CCMG IS NOW THE HOUSE OF YORK

Peter York has been upped to Chairman/CEO of Capitol Christian Music Group. Steve Barnett, ruler of parent company Capitol Music Group, announced the promotion of the Christian-music veteran, who succeeds the late Bill Hearn.

In his expanded role, York will drive CCMG’s strategic direction, business-development initiatives and key partner relationships while continuing to manage the group, which includes the Sparrow, Forefront, sixsteps, Hillsong and Jesus Culture labels, along with Capitol Christian Publishing. York, who’s based at the CCMG’s headquarters in Nashville, reports to Barnett.

“Peter is one of our industry’s most highly-regarded and accomplished executives,” Barnett noted in making the announcement. “He has been instrumental in achieving CCMG’s market-leading stature and the development and support of so many important Christian-music artists. Having worked closely with Bill Hearn for more than three decades, he is uniquely qualified to take the full reins of CCMG as its Chairman/CEO and lead the company into the future. Everyone at CMG joins me in congratulating Peter on this well-deserved promotion.”

Said York, “It was an honor to work with Bill Hearn, my close friend and colleague, for more than 33 years. I learned so much from him, and I’m humbled to take on the responsibility of running the best company in the Christian-music world. I thank Steve Barnett for his continuing confidence and belief in me, and the talented team at CCMG for working with me to help our artists and songwriters reach new heights and expand the audience for their music and songs throughout the world.”

York has spent the last 22 as CCMG President. His early years with Sparrow were spent working directly with label founder Billy Ray Hearn, first in copyright development and A&R, and later rising to SVP of A&R and partnering with Hearn’s son Bill to run the label. Among the acts whose careers York developed were Steven Curtis Chapman, BeBe & CeCe Winans, Switchfoot, Chris Tomlin, TobyMac and Amy Grant. The onetime musician, songwriter and producer has A&R’d more than 100 gold, platinum and multi-platinum albums.