna Nannini, Lorenzo Jovanotti, Marracash, and many others.
In 2011, he moved to Sony Music Italy as an A&R Manager before moving up to A&R Director, and subsequently became Director of Local Frontline Repertoire a short time after. While at Sony Music, he discovered and developed artists including Ana Mena, Fedez, Geolier, Luche’, Måneskin, Marco Mengoni, Pinguini Tattici Nucleari, Rocco Hunt, Salmo, Shiva, Takagi e Ketra, Tedua, Thasup, among many more.
Warner Music Italy is home to a wide variety of artists including Achille Lauro, Annalisa, Capo Plaza, Fred De Palma, Ghali, Irama, Laura Pausini, Levante, Mr Rain and Rondodasosa.
