Ernst Trapp Promoted to President, Global E-Commerce & Retail at WEA

WEA, the Label and Artist Services division of Warner Music Group (WMG), today announced that EMP CEO Ernst Trapp has been promoted to President, Global E-Commerce & Retail. Trapp will be based in Lingen, Germany and report directly to WEA’s President Maria Weaver.

In this role, Trapp will continue to oversee operations at EMP as CEO, while also leading WEA’s global e-commerce efforts, including direct-to-consumer sales and artist webstores. The move will centralize the company’s worldwide e-commerce strategy under Trapp’s remit with teams around the globe working collectively to deliver memorable campaigns for artists and fans.

Additionally, Scott Cherkin moves into the newly created role of SVP, Audience Strategy overseeing WEA’s Global Audience Engagement & Insights. In this role, he will work across the entire organization to optimize relationships with fans by establishing best practices to track, measure, and learn from audiences in every way that artists, labels, and WEA’s media and commerce teams interact with them.

The news comes on the heels of the recent appointment of Danielle Lee to President of Artist and Fan Experiences, and the promotions of Benjamin Blank to President of Media, leading the company’s newly-formed digital advertising and creative content division, and longtime WEA exec Elsa Vivero to General Manager / Executive Vice President, Global Commercial Services. The established leadership across these five areas round out WEA’s executive team under Weaver. 

Weaver said: “It’s incredibly impressive the e-tailer powerhouse that Ernst has built EMP into, and there’s no one better suited for this role at WEA. He knows how important successful direct-to-consumer initiatives are in strengthening an artist’s brand and increasing fan loyalty, and with him at the helm we’ll be able to unify our global approach to better serve both the artists and the fans. With Scott rounding out the leadership team, working across all divisions to make sure we’re truly understanding and serving our audience, WEA is poised to super-serve the artist/fan relationship.”

Trapp added: “It’s been a pleasure to be a part of the WMG family for the past four years through EMP, and I’m happy to now have the opportunity to work even closer with the team as we put our focus into our e-commerce efforts. In today’s rapidly advancing digital world the opportunities to connects fans and artists are endless and I look forward to tapping into all of them. I’m grateful for this opportunity and also want to thank the EMP team for all of their support and hard work.”

Since 2013, Trapp has served as CEO of EMP, one of Europe’s leading specialty music and entertainment merchandise e-tailers. In 2018, WMG agreed to acquire the company, with EMP remaining a stand-alone direct-to-fan unit headed by Trapp and CFO Jan Fischer. Under their leadership, the company operates a network of websites serving 18 European countries, with a community of millions of customers, and a fast-growing paid loyalty program. Throughout his career at EMP, Trapp has worked with globally renowned bands such as Twenty One Pilots, Panic! At the Disco, Metallica, Guns n Roses, and Nirvana, as well as major entertainment brands like Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, and Harry Potter.

Prior to EMP, Trapp held leadership positions in the fields of e-commerce and marketing at Amazon, Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, KPMG, and leading German insurance group, ERGO Group AG.