Universal Music Group Nashville Rebrands as MCA Under New Leadership

Universal Music Group Nashville is undergoing a rebranding under CEO Mike Harris and chief creative officer Dave Cobb. The company will now be known as Music Corporation of America (MCA).

Harris and Cobb came aboard in early February following the departure of UMGN CEO/chairman Cindy Mabe in January. For Harris, it marked a return as he had served as COO/executive vp at UMGN until his departure last September.

“With the popularity of country music and the tremendous impact that it continues to make in popular culture, we recognize the importance of Nashville and the impact it has always made in America,” Harris said in a statement.

Cobb adds “I want to let the art lead, embrace community, and approach the business with intention. We show up, work hard, and put artists, songwriters, community, and fans first. We want to get this right for them. That’s what this is all about.”

A number of staffing changes have also been made that reflect the changes. Katie McCartney, former GM of the recently shuttered Sony joint venture Monument Records, has been named evp/GM and Tom LaScola is head of artist and audience strategy, through an expanded  alliance with his company, The Trenches. The digital promotion and marketing firm formed a partnership with Republic Collective last October.

Under Cobb, the company has also formed a creative strategic alliance with award-winning songwriter Jessie Jo Dillon as the newly minted Song Buddy, a position that highlights the company’s commitment to the vital role songwriters play in the Nashville’s creative ecosystem.

The new MCA will continue to operate its frontline labels, Mercury Nashville, EMI Nashville, Capitol Nashville and MCA Nashville along with the newly launched Lucille Records, founded by Cobb.

Lucille Records will be lead by Cobb and Austin Jenkins, senior vp of A&R for MCA. Its diverse inaugural roster includes Lamont Landers, Landon Smith, Isabel Dumaa and Sons of Habit.

“The incredible staff of these labels will operate with a sense of independence and autonomy, but with a pursuit of excellence and healthy competition as a shared agenda,” Harris said.  

In addition to the full resources provided by the Nashville headquarters, MCA artists also leverage the support of the REPUBLIC Collective in the U.S. and UMG globally.

At the time of Harris’s and Cobb’s appointments, UMG chairman Sir Lucian Grange signaled a new era: “We see an incredible opportunity to expand our presence in Nashville and build upon our industry leading track record,” he said in a statement. “The worldwide success of our country artists demonstrate that the genre truly has no boundaries and I’m excited for what lies ahead creatively and commercially.”

MCA has a storied start in 1924 in Chicago as a booking agency before becoming a label. Through acquisitions and mergers, MCA and Universal became part of the same company. In 2003, MCA as a pop label was absorbed into Geffen as part of Interscope Geffen A&M and had not existed as a label except for as the MCA Nashville imprint under UMG Nashville.

The newly rebranded MCA’s roster includes Alan Jackson, Brothers Osborne, Carrie Underwood, Chris Stapleton, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, George Strait, Jon Pardi, Jordan Davis, Keith Urban, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Maddie & Tae, Parker McCollum, Priscilla Block, Reba McEntire, Sam Hunt, Tyler Hubbard and Vince Gill.