In the immediate wake of the news breaking that Universal Music Group Nashville CEO Cindy Mabe was gone from the company’s top role, UMG moved quickly to announce two new appointments, with Mike Harris moving into the Nashville company’s CEO post, along with renowned producer Dave Cobb (Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell) being named the label group’s chief creative officer.
Harris had previously served as Universal Nashville’s COO and EVP, before leaving the company last September, only to rejoin five months later. Cobb, for his part, has long worked as one of Nashville’s top independent producers — and is a nine-time Grammy winner — but had not served in executive roles prior to the new appointment.
The promotion and new hire were announced by Universal early Thursday evening, Nashville time, after news stories circulated in the afternoon (with Country Aircheck being first to report) that Mabe was taking her leave after 18 years with the company and not quite two in the CEO chair.
Said Sir Lucian Grainge, chairman-CEO of UMG, in a statement, “We see an incredible opportunity to expand our presence in Nashville and build upon our industry leading track record. 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.”
Grainge was also quoted as saying he wanted “to thank Cindy Mabe for all her contributions to our Nashville company. She leaves UMG with our gratitude and respect.”
Said Harris: “I am humbled to have been asked by Sir Lucian to lead UMG Nashville at such an important and exciting time in country music. I also look forward to work closely with Dave Cobb, the amazing roster of artists and my friends at UMG Nashville.”
Cobb said, “I am incredibly excited to work with Mike Harris. I’m here to honor the past, and look to the future.”
Harris has been UMG Nashville’s EVP-COO since 2016. He previously worked at EMI, holding positons that included being the EVP-GM for Caroline, a division of the Capitol Music Group/EMI.
Although the succession from Mabe to Harris will certainly be the talk of the town in days to come, just as much time will be spent discussing the wholly unexpected leap of Cobb from the producer’s chair to an exec role at a label. Cobb himself is something of a brand name not just in Nashville circles but broadly, having worked extensively on high-profile film and TV projects as well as a producer of some prominent albums.
His productions include Chris Stapleton’s blockbuster “Traveller” (not incidentally, one of the most successful albums in UMG Nashville history), Brandi Carlile’s breakthrough “By the Way, I Forgive You” album, the Highwomen’s eponymous effort, and Jason Isbell’s “Southeastern,” also considered that artist’s breakthrough effort. He has recently been working on music for “Deliver Me From Nowhere,” the forthcoming Bruce Springsteen biopic. Previous film projects include serving as music producer or consultant on Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis,” “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” and “A Star Is Born.”
Cobb’s other productions include 2024 albums by Zayn and the Red Clay Strays, Sturgill Simpson’s first two albums, and work by John Prine, Greta Van Fleet, Dawes, Lake Street Dive, Barry Gibb, Zac Brown Band, the Oak Ridge Boys, Jamey Johnson, Slash, Gavin DeGraw, Oliver Anthony, Elle King, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Amanda Shires, Ashley Monroe and others.
The UMG Nashville label group encompasses the Capitol Records Nashville, EMI Records Nashville, MCA Nashville and Mercury Nashville. The long-dormant Lost Highway imprint had also been reactivated just last month under Mabe’s direction, with a Ringo Starr country album produced by T Bone Burnett as the first album under that umbrella. UMG Nashville once had by far the dominant market share among Music City’s label groups, although recently Sony Nashville had pulled up and in some quarters taken the lead.
Artists on Universal Nashville’s combined rosters include Stapleton, Eric Church, Carrie Underwood, Kacey Musgraves, Little Big Town, George Strait, Mickey Guyton, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Keith Urban, Parker McCollum, Tucker Wetmore, the War and Treaty, Sam Hunt, Jon Pardi and many others.
