Sony names Doug Morris new Head of Sony Music Entertainment

Morris, who became Worldwide Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Universal Music Group (UMG) in 1995, announced last year that he would step down from that role at the end of 2010. At Sony Music Entertainment (SME), he will succeed Rolf Schmidt-Holtz, who will be departing the company concurrent with the end of his contract on March 31, 2011.

As Worldwide Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group (UMG) from 1995 through 2010, Morris was responsible for guiding the overall global activities of the company. He oversaw the development, manufacturing, marketing, selling and distribution of its recorded music through a network of subsidiaries, joint ventures and licensees in 77 countries around the world, as well as its music publishing business, the largest in the world.

Under Morris’ direction, UMG led the industry in sales for an unprecedented 14 consecutive years. He rapidly grew the organization from a record company into a full-fledged music entertainment company with multiple new revenue streams.