BMG Names Management Team For North America

BMG North America has named a new management team, in a move meant to create a "clear organizational distinction" between that unit and BMG Entertainment, the worldwide entity that is also based in New York. Many of the responsibilities of the new team were previously overseen by BMG Entertainment corporate departments, under a structure that had apparently been in place since Strauss Zelnick served as president/CEO of both the worldwide and North American units.

"We've centralized some functions on a North American level," says BMG North America president/CEO Bob Jamieson, to whom all the new appointees will report. He says the move establishes North America as a BMG region similar to those that exist in the U.K. and Australia.

Neil Foster has been named executive VP of operations for BMG North America, overseeing activities that include operations, finance, and production. Foster was GM of operations at RCA Records. Joe DiMuro has been named senior VP of strategic marketing; he was senior VP of strategic business development at RCA. Stanley Schneider has been named senior VP of legal and business affairs; he was VP of legal and business affairs at BMG Music Publishing. Also, Patrick Reilly has been confirmed as VP of corporate communications, and Jim Blauvelt is named VP of human resources.

BMG North America will have lost 500 employees by year's end, according to a source, leaving about 1,800. Just under 100 have been laid off; the others are voluntary resignations and those who have accepted early retirement. Last month, BMG Entertainment chairman/CEO Rolf Schmidt-Holtz said 600 staffers will exit worldwide (Bulletin, Sept. 28); the 100 outside the U.S. are expected to come mainly from Germany.