Cindy Mabe Steps Down as CEO
The widely respected musical leader Cindy Mabe has stepped down from her role as CEO of Universal Music Group Nashville.
The news was first reported by Country Aircheck.
Mabe was appointed chairman and general director of Universal Music Group Nashville (UMGN) in April 2023.
The Executive Director was succeeded by Mike Dangan, who announced his intention to resign from UMGN after more than a decade and a total of four decades in the music industry.
UMG noted during the promotion of Mabe to the role of chief executive director that she “paved the mark throughout her career” and became the head of the label in Nashville. The Mabe administration marked a significant milestone as she became the first woman to serve as chairman and general director of the largest label in Nashville.
Mabe has worked with country stars including Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Jordan Davis, Mickey Guyton, Sam Hunt, Alan Jackson, Parker McCollum, Reba McEntire, Kacey Musgraves, Jon Pardi, Chris Stapleton, George Strait, and Carrie Underwood, among others. Mabe joined UMGN in 2012 as a senior vice president of marketing, where she was responsible for leading marketing efforts across Capitol Records Nashville, EMI Records Nashville, MCA Nashville, and Mercury Nashville, expanding the country label portfolio after acquiring EMI.
Prior to this, Mabe spent five years at Capitol Records Nashville, where she held the position of SVP of marketing. She began her music career as a coordinator for promotions at RCA Nashville, transitioning to sales, then marketing, and artist development. During this period, she collaborated with artists such as Clint Black, Martina McBride, and Alabama. Later, she served as senior director for marketing and artist development at Arista Records Nashville from 1999 to 2007, working with stars like Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Brooks & Dunn, and Diamond Rio before joining Capitol Records Nashville in 2007. Other C-suite changes at major recording companies in Nashville included the recent appointment of Taylor Lindsay as chairman and general director at Sony Music Nashville, effective January 2025. Lindsay succeeded Randy Goodman, who, as announced in September, will resign at the end of 2024 after more than 35 years in the music industry. Additionally, in April of last year, John Esposito announced his retirement after 14 years as chairman of Warner Music Nashville, succeeded by Ben Klein and Chris Leisi. In September, Warner Music Group veteran Gregg Nadel, who recently served as president of Elektra Entertainment, was appointed co-chair of Warner Music Nashville, working alongside Chris Leisi, who has been a co-leader of WMN for the past two years and is set to celebrate his 20th anniversary with the company next year. Nadel succeeded Ben Klein, who chose to resign after a decade with the firm. Also in September, Universal Music Group Nashville appointed Robert Kilduff as the chief financial officer.
C-Suite Changes in the Industry
