IT WAS A BERRY
GOOD RUN

Capable and highly respected sales exec Candace Berry (Candy to those of us who go back a-ways with her), who has headed UMG’s sales and marketing/commercial partnerships division since 2010, is retiring to spend more time with her family.

SVP Commercial Partnerships Jeff Stoltz will take the reins of the department on an interim basis, reporting to EVP of Marketing Andrew Kronfeld.

“We will forever be thankful to Candace for her steady leadership during one of the most transformative periods in the history of the music industry,” UMG EVP Michele Anthony wrote in a memo circulated to Uni staff. “As a female executive, Candace broke countless glass ceilings, mentored many young women and was regularly recognized by Billboard and others for her role as a pioneer in our industry. To say that she will be missed would be an understatement.

“We cannot thank her enough for her countless contributions to our company and our industry throughout the years. We wish Candace and her family all great things in her much-deserved retirement.”

Berry started her career in the late 1980s as a sales and marketing rep for Arista before becoming VP of sales at BMG startup Zoo Entertainment, led by the late Lou Maglia, in 1991. From there, she headed to Interscope, where she rose to head of sales. In 2010, she moved over to the parent company as EVP of Sales and Marketing, restructured under the commercial partnerships nameplate in 2015.