ADA President Cat Kreidich Leaving Warner Music Group

Cat Kreidich is leaving her post as president of Warner Music Group’s distribution division ADA Worldwide, she announced in a memo to staff today (July 22) obtained by Billboard. Kreidich, who has led the division since April 2021, said she will share her plans for the future “when appropriate.”

“While organizational change is a constant in our industry, I believe the foundation we’ve established will continue to serve independent artists effectively,” Kreidich wrote. “We built an exceptional global team and expanded our global release volume, revitalized our brand identity, and developed a digital platform specifically designed for independent artists and labels within the Warner supply chain.”

Kreidich joined ADA at the end of 2020 as executive vp overseeing global expansion, before succeeding Eliah Seton as president just five months later. She had previously spent eight years at The Orchard, and had focused during much of her tenure at ADA on reinventing WMG’s distro business, including focusing on upgrading its technology and services and bringing in a new executive team. A new leader for ADA is expected to be announced this week.

“Cat is a class act,” WMG CEO Robert Kyncl said in his own memo, obtained by Billboard. “A bold thinker and decisive leader, she’s always focused on what’s best for the indie community — its artists, its labels, and its spirit. Under her leadership, ADA has grown its relationships across the creative ecosystem, expanded its global reach, and strengthened its team and tech. She’s helped guide us through some major shifts, staying agile, and delivering results.”

During her tenure, Kreidich signed a distribution deal with Three Six Zero Recordings, brought aboard Kesha and her Kesha Recordings and delivered the singer her first No. 1 on multiple charts as an independent artist, and expanded into several new territories, among other accomplishments. She’s also been a fixture on Billboard’s Indie Power Players feature each year.

Her tenure also coincided with a period when WMG was focused on bolstering its distribution options, at several points exploring acquisition targets before ultimately backing away from that plan; in March, Kyncl said at a Morgan Stanley conference that the company was now looking into building out its indie distribution offering rather than growing through buying. “I’ve looked at all distribution companies over the last 18 months … and what I can tell you is that we’re not willing to grow this at all costs,” Kyncl said at the time. “We have an incredible technology team … and they have been building features already for a year and a half. This way you get to the same outcome much more efficiently.”

Kyncl also announced earlier this month that Warner would be reducing staff through layoffs, the third time he had announced staffing cuts during his tenure. The same day, the company announced that it was launching a $1.2 billion catalog acquisition venture alongside Bain Capital.

“To the ADA labels and artists who keep the heart of this industry beating: thank you for your dedication, creativity, and passion,” Kreidich wrote. “I’ve been inspired by your relentless drive and your vision. You champion creativity, and prove that independence doesn’t mean going it alone — it means doing it your way. You are shaping the future of music, and I remain passionate about the independent music community and will continue to champion its growing importance.”

Read her full memo below.

To the ADA Team,

I wanted you to hear this news directly from me: After four transformative years proving that Warner Music Group and ADA can truly be the best home for independent artists and labels, I have made the decision to leave the company. While organizational change is a constant in our industry, I believe the foundation we’ve established will continue to serve independent artists effectively.

We built an exceptional global team and expanded our global release volume, revitalized our brand identity, and developed a digital platform specifically designed for independent artists and labels within the Warner supply chain. We made strategic acquisitions like RSDL, which Warner will go on to use to help fuel their entire recorded music business.

This journey represents my second chapter with ADA. My first began during the early years of digital transformation, when I transitioned from a music tech startup. Having completed one of the first of its kind “New Media” degrees at Emerson College, I was drawn to the possibilities of digital disruption and the independent music scene. When I came across ADA in the ’00s, it was supporting breaking independent acts at an unprecedented scale, pioneering new approaches while music was being democratized globally through emerging digital platforms like iTunes, eMusic, and mobile entertainment.

When I returned four years ago as an executive from The Orchard and Sony, I brought a vision to recapture that pioneering spirit and transform ADA to better compete in an increasingly crowded landscape of innovative music technology companies. We didn’t aspire to be the biggest distribution company, but rather the most valuable—valuable to our artist and label partners by offering expert guidance and measurable results, and valuable to Warner Music Group by helping build its ecosystem and reputation for supporting independent artists. We believed that Warner Music Group and ADA were better together, each strengthening the other’s capabilities and reach, and I think we’ve proven that out. As the company begins its next chapter, WMG is committed to continuing to expand the depth and range of ADA’s services. 

To the ADA labels and artists who keep the heart of this industry beating: thank you for your dedication, creativity, and passion. I’ve been inspired by your relentless drive and your vision. You champion creativity, and prove that independence doesn’t mean going it alone—it means doing it your way. You are shaping the future of music, and I remain passionate about the independent music community and will continue to champion its growing importance.

While I’m not ready to announce my next chapter, I look forward to sharing those plans when appropriate — it will be consistent with the work I have been grateful to do for the last 20 years as an indie advocate.

With gratitude and appreciation,

CAT