NASHVILLE, TN…February 6, 2020—The highly-regarded
Chairman & CEO of Capitol Christian Music Group (CCMG), Peter York,
will retire from the company on March 31, marking the end of a singular
50-year career in the music business that included 37 years in
leadership roles at CCMG. York’s long-planned retirement follows last
year’s promotion of
Brad O’Donnell and Hudson Plachy to Co-Presidents of CCMG
and completes a succession plan for the company that was put into
effect six years ago. York will remain in an advisory role to O’Donnell
and Plachy throughout 2020.
CCMG remains the domestic and global leader in Faith-based music,
holding a 40% market share in the U.S. and being named Billboard
Magazine’s #1 Christian record label in 2019. Under York’s leadership,
2018 and 2019 have been the highest performing years in the company’s
history. CCMG has earned 17 consecutive ASCAP Christian Music Publisher
of the Year awards and garnered 40 Grammys in the last decade, alone.
According to
Capitol Music Group (CMG) Chairman & CEO Steve Barnett,
to whom York reports, “Peter is one of the most accomplished executives
in the music business, and his contributions to CCMG and the
Faith-based music community over the many decades cannot be overstated.
It is a testament to Peter’s foresight and dedication to our company
that he has long anticipated this day and has meticulously prepared CCMG
for a seamless transition from his leadership to that of Brad O’Donnell
and Hudson Plachy. I know they have been well- mentored by Peter, and
I’m confident that the company is well-positioned to build upon its
market-leading success under their co-leadership. I offer my thanks and
appreciation to Peter for all he has done for CCMG and CMG, and wish him
the very best in his well-earned retirement.”
York said, “I’ve been privileged to be a part of CCMG and its many
evolutions over the last 37 years. I’ve worked with the absolute best
music business leaders, the most dedicated team and with immensely
gifted artists and songwriters along the way. It’s been more than I
could have ever imagined. I’m humbled and grateful for the countless
opportunities I’ve been given and I’m overwhelmed by the impact our
music has had in the lives of consumers around the world. I’d like to
thank Steve Barnett for all of his support over these past seven years
and for his confidence in our succession plan and the next generation of
leadership for CCMG.”
Since being promoted to the Chairman & CEO role in 2018 after 22
years as President of CCMG’s Label Group, York has been driving the
company’s strategic direction, business development initiatives and key
partner relationships, as well as managing the company’s market-leading
Label Group—which includes prominent Christian Music labels Sparrow,
Forefront, sixsteps, Hillsong and Jesus Culture, among others—as well as
the market-leading Capitol Christian Publishing division.
He added Commercial Partnerships and Publishing to his portfolio of
responsibilities in 2015. York’s early years with Sparrow Records were
spent working directly with label founder Billy Ray Hearn, first in
copyright development and A&R, and later rising to Senior Vice
President of A&R and partnering with Hearn’s son, Bill Hearn, to run
the label.
During his time with the company, York played an instrumental role in
the creative development of a diverse array of artists, including
Steven Curtis Chapman, BeBe & CeCe Winans, Switchfoot, Chris Tomlin,
TobyMac, Amy Grant and dozens of others. He began his career in music
more than 40 years ago as a musician, songwriter and Grammy-Award
winning producer, playing guitar and recording with Phil Keaggy, 2nd
Chapter of Acts, Michael and Stormie Omartian and countless others. York
has A&R’d more than 100 gold, platinum and multi-platinum albums.
0 Comments