22 BILLBOARD | AUGUST 10 , 2 019
S
INGING DID NOT COME
naturally to Ryan Press, son of
longtime Temptations tenor
Ron Tyson. “I tried,” recalls
Press with a laugh. “Some teachers lied
to me and said I sounded good. But that
talent skipped over me.”
What Press does have, however, is
the ability to find, sign and connect
songwriters, producers and artists. The
Philadelphia native launched his publishing
career in 2006 as a consultant at Notting
Hill, then spent the past decade at Warner
Chappell Music in a succession of A&R
roles, working with writers and producers
like Rihanna, DJ Khaled, Meek Mill,
Mike WiLL Made-It, Tay Keith, Ross
Golan and PartyNextDoor.
Now, as Press marks six months since
being named president of A&R, U.S.,
at Warner Chappell, where he oversees
everything outside of Nashville, he’s living
up to his track record by acquiring several
high-demand signees. He has already
signed producer Turbo, Stone Temple
Pilots and 2019 breakthrough artist Lizzo
to join a substantial songwriter roster
that includes twenty one pilots, Justin
Tranter, Julia Michaels, Katy Perry,
Saweetie and Portugal. The Man.
Press credits former Warner Chappell
chairman/CEO Jon Platt, and current
co-chairmen Carianne Marshall and
Guy Moot, with “recognizing something
in me that maybe I didn’t know in
myself ” when it comes to his leadership
role. “He told me that I’ve made it to
a certain point in A&R, but if I wanted
to have a career for the next 20 years, I
needed to develop a skill set as a leader,”
says Press, sitting in his sunlit Los
Angeles office. “I’m not looking at this as
having big shoes to fill — I’m just trying to
create my own path.”
Since taking on your new role, has the
adjustment period been what you
expected?
The biggest thing I had to digest was
that there was no more looking to
another person for the yes or no. It’s
on me. The training wheels are off.
I’m also being judged on whether I
can develop other executives the same
way I’ve proven myself in developing
songwriters. Instinctively, I want to
A&R everything and still be 2009
Ryan. But the focus now is making sure
I’m bringing up other people. From a
leadership standpoint, with any meeting
I take, I always rotate in someone from
my team to provide another perspective
and make sure they’re being exposed
to experiences that will prepare them
to be leaders when it’s their shot. It’s
about keeping different energy with me,
whether younger or older, a different set
BY GAIL MITCHELL
PHOTOGRAPHED BY ERIK UMPHERY
Ryan Press
The longtime A&R rep on work ethic, diversity and competition
FROM THE DESK OF
PRESIDENT OF A&R, U.S., WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC
“This was a beautiful
moment that I’ll cherish
t h e r e s t o f my l i f e , ” s ay s
Press, photographed
J u l y 3 0 a t Wa r n e r
Chappell Music in Los
Angeles, about the photo
next to his desk. “Nipsey
Hussle, [Marathon
Agency partner] Steve
‘Steve-O’ Carless, my
brother Damion and I
were talking about doing
more together and how
happy we were for Nip’s
Grammy nomination.”