Layoffs Are Reshaping the Music Industry. jump.global Wants to Train Executives for What’s Next
Categoria: Musica
Nick Maiale, executive coach and founder of jump.global, talks about his upcoming summit and why everyone should be in “the business of your first and last name."
Por Billboard | 26/10/2026
The fourth annual jump.global summit in Los Angeles is just weeks away, on Nov. 8-10 and its founder, Nick Maiale , is convinced its timing couldn’t be more necessary. In the past month, Universal Music Group made significant cuts to its staff at record labels like MCA, Def Jam Records, Republic Records, Capitol Records and more — a continuation of its layoffs, which kicked off back in 2024. Still, Universal is far from the only music company culling employees this year. “We need to dive into the fact that layoffs have become common in this industry,” Maiale tells Billboard. At the jump.global summit, which focuses on executive development, mental health and leadership skills for music professionals, Maiale preaches the gospel that every modern careerist should be in the “business of your first and last name.” At the conference, his name tags are just that — name tags. No company names and no titles are listed to create a level playing field. Related Universal Music Shakeup: Def Jam, Polydor, Interscope Execs to Exit as Company Completes 2024 Restructure Plan Kenny MacPherson, Veteran Music Publisher and Big Deal Music Co-Founder, Dies at 71 Diddy Moved From New Jersey Prison to Similar Facility in Pennsylvania Instead, he wants attendees to be focused on getting to know each other on a human level. Even his panelists, some of whom bear impressively high ranking titles at major companies, don’t tout their credentials either. Every speaker is vaguely listed on the jump.global website as simply a “music business human.” Those who attend the three-day affair, which is part conference and part leadership retreat, are treated to a mix of small group break outs and panels, featuring names like Janelle Lopez Genzink, Stephen Brower, Jason Feinberg, Lexi Todd and Moody Jones. And while the summit has always been known to hand out free badges for people who have newly been laid off as a courtesy, Maiale says that, due to increased demand for these comped badges, he’s now upping the supply. This year, he estimates that 30% of attendees are laid-off employees looking for their next move. The other 70% are a mix of folks sent by their companies, folks who buy badges themselves and executive coaches. While Maiale is going to address layoffs and how work in the music industry is changing, he clarifies: “The conference is definitely not a place where people come simply to complain about how the music industry is doing. What we want to do is be solutions-focused and opportunity-focused.” I have heard you say many times with jump.global, that you’re promoting “the business of your first and last name.” Is that a mentality you have always had while working in music, or is it something that has developed more recently, in light of how much the music industry is changing and how uncertain it has become? It’s definitely the latter. I started thinking about it in my 20s, but I think COVID really brought it into focus. I t