One day after Universal Music Group (UMG) began cutbacks, the company’s Nashville division, MCA, experienced several layoffs.
Around 14 staffers were let go, according to sources, including COO Rob Femia and senior vp of promotion and regional marketing Miranda McDonald.
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The restructuring is part of a corporate-wide, three-part cost-cutting plan first announced in 2024, as Billboard reported Wednesday (Oct. 14), which affects executives across the board in the U.S. and internationally. Also leaving MCA are vp of e-commerce and business development Taylor Viegut and regional promotion directors John Trapane, Donna Jo Passuntino, Ashley Knight and Shannon Hogan. Country Aircheck first reported the names. Billboard is verifying other departed executives before running their names.
Of the changes at the overall company, a UMG spokesperson previously told Billboard, “Our consistent success has been built on our ability to anticipate industry changes, act early to better serve all our artists and songwriters, and capture opportunities in music’s fastest-growing areas. Our industry-leading investment in artist development has always guided that work and will continue to do so. We’re bringing in new skills and technology and connecting expertise across our teams to deliver greater global impact and greater efficiency. Where we have made the difficult decision to remove certain roles, we are deeply grateful for the contributions of the people leaving us.”
Anong those departing UMG company wide, according to sources, include Ben Mortimer, president of Polydor Records in the U.K.; Tunji Balogun, chairman/CEO of Def Jam Recordings; Nicole Wyskoarko, president, head of urban a&r at Interscope Geffen A&M; Sam Riback, co-president and head of pop/rock A&R at Interscope Geffen A&M; Rebecca Allen, chief artist and strategy officer at UMG U.K.; Mark Crossingham, managing director of UMG Ireland; Hannah Neaves, president of UMG Recordings UK; and Ivo Sacchi, managing director of UMG in Switzerland and Austria, some of whom will serve as consultants.
As part of a 2024 earnings call, UMG called the plan a strategic organizational redesign that would result in 250 million euros ($271 million) in annual savings “by the end of 2026.” At the time, the company said the reorganization would include reductions of 75 million euros ($81.3 million) in 2024 and 125 million euros ($135.5 million) in 2025. It also involved a corporate restructure that saw the company shift into a loose East Coast-West Coast alignment, with the former reorganizing under the REPUBLIC umbrella headed by Monte Lipman and the latter under the Interscope Capitol branding led by John Janick.