New UMG Nashville CEO/Chair Cindy Mabe Lays Out the Label’s Future in Staff Memo

As Cindy Mabe officially takes the reins as chairman/CEO of Universal Music Group Nashville (UMGN), she is pledging to make some changes that could radically grow the label she inherits from Mike Dungan.

In a staff memo titled “Our future starts today,” obtained by Billboard, Mabe — Billboard’s 2019 Country Power Players executive of the year — lays out several areas of expansion for the company. 

Among her plans are to “dramatically expand our partnerships with independent labels and entrepreneurs.” Mabe states, “Inspiration and new ideas are coming from everywhere. Much of that innovation is coming from the independent sector, but by the same token there is so much more they could do if they partnered with us in key areas. Universal Nashville will actively take a role to position ourselves as the best partners to expand their growth and help develop and support these artists.”

She also vows to expand the label’s space in film and TV. “While we are the leaders in recorded music, I want us also to lead in the music-based film and TV space,” Mabe writes. “Our artists stories are powerful and not linear and so the means of telling their stories should have a wide reach. This means growing our presence in audiovisual to develop our Country culture and our artists stories in film and television.” She gives no further specifics, but UMG launched a film and TV studio in 2020. 

As country music grows globally, Mabe also plans to take advantage of that explosion. “We will collaborate even closer (and more creatively) with our label colleagues around the world where we can leverage each other’s strengths to break artists who are either signed to their rosters or ours,” she writes. “There’s so much more we can do together.”  Label artists like Keith Urban and Kip Moore already have considerable international followings. 

Mabe ascended from president, a role she has held since 2014, to replace Dungan, who retired after 43 years in the music industry on March 31. 

Mabe joined UMGN in 2012 as senior vp of marketing, leading marketing initiatives across Capitol Records Nashville, EMI Records Nashville, MCA Nashville and Mercury Nashville — UMG’s expanded suite of country labels following its acquisition of EMI. Prior to that, she spent five years at Capitol Records Nashville as senior vp of marketing. 

UMGN is home to, among others, Urban, Carrie Underwood, George Strait, Parker McCollum, Little Big Town, Dierks Bentley, Priscilla Block and Brad Paisley. The company finished 2022 at No. 1 on Billboard’s year-end Top Country Labels chart.

Read Mabe’s memo is in full below:

Good morning team!

We have worked alongside each other and in the trenches together for a while now but today is my first day as Chair and CEO of UMG Nashville.  It’s a responsibility that I do not take lightly.  To succeed Mike – a mentor and one of the most accomplished executives in the history of Nashville – is humbling.  And to be surrounded by our incredible, world class artists and to be working alongside you, the best team in Country music, and with Lucian’s unwavering support, is an honor that gives me a great sense of pride, responsibility and excitement.

It is with that sense of excitement, I want to share with you my vision of how we’re going to build on the incredible work that we’ve done together and position this company for creative and commercial growth in what is a rapidly changing and expanding market. This is the next era of Universal Music Group Nashville!

First, we’re going to continue to sign and develop the best artists in Country music.  Our roster reflects what we value the most: GREAT ARTISTS.  And with those artists we will push the boundaries and reach of Country music and widen our artistic lens by signing and developing artists who have important stories to share and who shape our culture no matter where they are from and whomever they are influenced by.  Country is—and will remain—a genre of deep roots grounded in great storytelling and truth that incorporates creative influences across music styles and genres and fans everywhere have shown us they are open to what our evolving genre has to offer.  From Nashville to the world.

Second, we will dramatically expand our partnerships with independent labels and entrepreneurs.  The marketplace is in flux with innovation.  Inspiration and new ideas are coming from everywhere. Much of that innovation is coming from the independent sector, but by the same token there is so much more they could do if they partnered with us in key areas. Universal Nashville will actively take a role to position ourselves as the best partners to expand their growth and help develop and support these artists.

Third, we will broaden our storytelling to include film and TV.  While we are the leaders in recorded music, I want us also to lead in the music-based film and TV space.  Our artists stories are powerful and not linear and so the means of telling their stories should have a wide reach.  This means growing our presence in audiovisual to develop our Country culture and our artists stories in film and television.

Finally, we will collaborate even closer (and more creatively) with our label colleagues around the world where we can leverage each other’s strengths to break artists who are either signed to their rosters or ours.  There’s so much more we can do together.

In my excitement, I wanted to give you a glimpse of what the next era of Universal Nashville is going to look like.  I’ll be sharing more about all of these areas in the coming weeks and months, but I wanted you to get a sense of where we’re headed and how excited I am to be working with all of you in this next chapter.

Our future starts today.  Let’s build it together!

Cindy