Galante Stepping Down

GOODBYE JOE: Longtime Sony Music Nashville Chairman Joe Galante is leaving the company after nearly 40 years. He'll remain in his post until a new label group head is named, and will participate in the transition as a consultant. Sony Music Nashville includes the country divisions of RCA, Columbia, BNA and Arista as well as the Provident Music Group. In the early '90s, Galante ran the parent RCA Label Group in N.Y. with his promo lieutenant Butch Waugh, who stepped down from his post last year, before both returned to Music City in 1994. Observers wanna know, does this mean respective label group toppers Rob Stringer and Barry Weiss each control their own Nashville divisions, or will they continue to exist as a single entity, reporting to SME head Rolf Schmidt-Holtz? (4/14p)