Michelle Jubelirer is stepping down as CEO of Universal Music's Capitol Music Group. Her departure comes as the major restructures its US recordings business, a rejig that will result in fewer divisions and some downsizing of the workforce.
“Having joined Capitol shortly after its acquisition by UMG in 2012 I’ve been honoured to be a leader in rebuilding and guiding a company that has played such a storied role in popular culture for more than 80 years", she said in a statement yesterday.
"I thank my senior management team and everyone who has worked with me at CMG for their tireless work ethic, unwavering commitment to our artists and absolute passion for music", she added. "Most of all, I’d like to thank all of our incredible artists; you made me want to rise up each and every day to help you achieve your dreams and present your music to the world".
The restructuring at Universal follows a Bloomberg report last month that said the major would be cutting hundreds of jobs in the first quarter of this year. Responding to that report when it was published, a Universal spokesperson said the company is “creating efficiencies in … areas of the business so we can remain nimble and responsive to the dynamic market".
Last week CEO Lucian Grainge announced that two of the company's senior US execs will be expanding their remit: John Janick, currently head of Interscope Geffen A&M, and Monte Lipman, currently boss at Republic. Much of CMG - which includes the labels Capitol Records, Blue Note Records, Motown Records, Astralwerks, Priority Records and the Capitol Christian Music Group - will become part of Janick's new super division.
Commenting on Jubelirer's departure, Grainge said, “We will miss Michelle. She’s been a part of Universal’s leadership for more than a decade, most recently as the extraordinary Chair and CEO of Capitol Music Group, which remains firmly set on a course toward long-term success. As we proceed to centralise many of CMG’s label functions with those of Interscope Geffen A&M, we respect her decision to pursue other endeavours, and wish her all the best".
Capitol came to Universal via its 2012 acquisition of EMI. Jubelirer joined as an EVP of the division in February 2013, becoming COO in 2015 and CEO in 2021. CMG previously also included Universal's label and artist services business, originally called Caroline and then rebranded as Virgin Music. However, those operations became part of a separate Virgin Music Group division in 2022.
