Mike Caren is the Founder and CEO of Artist Partner Group (APG), a recorded music company, as well as the Founder of Artist Publishing Group, a music publishing company. He has established himself as one of the music industry’s most successful A&R executives and entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n
Throughout his career, Caren has worked with chart-topping artists including Charlie Puth, Kevin Gates, Kehlani, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Jason Derulo, Ava Max, and many others.<\/p>\n
Mike Caren began his music industry career as a teenager, founding the independent record label Unrestricted Records while still in high school. His early entrepreneurial spirit caught the attention of Atlantic Records, which hired him at the age of 17.<\/p>\n
At Atlantic, Caren quickly rose through the ranks, eventually becoming Executive Vice President of A&R. During his tenure at the label, he worked closely with artists including Bruno Mars, Trey Songz, T.I., Flo Rida, and Wiz Khalifa.<\/p>\n
Caren also worked alongside fellow Atlantic executives Aaron Bay-Schuck and Craig Kallman, helping to build Atlantic into one of the industry’s most successful record companies.<\/p>\n
In 2012, Caren was appointed President of Worldwide A&R for Warner Music Group (WMG), a position that expanded his influence across the company’s family of labels.<\/p>\n
While at WMG, Caren founded Artist Publishing Group (APG) in 2012, which became one of the fastest-growing music publishing companies in the industry. APG’s roster has included songwriters and producers who have contributed to hits for artists such as Justin Bieber, Marshmello, Florida Georgia Line, and G-Eazy.<\/p>\n
In 2014, Caren expanded his entrepreneurial ventures by launching Artist Partner Group, a recorded music venture with Atlantic Records and Warner Music Group. APG functions as a boutique label providing artists with a platform for development and distribution while allowing them to maintain ownership of their masters.<\/p>\n
Under Caren’s leadership, APG has launched and developed the careers of artists including Charlie Puth, Kehlani, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Ava Max, and Don Toliver.<\/p>\n
In 2020, Caren announced that Artist Partner Group would transition from its joint venture with Atlantic Records to become a fully independent company, while maintaining its distribution relationship with Atlantic and WMG.<\/p>\n
Beyond his executive roles, Caren has established himself as a successful songwriter and producer. He has written and produced songs for various artists and has been credited on numerous chart hits throughout his career.<\/p>\n
His production company, Mike Caren Music, has served as an incubator for developing producer and songwriter talent in the industry.<\/p>\n
Known for his ability to identify and develop talent early, Caren has built a reputation for his entrepreneurial approach to A&R and artist development. He has advocated for artist-friendly deals that prioritize creative control and ownership.<\/p>\n
In interviews, Caren has emphasized the importance of identifying authentic talent and helping artists build sustainable careers rather than chasing short-term trends.<\/p>\n
As the music industry continues to evolve, Mike Caren remains at the forefront of innovation in artist development, combining traditional A&R expertise with modern entrepreneurial strategies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mike Caren is the Founder and CEO of Artist Partner Group (APG), a recorded music company, as well as the Founder of Artist Publishing Group, a music publishing company. He has established himself as one of the music industry’s most successful A&R executives and entrepreneurs. Throughout his career, Caren has worked with chart-topping artists including … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":95031,"template":"","class_list":["post-98451","people","type-people","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/people\/98451","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/people"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/people"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/people\/98451\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/95031"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}