Original Coverage & Source Attribution: www.yahoo.com
Universal Music Group‘s latest round of layoffs, which affected employees in Nashville and other markets, is renewing concerns among some music industry professionals about diversity in executive roles.
While UMG has not officially disclosed the number of jobs cut, some advocacy groups and leaders have spoken out about how layoffs have reduced C-suite ranks involving people of color and women.
The cuts, which are part of a broader, ongoing $270 million cost-cutting and restructuring program that began in January 2024, impacted at least eight employees in the Nashville office.
UMG is hardly the only music company with recent layoffs. iHeart Media, Spotify and Warner Music Group restructured this year. In 2023, massive restructuring efforts impacted both BMG and Spotify.
However, the UMG layoffs have professionals again examining the future of music leadership.
How many UMG employees were laid off in Nashville?
UMG, led by CEO Sir Lucian Grainge, is the world’s largest music corporation, holding roughly 33.9% of the global music market share.
In 2025, UMG rebranded its entire Nashville division, formerly UMG Nashville, into the Music Corporation of America (MCA). MCA includes a massive roster of artists and includes labels MCA Nashville, Mercury Nashville and Lucille Records.
Some of the Nashville artists on UMG imprints include Carrie Underwood, Chris Stapleton, George Strait, Luke Bryan, Mickey Guyton, Parker McCollum and Vince Gill. Taylor Swift also releases her music under UMG.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 02: (L-R) Lucian Grainge, Taylor Swift and Harvey Mason jr., CEO, MusicCares & Recording Academy attend the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 02, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
More: UMG and ElevenLabs sign AI music deal. How it impacts Nashville artists
According to industry sources, Nashville-based employees impacted by the layoffs include: Chief Operating Officer Rob Femia, Senior Vice President/Promotion & Regional Marketing Miranda McDonald, VP/E-Commerce & Business Development Taylor Viegut, Directors of Regional Promotion John Trapane, Donna Jo Passuntino, Ashley Knight and Shannon Hogan, and Director of Radio Marketing Houston Gaither.
MCA has not yet responded to a request for confirmation.
Femia joined UMG Nashville in 2013 as VP of Business & Legal Affairs. In 2018, he rose to Senior Vice President, Executive Vice President in 2023 and Chief Operating Officer in 2025. He has worked at Sony BMG, Virgin Records/Capitol Music Group/EMI Music North America and Atlantic Records.
McDonald took on the role of Senior Vice President/Promotion & Regional Marketing earlier this year, where she led promotion for the MCA Nashville roster.
Viegut became Vice President of E-Commerce and Business Development in 2025 after joining UMG in 2020.
Last year, MCA laid off nearly 20 employees in June during a round of staff cuts across multiple departments under the new CEO Mike Harris.
‘The slate of changes raises questions about who will lead next’
While executives at music companies have framed layoffs over recent years as “efficiency” or “cut-to-grow” initiatives, shifting resources toward A&R, technology and AI, the efforts have prompted industry-wide discussions about representation.
Among the high-profile executives affected by the broader restructuring are Def Jam chairman and CEO Tunji Balogun and Interscope Geffen A&M president, plus the head of urban A&R, Nicole Wyskoarko.
“Black women are the first to go in these industry layoffs. Which is the biggest mistake,” TDE (Top Dawg Entertainment) President Terrence “Punch” Henderson wrote on X.
“Black women is where everything dope in the culture comes from. They are the culture.”
Similar concerns were raised by the Black Music Action Coalition in a statement to Billboard.
While acknowledging the need for companies to adapt to changing market conditions, “the slate of recent changes also raises questions about who will lead next,” the organization said.
BMAC said Black executives, women and other underrepresented professionals continue to face challenges advancing into senior leadership positions at major music companies.
The organization questioned whether restructuring efforts will expand or limit those opportunities.
“The industry has already shown that diverse executives successfully run billion-dollar businesses, drive innovation, expand global markets and deliver strong returns,” BMAC said. “A diverse workplace is a profitable business strategy, not charity.”
“When Sylvia Rhone … stepped down last year, she was the only remaining Black woman heading a major almost 35 years after shattering that ceiling,” added executive board member Naima Cochrane.
“Now, with Tunji Balogun’s departure, we’re facing the very real possibility of an industry where Black executives are completely absent from the helm of major record labels … if we allow nearly four decades of progress to quietly disappear under the guise of restructuring, my fear is that those positions will be almost impossible to regain.”
Audrey Gibbs is a music and culture reporter at The Tennessean. You can reach her at agibbs@tennessean.com or on Instagram at @audreyraegibbs.
