Alex Wilhelm is a German-American music executive, A&R representative, and the owner of 16 Entertainment, a music company dedicated to artist development. To date, 16 Entertainment has generated 5 billion streams by offering an empowering alternative to independent-minded artists.[1] Prior to founding his own company, Wilhelm held senior A&R positions at major record labels including Warner Records, Capitol Records, and Atlantic Records/APG. He has signed multiple multi-platinum selling artists, served on the Grammy Awards Committee, and has been featured on Billboard's "Indie Power Players" and "40 under 40" lists.[1] [2]
Alex Wilhelm | |
|---|---|
 Alex Wilhelm for Billboard Magazine in 2021 | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2008–present |
| Labels | |
Career
editCrazed Hits
editAlex Wilhelm started his career by founding influential independent A&R company Crazed Hits out of his bedroom in Germany, through which he discovered a variety of major recording artists, including LMFAO, Drake, Imagine Dragons, The Weeknd, Nicki Minaj, Owl City, Brantley Gilbert, Mike Posner, Jessie J, Odd Future, and others. [3][4][5][6] During his time at Crazed Hits, Alex Wilhelm also discovered the hit song "If I Were A Boy", which was later recorded by Beyoncé.[7][8][9]
Warner Bros. Records
editIn October 2012, Alex Wilhelm became the Director of A&R at Warner Bros. Records, where he was involved in signing and/or A&R'ing artists such as Passenger, Jason Derulo, and Bebe Rexha.[10][7][11][12][13][14][15][16]
Capitol Music Group
editIn September 2014, Alex Wilhelm joined Capitol Music Group, where he was promoted to Senior Director of A&R.[10][17][18][19] At Capitol, Alex Wilhelm signed multi-platinum recording artist Calum Scott, who scored international hits with his singles "Dancing On My Own" and "You Are The Reason." Calum's platinum-selling debut album, "Only Human," has generated over 6 billion streams to date. Wilhelm also brought pop rapper Silento to Capitol who scored an international hit with his debut single "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)", certified six-times Platinum in the United States.[20][21]
Atlantic Records/APG
editIn September 2017, Alex Wilhelm joined APG and Atlantic Records, where he was promoted to VP of A&R and ran the A&R Research Department. Additionally, he was the lead consultant at Warner Music Group for Sodatone, a machine-learning and AI-driven A&R Data Platform. WMG acquired Sodatone in 2018.[22][23]
48 Hours Entertainment
editIn April 2021, Wilhelm co-founded 48 Hours Entertainment together with former Rolling Stones and Garbage manager Steve Moir, who now manages John Mayer, The Black Keys and Mickey Guyton.[22][23][2][24]
In August 2021, Wilhelm was named one of the 40 most powerful music executives under the age of 40 by Billboard magazine.[2]
In January 2023, Wilhelm's client Hotel Ugly peaked at #22 on the Spotify U.S. Chart and entered the Billboard Hot 100 with their hit single "Shut Up My Mom's Calling." The song, which was released independently, generated over 400 million streams globally.[25][26]
16 Entertainment
editIn 2022, Wilhelm established 16 Entertainment, a music company designed to offer an empowering alternative for independent-minded artists. Since its inception, 16 Entertainment has generated 5 billion streams and offers a range of services including artist development, streaming strategy, label services, and distribution for independent artists. Wilhelm has signed and worked with a variety of artists during this period, including Hotel Ugly, TV Girl, and Violent Vira and was named to Billboard Magazine's prestigious Indie Power Player list for his contributions to the independent music sector.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c Billboard Magazine - Indie Power Players 2024 List
- ^ a b c Inside 48 Hours Entertainment, the Company Brokering Deals for Breakout Artists
- ^ Irish Times
- ^ Times Article 2
- ^ "Musikindustrin". Archived from the original on 2013-10-23. Retrieved 2012-11-26.
- ^ What is the best way to get a job discovering and signing bands for a record label?
- ^ a b Billboard Magazine - Alex Wilhelm named Director of A&R, Warner Bros. Records
- ^ "Think You Have a Hit? Send Your Music To This Guy". Archived from the original on 2020-12-14. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
- ^ Interview with Alex Wilhelm
- ^ a b Billboard Magazine - A&R Exec Alex Wilhelm on Signing Calum Scott and Finding Hidden Gems
- ^ Allindstorm
- ^ The Top 40 Music Industry Social Media Influencers of 2015
- ^ Music Business Registry
- ^ Driven Music Conference
- ^ MUBUTV - A&R NEWS
- ^ 'Crazed Hits' Blogger is Warner's New Director of A&R
- ^ GRAMMY.com - Alex Wilhelm, The New A&R
- ^ HitsDailyDouble
- ^ Billboard - Grammy Dispatch
- ^ Billboard Magazine - A&R Exec Alex Wilhelm on Signing Calum Scott and Finding Hidden Gems
- ^ GRAMMY Connect: The New A&R
- ^ a b Alex Wilhelm - About
- ^ a b LinkedIn
- ^ The Black Keys Sign With Steve Moir & Irving Azoff for Management
- ^ Hot 100 First-Timers: Hotel Ugly Checks In With ‘Shut Up My Moms Calling
- ^ 48 HOURS BOOKS AN EXTENDED HOTEL STAY