UMG Nashville’s chairman and CEO, Mike Dungan, to step down. 9th January 2023, 3:03 PM
In March, longtime Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group Nashville, Mike Dungan, will step down. After that date, he will continue to advise UMG Chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Graham. Dungan has held his current position since 2012 and has worked in the music industry for more than 40 years in various capacities.
He stated, “In the 43 years I’ve lived in the music industry, I’ve smiled, called, sold, hustled, laughed, and done my part to assist the art and magic reach their full potential. enjoying every second of it. I’ve had a wonderful life, and there are no words to express how appreciative and fortunate I feel for everyone I’ve met along the way. I’m also happy to brag that I’ve been “all-in” as a rival and a friend throughout it all, almost without exception.” He went on, “The sombre truth is that over time, that intensity wears on me, and I’ve lost a lot of my puppy. I’ll be 69 by the time I leave this place. It’s time to take it easy; I’m looking forward to spending more time with my loved ones and tending to my garden. I have a wonderful wife who has endured 45 years of my stupidity. Two of our wonderful children have two wonderful wives of their own. Additionally, I plan to spoil my five gorgeous grandchildren to the hilt. I will always be indebted to Sir Lucian Grainge for giving me the keys to the best job in the entire world 11 years ago. To him and everyone at UMG, to everyone who has ever been my family-in-arms, and to all the artists whose work I have had the honour to represent… I don’t know how to say how much I love and appreciate you. The luckiest man living is me.”
Grainge paid tribute in a statement of his own: “There is no power like Mike. Over the years, he has had a remarkable influence on the lives and careers of countless people in Nashville, from artists to staff. Mike is making an admirable and well-deserved life shift after a successful forty years in Nashville, where they are well-positioned for continued strength with the help of our team. And even though he won’t be acting in the CEO role, I’ve requested him to continue to make contributions in the areas in which we have a passion: shattering genre barriers and providing essential assistance to both past and present artists. For everything, he has done for our business and our artists, Mike has my sincere gratitude. I also wish to congratulate him on his exceptional professional achievement. I’m overjoyed that we will still be able to make use of his knowledge, rich connections, and experience.”