Rough Week At Universal Music Group

MCA Nashville, Universal Music Group’s country division, laid off around 14 staffers one day after UMG began broader cutbacks, sources said, including chief operating officer Rob Femia and senior vice president of promotion and regional marketing Miranda McDonald.⁠

The reductions are part of a corporate-wide, three-part cost-cutting plan first announced in 2024 that is affecting executives across the U.S. and internationally, Billboard reported Wednesday. 

Also departing MCA are vice president 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 additional departed executives before publishing them.⁠

A UMG spokesperson previously told Billboard that the company’s success has been built on anticipating industry changes, acting early to better serve artists and songwriters, and capturing 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,” the spokesperson said. “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.”

Among those departing UMG company-wide, according to sources, are Ben Mortimer, president of Polydor Records in the U.K.; Tunji Balogun, chairman/CEO of Def Jam Recordings; Nicole Wyskoarko, president and 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 those executives will continue as consultants.⁠

UMG described the initiative on a 2024 earnings call as a strategic organizational redesign expected to generate €250 million ($271 million) in annual savings by the end of 2026.