There’s another big change at the top of a UMG company: Paulo Lima (pictured) has been drafted in as President of Universal Music Brazil, replacing José Eboli – who exits after 13 years with the major.
Digital music expert Lima moves over from his role as partner and CEO of Imusica S.A., where he developed local services such as Claro Musica.
Based in Rio de Janeiro, Lima will now report to Jesús López, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Latin America and Iberian Peninsula.
López said: “Paulo represents the very best in entrepreneurship and business management with a profound knowledge of the digital, mobile and internet markets.
“I’m confident he will play a key role in helping us achieve our goals and build innovative business models in the constantly evolving music and entertainment business environment.”
Lima said: “I am honoured to be part of the world’s leading music company. It will be an amazing challenge and a great responsibility to lead Universal Music Brazil in creating and developing scalable business models that promote music in a creative and profitable way, investing in artists, knowledge, relationships and technology.”
José Eboli was appointed General Manager of Universal Music Brazil in 2003 and was later named President.
Prior to joining UMG, Eboli was President and Managing Director at Sony Music Brazil from 2000-2003 and, from 1995-1999, was Managing Director of Sony Music Chile.
Said López: “We are deeply grateful to José Eboli for his many contributions and dedication leading the team at Universal Music Brazil for 13 years.”
UMG says Eboli will continue to work closely with its team as an A&R consultant for Brazil and Latin America markets.
“We are deeply grateful to José Eboli for his many contributions and dedication leading the team at Universal Music Brazil for 13 years.”
Jesús López, Universal Music Group
To put into context the importance of this move, IFPI data shows that Brazil was the world’s 10th biggest recorded music market last year, paying out US $247m to artists and labels.
Yet with a population in excess of 240m people, that equated to a painful $1.20 spend per capita – compared to $15.50 in the USA and $20.30 in Norway.
Lima takes on his new job after 25 years working in the digital, mobile telecom and internet markets, as well as the music industry.
He started his career in 1989 as a sound and maintenance engineer at Impressão Digital Studios & Nas Nuvens Studios in Brazil, and worked at record labels such as Som Livre and Polygram.
From 1996 to 2006, Lima was founding partner and CEO of Ground Control Professional Audio, a company specialising in engineering design, installation and maintenance of professional audio in Brazil and Florida.
He holds a degree in Electrical Engineering and, as a recording and Pro Tools engineer, has received international awards and nominations, including Latin Grammys.
The changes follows a string of high-profile exits at UMG over the past few months, including:
- UMG’s global head of merchandise, Tom Bennett – replaced by Mat Vlasic
- The shock exit of long-term Universal Music France boss Pascal Negre – replaced by Olivier Nusse
- Global head of D2C, Russel Coultart.
- Managing Director of Universal Music South Africa, Randall Abrahams – replaced by Sipho Dlamini;
- The exec who has run Universal Music Austria since 2003, Hannes Eder – replaced by Cornelius Ballin;
- UMG International Director Jamie Hole;
- Retiring Universal Music Publishing Australia MD Bob Aird;
- Island Def Jam sales veteran Pat Monaco;
- Capitol Music Group’s Dave Lombardi;
- Universal Music’s classical music boss in the US market, Elizabeth Sobol;
- UMG’s Head of Global Digital Business, Francis Keeling – who’s just joined Spotify.
More than 50 executive positions have been affected by the restructure – essentially, the closure – of what used to be called Universal Music Group International (UMGi).Music Business Worldwide
