Warner Chappell Music

Warner Chappell Music is the music publishing arm of Warner Music Group Corp. (NASDAQ: WMG), signing songwriters and administering compositions in return for a share of royalties from streaming, sales, broadcast, public performance and synchronisation. Publishing administration is a distinct legal relationship from owning a master recording, and a Warner Chappell signing is not evidence that the company owns an artist’s master rights.

Its African activity runs through Africori, the Johannesburg, Lagos and London-based digital distribution and rights-management company. Warner Chappell Music France signed a global sub-publishing deal with Africori in December 2020, and parent Warner Music Group went on to acquire a majority stake in Africori in 2022 before completing a full buyout in February 2025. Africori continues to operate under its own name, run by chief executive Yoel Kenan, reporting to Warner Music Africa. Warner Chappell has also signed African and African-diaspora songwriters directly, including Ghanaian singer-songwriter MOLIY (global publishing deal, August 2025) and Nigerian singer-songwriter and producer Tay Iwar.

Warner Chappell is not independent: it is wholly owned by Warner Music Group, a publicly traded, SEC-reporting major. Its African publishing reach is therefore best read as major-owned, delivered on the ground through the wholly owned Africori subsidiary rather than a standalone Warner Chappell Africa office.