April 20th, 2008
According to information confirmed Thursday. Inside and outside the building, the label announced that Davis would be shifting into a creative role, while Barry Weiss assumes top stripes at BMG.
Specifically, Weiss now becomes Chairman and CEO of the BMG Label Group, which encompasses RCA Records, Jive, J Records, LaFace, Arista, Volcano, Verity, GospoCentric and Fo Yo Soul. Weiss was formerly President and CEO of the Zomba Label Group, and will continue to oversee Zomba within his current role.
Barry will report to Rolf Schmidt-Holtz, Chief Executive Officer of Sony BMG Music Entertainment. In a memo, Sony BMG praised Weiss as an "exceptional leader who skillfully combines creative sensitivity with business tenacity," alluding to a stronger reputation for cost control.
Others within the group will be exiting. That includes Chief Operating Officer Tim Bowen, and President and COO Charles Goldstuck, according to an announcement. Richard Sanders, currently President of Global Marketing, will move to Head of International.
Have you pre-ordered your copy of Grand Theft Auto IV. yet? If not, you may be missing out on a piece of history
The latest edition, which takes place in the concrete jungles of Liberty City, could fetch $400 million in the first week - at least according to pre-release predictions. That includes a first-week estimate from publisher Take-Two Interactive, owner of Rockstar Games.
The dollar figure translates into roughly 6 million copies, a potential first-week sales record for any game. And GTA4 is threatening to generate the strongest first-week revenues for any entertainment release, ever.
That means serious exposure for the artists slotted into the game, as well as retail partner Amazon MP3. The soundtrack for the game remains under wraps, though players will have the ability to grab Amazon MP3s from a 150-song playlist. Grand Theft Auto IV hits retailers April 29th.
