Sony Nashville Chairman/CEO Gary Overton to Step Down

[Deleted]

Gary Overton is stepping down from the position of CEO at Sony Music Nashville.

[14887fan]

Mar 17, 2015 11:29:57 GMT -5 @daydrinker said:

Gary Overton is stepping down from the position of CEO at Sony Music Nashville.

AND A HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY TO YOU AND A HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY TO YOU AND YOU AND YOU AND YOU <3

[sabre14]

Mar 17, 2015 11:29:57 GMT -5 @daydrinker said:

Gary Overton is stepping down from the position of CEO at Sony Music Nashville.

Anxious to see who takes his place. Say what you will about Overton but he was a qualified and respected individual in Nashville. I agree with jhomes87 that his comment at CRS was taken far too literally. He definitely has come under some scrutiny the past calendar year and his departure isn't overly surprising.

[14887fan]

Mar 17, 2015 11:45:57 GMT -5 sabre14 said:

Mar 17, 2015 11:29:57 GMT -5 @daydrinker said:

Gary Overton is stepping down from the position of CEO at Sony Music Nashville.

Say what you will about Overton but he was a respected individual in Nashville.

Lol, not after these past few months, he wasn't.

[sabre14]

Mar 17, 2015 11:55:36 GMT -5 14887fan said:

Mar 17, 2015 11:45:57 GMT -5 sabre14 said:

Say what you will about Overton but he was a respected individual in Nashville.

Lol, not after these past few months, he wasn't.

You don't get that job without some level of respect. He had a very good relationship with BNA and EMI before moving on to Sony. The past couple months haven't been great but not in terms of Sony's success. The comment at CRS obviously took on a life of its own but Overton, while maybe not being respected here or with some passionate fans, was respected in Nashville. I'm not saying he is some bastion of creativity or self-awareness for that matter, but I thought he was very qualified for his position. The fact he stepped down though is not surprising and it was probably best he left with the firestorm of negativity surrounding him recently, though we'll never know what went on behind the scenes and perhaps there is some turmoil within the company.

[14887fan]

Mar 17, 2015 12:04:39 GMT -5 sabre14 said:

Mar 17, 2015 11:55:36 GMT -5 14887fan said:

Lol, not after these past few months, he wasn't.

You don't get that job without some level of respect. He had a very good relationship with BNA and EMI before moving on to Sony. The past couple months haven't been great but not in terms of Sony's success. The comment at CRS obviously took on a life of its own but Overton, while maybe not being respected here or with some passionate fans, was respected in Nashville. I'm not saying he is some bastion of creativity or self-awareness for that matter, but I thought he was very qualified for his position. The fact he stepped down though is not surprising and it was probably best he left with the firestorm of negativity surrounding him recently, though we'll never know what went on behind the scenes and perhaps there is some turmoil within the company.

I guess we won't see eye to eye on this, and that's fine! Obviously he was qualified -- they aren't going to just pick a guy off the street. He just wasn't respected as much as I think you're saying he was/is. True life: not many CEOs, in Nashville and out, are respected by many. They're the good guys, the bad guys, and everything in between. His qualifications are irrelevant to me being glad for why he's leaving.

[sabre14]

Mar 17, 2015 12:14:02 GMT -5 14887fan said:

Mar 17, 2015 12:04:39 GMT -5 sabre14 said:

You don't get that job without some level of respect. He had a very good relationship with BNA and EMI before moving on to Sony. The past couple months haven't been great but not in terms of Sony's success. The comment at CRS obviously took on a life of its own but Overton, while maybe not being respected here or with some passionate fans, was respected in Nashville. I'm not saying he is some bastion of creativity or self-awareness for that matter, but I thought he was very qualified for his position. The fact he stepped down though is not surprising and it was probably best he left with the firestorm of negativity surrounding him recently, though we'll never know what went on behind the scenes and perhaps there is some turmoil within the company.

I guess we won't see eye to eye on this, and that's fine! Obviously he was qualified -- they aren't going to just pick a guy off the street. He just wasn't respected as much as I think you're saying he was/is. True life: not many CEOs, in Nashville and out, are respected by many. They're the good guys, the bad guys, and everything in between. His qualifications are irrelevant to me being glad for why he's leaving.

Oh yeah, I know why you and others might be happy and I understand the frustrations with Sony Nashville and Overton in general. I'll be honest and say I don't really have a dog in the fight (lol) so his leaving, I'm kind of neutral on. I'm not happy per say but at the same time, I'm not at all disappointed he's leaving.

[blueguitar]

Ok, so what does this mean for the newer artists on the label? This makes me really uneasy. Obviously, I'm a big Casey James supporter. I worry someone else will come in and decide not to promote him anymore. Gary was a big supporter of Casey and probably a big part of the reason he got the chance at a 2nd album. Casey was the first artist Gary signed to the Sony label.

[sabre14]

Mar 17, 2015 12:22:33 GMT -5 blueguitar said:

Ok, so what does this mean for the newer artists on the label? This makes me really uneasy. Obviously, I'm a big Casey James supporter. I worry someone else will come in and decide not to promote him anymore. Gary was a big supporter of Casey and probably a big part of the reason he got the chance at a 2nd album. Casey was the first artist Gary signed to the Sony label.

It all depends on who the new hire for the position is. Casey will get a single or two to showcase what he can mean for the label though as they have planned and put a lot of money towards "Fall Apart". There's definitely some uneasiness whenever leadership changes at the top but I wouldn't be overly concerned about Casey just yet. This could spell some uneasiness for artists like The Swon Brothers, The Henningsens, and Josh Dorr. I'm interested to see how the new CEO views his roster.

[Deleted]

Mar 17, 2015 12:14:02 GMT -5 14887fan said:

Mar 17, 2015 12:04:39 GMT -5 sabre14 said:

You don't get that job without some level of respect. He had a very good relationship with BNA and EMI before moving on to Sony. The past couple months haven't been great but not in terms of Sony's success. The comment at CRS obviously took on a life of its own but Overton, while maybe not being respected here or with some passionate fans, was respected in Nashville. I'm not saying he is some bastion of creativity or self-awareness for that matter, but I thought he was very qualified for his position. The fact he stepped down though is not surprising and it was probably best he left with the firestorm of negativity surrounding him recently, though we'll never know what went on behind the scenes and perhaps there is some turmoil within the company.

I guess we won't see eye to eye on this, and that's fine! Obviously he was qualified -- they aren't going to just pick a guy off the street. He just wasn't respected as much as I think you're saying he was/is. True life: not many CEOs, in Nashville and out, are respected by many. They're the good guys, the bad guys, and everything in between. His qualifications are irrelevant to me being glad for why he's leaving.

Meh. I'm sure he had some enemies, but no doubt someone in his postion would be respected by many.
Fans feelings on how much industry respect someone does or doesn't have are speculative.

[blueguitar]

Mar 17, 2015 12:31:10 GMT -5 sabre14 said:

Mar 17, 2015 12:22:33 GMT -5 blueguitar said:

Ok, so what does this mean for the newer artists on the label? This makes me really uneasy. Obviously, I'm a big Casey James supporter. I worry someone else will come in and decide not to promote him anymore. Gary was a big supporter of Casey and probably a big part of the reason he got the chance at a 2nd album. Casey was the first artist Gary signed to the Sony label.

It all depends on who the new hire for the position is. Casey will get a single or two to showcase what he can mean for the label though as they have planned and put a lot of money towards "Fall Apart". There's definitely some uneasiness whenever leadership changes at the top but I wouldn't be overly concerned about Casey just yet. This could spell some uneasiness for artists like The Swon Brothers, The Henningsens, and Josh Dorr. I'm interested to see how the new CEO views his roster.

Thanks for the feedback! I had hoped that since they already have $$ into this single, the promo would continue. Just hope they don't give up on it too soon like I believe they did on COAS.

[43dudleyvillas]

Mar 17, 2015 11:29:57 GMT -5 @daydrinker said:

Gary Overton is stepping down from the position of CEO at Sony Music Nashville.

I got one right, I got one right, I got one right!!!! Indulge me -- I think this is the only one I've gotten right for 2015 so far. Now let's see if Luke Lewis steps in to replace him.

The universe is not being terribly kind to Gary Overton with this timing, as the schadenfreude factor attached to his departure is going to be sky-high after the uproar over his remarks about radio. I expect an exit interview somewhere where he gives a more measured version of what he meant. My general assessment of his tenure is that he was in over his head, and didn't adjust well to a difficult market. Sony Nashville blew through a lot of new signings, to the point that it seemed like the label was throwing just about everything up against the wall and seeing what stuck (and barely anything did). Under Overton's stewardship, Jake Owen, Chris Young and Jerrod Niemann all made trend-chasing albums that left them treading water at best. On the veteran end, although Kenny Chesney weathered country market trends and turnover with a reasonable decline in sales and some award-nominated songs, Sara Evans emerged considerably weakened despite a big #1 hit. Brad Paisley also emerged weaker, though I think that has far more to do with Brad's own choices than Overton's. Miranda Lambert increased her presence (though not her sales, thanks to the market) and Carrie Underwood has thrived, but I'm not inclined to give Overton much credit for either (and some would argue that Carrie's success over the past few years has been despite Overton).

It will be interesting to see who replaces Overton. Regime change can be tough on a roster, especially on developing artists launching singles and albums. Whoever comes in will not only face the huge challenge of reinvigorating the label (which will lead to some tough cuts & interesting new signings) in a changing market, but also the challenge of creating an environment that makes Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert want to extend their contracts with the label.

[Kanenrá:ke]

I can't say it was Gary's fault but they haven't really had success with any new artist during his time there. I found he liked to rush things with some artist (Leah Turner, Ben Rue, Steven Lee Olsen) and launch them without taking time to develop them. Also quite a few artist were one and done with him (Ben Rue, The Lunabells, Bradley Gaskin, Brent Anderson, Adam Brand, & Angie Johnson). Kristen Kelly, Joanna Smith and The Henningsens I could've seen them all be big stars with the right backing but there never seemed to be support for them.

I'm glad he's gone for those reasons alone, hopefully the incoming CEO will be more patient in development.

Also I wonder why Carly Pearce never got a chance to release anything during her time with Sony?

[sabre14]

The amount of signings is the one thing I didn't like about his tenure either and the tactic of throwing things against the wall and seeing what would stick that 43dudleyvillas pointed out is valid. Though if you look around, the tactic of signing many acts and trying anything and everything seems to be a popular one around Nashville.

BTW: The Henningsens are still on the roster. I think they wanted them to lay low for a while then Clara had a baby so that probably prolonged the extended layoff.

[Markus Meyer]

Interesting. He's taken a lot of crap lately, so I'm sure that had something to do with it. Were his comments stupid? Sure, but I think some people majorly overreacted to them.

[onebuffalo]

This is a shocker. Someone should tell Gary Overton that unless you run a record company (Nashville division), you don't exist in the country music world.
Anyway, I hope whoever replaces him puts more of a focus in getting Carrie Underwood some recognition from within the industry. Her last few award wins were for Grammys and People's Choice Awards. No C.M.A. or A.C.M. love has been shown her in quite awhile. Arista, if she stays there past her greatest hits CD would be better off in getting her the top position on the singles charts more often (I know she has thirteen #1s, but has missed out lately in Two Black Cadillacs, See You Again, and Something In The Water-all were destined to go to the top).
Second, I hope Kenny Chesney's progress with his The Big Revival CD continues. I would love to see Wild Child top the chart and any other singles from the CD as well. I hope Chesney's next CD is a success and he gets a few #1s there.
I wonder what Joe Galante thinks at this time.

[sabre14]

Mar 17, 2015 14:17:06 GMT -5 onebuffalo said:

This is a shocker. Someone should tell Gary Overton that unless you run a record company (Nashville division), you don't exist in the country music world.
Anyway, I hope whoever replaces him puts more of a focus in getting Carrie Underwood some recognition from within the industry. Her last few award wins were for Grammys and People's Choice Awards. No C.M.A. or A.C.M. love has been shown her in quite awhile. Arista, if she stays there past her greatest hits CD would be better off in getting her the top position on the singles charts more often (I know she has thirteen #1s, but has missed out lately in Two Black Cadillacs, See You Again, and Something In The Water-all were destined to go to the top).
Second, I hope Kenny Chesney's progress with his The Big Revival CD continues. I would love to see Wild Child top the chart and any other singles from the CD as well. I hope Chesney's next CD is a success and he gets a few #1s there.
I wonder what Joe Galante thinks at this time.

While I do wish Carrie would get more love from award shows, I think Overton and any CEO for that matter has a lot on their plate, and a focusing on getting a few awards for someone who is already getting top 2 singles at radio and selling music like hotcakes isn't near the top of the priority list.

I also don't think Galante will be returning since he's been in the industry for over 40 years and taking over would be quite a task.

[rsmatto]

This was expected and rumored in Nashville LONG before Gary's comments to The Tennessean. His contract was up too. There were rumors at one point or another of Scott Borchetta selling Big Machine To Sony and taking over SMN and, then a later rumor, of Garth hand-picking the CEO. Certainly, they'll ask for Garth's opinion on the matter (as he's a partner with Sony NY) but Garth's likely to defer to Doug Morris. I would expect someone with UMG ties to take over. I could even see John Zarling, Scott Borchetta's #2 or Jimmy Harnen (Republic Nashville's CEO) take over Sony Nahsville (if you wanted names).

Artists should be OK For now but I would expect to see major staff changes. (Also, this position also heads the Christian Music division too).

[sabre14]

Mar 18, 2015 14:26:21 GMT -5 rsmatto said:

This was expected and rumored in Nashville LONG before Gary's comments to The Tennessean. His contract was up too. There were rumors at one point or another of Scott Borchetta selling Big Machine To Sony and taking over SMN and, then a later rumor, of Garth hand-picking the CEO. Certainly, they'll ask for Garth's opinion on the matter (as he's a partner with Sony NY) but Garth's likely to defer to Doug Morris. I would expect someone with UMG ties to take over. I could even see John Zarling, Scott Borchetta's #2 or Jimmy Harnen (Republic Nashville's CEO) take over Sony Nahsville (if you wanted names).

Artists should be OK For now but I would expect to see major staff changes. (Also, this position also heads the Christian Music division too).

Windmills brought up the possibility of them hiring an "outside the box" individual, with the report from the Billboard news article (here) that Sandbox Entertainment's Jason Owen turned down an offer to replace Overton at Sony.

That being said though, Jimmy Harnen seems like a logical hire.

[Deleted]

If I may ask what did Overton say to the newspaper?

[sabre14]

Mar 18, 2015 16:41:24 GMT -5 @adam1995 said:

If I may ask what did Overton say to the newspaper?

"If you're not on country radio, you don't exist".

The comment was more towards major label artists being on the radio since that's the only way the label will see a return investment and they make money. Radio airplay success is the be all, end all to major labels like RCA, Arista, Columbia. That's pretty much what he was getting at, though the comment at a glance shouldn't have been said since it was neglecting other non-major label acts and it was, not surprisingly, misconstrued.

[Deleted]

^Thank you. I see what he means, but he should have worded it better.

[rsmatto]

Mar 18, 2015 14:49:51 GMT -5 sabre14 said:

Mar 18, 2015 14:26:21 GMT -5 rsmatto said:

This was expected and rumored in Nashville LONG before Gary's comments to The Tennessean. His contract was up too. There were rumors at one point or another of Scott Borchetta selling Big Machine To Sony and taking over SMN and, then a later rumor, of Garth hand-picking the CEO. Certainly, they'll ask for Garth's opinion on the matter (as he's a partner with Sony NY) but Garth's likely to defer to Doug Morris. I would expect someone with UMG ties to take over. I could even see John Zarling, Scott Borchetta's #2 or Jimmy Harnen (Republic Nashville's CEO) take over Sony Nahsville (if you wanted names).

Artists should be OK For now but I would expect to see major staff changes. (Also, this position also heads the Christian Music division too).

Windmills brought up the possibility of them hiring an "outside the box" individual, with the report from the Billboard news article (here) that Sandbox Entertainment's Jason Owen turned down an offer to replace Overton at Sony.

That being said though, Jimmy Harnen seems like a logical hire.

And apparently so did staffers at UMG Nashville.

[Deleted]

Mar 18, 2015 18:59:37 GMT -5 rsmatto said:

And apparently so did staffers at UMG Nashville.

Apologies, but I'm confused--which part of sabre14's post does this pertain to? UMG thinks Jimmy Harnen will be a logical hire for Sony as well, or Jason Owen was also approached by UMG but also turned them down?

[onebuffalo]

Garth Brooks' thoughts on Gary Overton:

tasteofcountry.com/garth-brooks-gary-overton-resignation/

[rsmatto]

Mar 18, 2015 19:23:40 GMT -5 jhomes87 said:

Mar 18, 2015 18:59:37 GMT -5 rsmatto said:

And apparently so did staffers at UMG Nashville.

Apologies, but I'm confused--which part of sabre14's post does this pertain to? UMG thinks Jimmy Harnen will be a logical hire for Sony as well, or Jason Owen was also approached by UMG but also turned them down?

I've heard through the grapevine that not only Jason Owen turned it down and that other execs (Some with UMG) have also turned down the job. It's a job that's very transitional (moving to high-rises, lots of baby acts), etc. Honestly, That's why I mentioned Harnen and Zarling, both guys who would be VERY good at shepherding the label like John Esposito has with WB Nashville. You can't forget that WB Nashville might have some execs or Ben Vaughan from the Publishing world (at WB) might be candidates as well. Could also do another Galante-like move and bring someone without country experience or expertise into the fold.

Luke Lewis could make sense but he retired like Joe Galente did so I don't really see him coming back to a major label fold. Shoot, maybe they pull Jon Loba away from BBLG with a fat check and opportunity to revitalize the label the way he's grown BBLG (he also is a former Big Machine guy). Also, It's likely time for Sony to open up another label imprint again (Epic would make sense) to help spread out the roster of talent a little bit more.

[sabre14]

Mar 19, 2015 18:19:34 GMT -5 rsmatto said:

Mar 18, 2015 19:23:40 GMT -5 jhomes87 said:

Apologies, but I'm confused--which part of sabre14's post does this pertain to? UMG thinks Jimmy Harnen will be a logical hire for Sony as well, or Jason Owen was also approached by UMG but also turned them down?

I've heard through the grapevine that not only Jason Owen turned it down and that other execs (Some with UMG) have also turned down the job. It's a job that's very transitional (moving to high-rises, lots of baby acts), etc. Honestly, That's why I mentioned Harnen and Zarling, both guys who would be VERY good at shepherding the label like John Esposito has with WB Nashville. You can't forget that WB Nashville might have some execs or Ben Vaughan from the Publishing world (at WB) might be candidates as well. Could also do another Galante-like move and bring someone without country experience or expertise into the fold.

Luke Lewis could make sense but he retired like Joe Galente did so I don't really see him coming back to a major label fold. Shoot, maybe they pull Jon Loba away from BBLG with a fat check and opportunity to revitalize the label the way he's grown BBLG (he also is a former Big Machine guy). Also, It's likely time for Sony to open up another label imprint again (Epic would make sense) to help spread out the roster of talent a little bit more.

I think in order to get another imprint open (what you said would be great with the resurrection of Epic), the person they hire needs to get some ducks in a row first. Looking at the three label imprints, there will need to be some decisions made, and pretty fast. Usually there are always people who want to be the one's to right a ship - I think it's human nature. I think they'll be able to find a qualified and respected replacement for the job, if they haven't already.

Should be interesting though to see how this unfolds.

[14887fan]

www.mjsbigblog.com/gary-overton-to-exit-as-head-of-sony-nashville-what-happened-whats-next.htm

[onebuffalo]

Charlie Robison's comments on Gary Overton:

tasteofcountry.com/charlie-robison-gary-overton-departure-sony/

[Deleted]

I think it's best Gary Overton leaves. He really didn't do much to steer Sony in the right direction as others have already noted. I was actually quite "startled" when I realized that RCA Nashville currently only has one song on the whole Mediabase that doesn't appear to have already peaked, Chris Young's "Lonely Eyes." Arista Nashville only has two songs on the Mediabase chart, Carrie Underwood's "Little Toy Guns" and Brad Paisley's "Crushin' It," which I still think will have a run similar to "Camouflage" from his This is Country Music era and miss the top 10. Columbia Nashville only has three songs on the Mediabase chart, Tyler Farr's "A Guy Walks into a Bar," Kenny Chesney's "Wild Child," and Chase Rice's "Gonna Wanna Tonight." 

I've also felt Overton has signed some pretty weak, forgettable talent lately. The Swon Brothers' music is the definition of disposable and from their sales numbers I think a lot of country music fans feel this way. Out of the four artists added to Sony's roster for 2015, the only one in whom I can see anything remotely unique or interesting is Cam, who probably has that potential for cross-format appeal at some point, having written cuts for Miley Cyrus' latest album. Sony did get lucky with Old Dominion, but the group auctioned itself off to all the labels and Sony made them the best deal (possibly a deal with more creative freedom, as Overton has given the likes of Garth Brooks and Chase Rice), so I don't think Overton did any great talent searching to find them. 

The article 14887fan posted did a great job of explaining how most of Sony's artists have either stayed flat, gone downhill, or only gone uphill due to some external force besides Overton's skill under his reign. All Sony's artists are experiencing diminishing returns lately, and I think one of the "icing on the cake" failures of Sony was the complete and utter failure of Garth Brooks' comeback (barring tour numbers). I just think Sony isn't going to have any success finding or breaking new talent with the way things are currently going and their established talent may be mostly on the way out the door, so unless someone new steps in, SMN isn't going to be a top label for much longer. 

I'll be most interested to see how the new management handles albums that have already been produced for an era that is just starting, such as Tyler Farr's Suffer in Peace or Chris Young's next album (which I think is mostly beyond the stage of shopping around for music). If Tyler Farr releases another ballad like "A Guy Walks into a Bar" I could see his sophomore era ending in something of a slump, and that album title really has me wondering what kind of stuff he got his hands on, lol.