Ewout Swart, Co-President of Warner Music Group-owned Spinnin’ Records’ is stepping down after 16 years at the company.
As part of a new leadership transition, Niels Walboomers, Warner Music Group’s President of Recorded Music and Publishing in Benelux, will take up an expanded role that sees him responsible for the Amsterdam-based dance label.
Warner said on Wednesday (March 19) that Spinnin’ Records will continue to operate independently of WM Benelux, and Walboomers will be working closely with Jorn Heringa to cover the label’s A&R activities.
Swart joined the company in 2009 as a Royalties Manager, before working his way up to Chief Operating Officer in 2016, and then Co-President in 2023.
News of the leadership shakeup at the label follows Roger De Graaf’s exit as Co-President in November 2024. De Graaf co-founded Spinnin’ with Eelko Van Kooten in 1999. The label was acquired by Warner in 2017 in a deal worth over $100 million.
Following the sale of Spinnin’ to Warner, Eelko van Kooten departed, while De Graaf continued to lead the label.
Spinnin’ has worked with a number of superstars in the dance world, including Afrojack, Cheat Codes, CYRIL, Don Diablo, Fedde Le Grand, Gabry Ponte, Lum!x, Kriss Kross Amsterdam, KSHMR, Martin Garrix, Martin Solveig, Nicky Romero, Oliver Heldens, Sam Feldt, Sander van Doorn, Timmy Trumpet and Tiësto.
The label is also home to a number of artist-led sub-labels, such as Alok’s Controversia, Blasterjaxx’s Maxximize, David Guetta’s Future Rave, Kream’s Liquid Lab, KSHMR’s Dharma, Tiësto’s Musical Freedom, Timmy Trumpet’s Sinphony, and Ummet Ozcan’s OZ records, and many more.
Spinnin’ Records claims to have been responsible for the “biggest breakthrough in dance in 2024” by taking CYRIL from a new signing to over 1.5 billion streams to date.
Spinnin’ counts more than 31 million subscribers on YouTube and almost four million followers on Instagram.
“With new leadership, we’re helping Spinnin’ Records write an exciting new chapter for its artists and better connect the label to Benelux’s recorded music and publishing businesses.”
Simon Robson, President of EMEA Recorded Music, WMG, said: “With new leadership, we’re helping Spinnin’ Records write an exciting new chapter for its artists and better connect the label to Benelux’s recorded music and publishing businesses.
“Niels has gone from strength to strength since joining WMG, and with his recent work with Spinnin’ Records, it was an easy decision to expand his role.
“He’s connected with the very best dance talent and in the last year made two big new signings at WCM in superstar DJs CYRIL and Mau P. I also want to thank Ewout for everything that he’s done for the label over many years, and I wish him all the best for the future.”
“I want to thank Ewout, as he and the label’s co-founders, Roger and Eelko, worked incredibly hard to get it to where it is today, alongside the brilliant Jorn Heringa, and Bart Cools who has been involved with the label since it was acquired.”
Niels Walboomers, WMG
Niels Walboomers, President, Records and Publishing, Benelux, WMG, added: “I want to thank Ewout, as he and the label’s co-founders, Roger and Eelko, worked incredibly hard to get it to where it is today, alongside the brilliant Jorn Heringa, and Bart Cools who has been involved with the label since it was acquired.
“Spinnin’ boasts an incredibly talented team with a globally acclaimed roster, so I’m excited to see how we can take the label to the next level.”
Elsewhere at Warner Music Group globally, respected music industry veteran Kaz Kobayashi recently stepped down as President and CEO of Warner Music Japan.
Takeshi Okada was appointed as the new President and CEO of Warner Music Japan in October.
Kobayashi’s exit from the company followed the departure of KazuhiroShimada, who stepped down as Chief Operating Officer of Warner Music Japan in July.
The leadership shift at Warner Music Japan and Spinnin Records follows recent changes within the broader Warner Music Group. These include the departures of Kevin Liles as CEO of 300 Elektra Entertainment, Max Lousada as WMG’s CEO of Recorded Music, andJulie Greenwald as Chairman of Atlantic Music Group at the end of September.
