Gavin announcement

THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM: It’s official as of this morning: UMG has announced the arrival of Ivan Gavin at Universal Republic & Island Def Jam, where he takes the newly created post of COO, reuniting him with Chairman/CEO Barry Weiss. “Having worked with Ivan for many years at Jive and then Jive/RCA, I'm confident that his unique combination of record label, financial and operational experience have made him ideally suited to help me address the unique challenges and the array of opportunities we face in the music business today,” said Weiss. “We’re delighted to have an executive of his caliber join us.” Added Gavin, “It’s a privilege to not only be working alongside Barry again, but to be joining a label group with such a deep commitment to talent and innovation. As a result, our labels are uniquely poised to drive change in our business with all the key ingredients, from a dynamic roster of talent and a second-to-none team of executives, to a clear strategy for growth.” Gavin had been COO of RCA/Jive since 2007, following five years in the same post at EMI Music N.A. Before that, he spent 12 years at Zomba, where he and Weiss first worked together. (11/7a)