The previous two Presidents of Polydor Records in London, David Joseph and Lucian Grainge, have gone on to run Universal Music UK.
Current Polydor boss Ferdy Unger-Hamilton will not be following in their footsteps.
Unger-Hamilton is leaving the London-based UMG label after eight years at its helm, with a move to Jason Iley‘s Sony Music UK now rumoured.
Hits Daily Double first rumoured that Unger-Hamilton was off to launch a JV label with Sony yesterday.
MBW sources have since confirmed that the exec is definitely exiting Polydor.
The news of Unger-Hamilton’s departure arrives less than a week after it was revealed that Polydor marketing exec Liz Goodwin is also leaving the major, to become the UK Managing Director of indie Glassnote.
Unger-Hamilton’s successes at Polydor include the breaking of Ellie Goulding and Lana Del Rey, as well as Take That’s Progress (2009) – the third fastest-selling album in UK history. (Take That’s highly successful comeback was originally overseen by Unger-Hamilton’s Polydor predecessor, David Joseph, along with A&R Colin Barlow – now boss at Sony’s RCA.)
Unger-Hamilton spent a decade at Universal Music up until 2006 when he exited to become MD of Virgin Records at EMI, where he worked with the likes of The Kooks and Laura Marling.
He was later promoted to President of A&R Labels, Virgin but rejoined UMG as Polydor boss in 2008.
Unger-Hamilton’s first stint at UMG began in 1996 as MD of Polydor sister company Go Beat, working with artists including Gabrielle and Portishead.
He moved to Island in 2002, signing Keane, where he worked closely with Jason Iley.Music Business Worldwide
