Capitol Records Nashville VP of Promotion and Industry Vet Bobby Young Announces Retirement
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (December 9, 2022) – Capitol Records Nashville Vice President of Promotion Bobby Young announces his retirement effective Dec. 16. Young has long been praised for his great instincts and great relationships along with his attention to detail and work ethic. He leaves an indelible mark on the country music industry and on the world of country radio promotion.
Young joined Capitol Records Nashville in 2011 as its Southeast regional before being upped to Vice President of the imprint in 2016. In his time at the label, Young and the Capitol team have successfully landed 76 No. 1 records spending 101 weeks in the top spot, garnered 98 Top 10 songs, and bolstered the careers of artists including Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Jon Pardi, Darius Rucker, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Little Big Town, and so many more. Young also lead the Capitol promotion team to accolades including Country Aircheck’s Platinum Label of the Year and continued the streak of 13 years as Country Aircheck’s Label of the Year plus, named as Billboard’s Top Country Airplay Label since the trade’s inception of the honor in 2017, recently earning the sixth straight with the 2022 recognition.
Young’s storied career spans four decades and includes time at Republic Nashville, Big Machine Records, Jeff McClusky & Associates, and Mercury Records Nashville, as well as his own indie promotion companies, Bobby Young Promotions; The Promotion Group; Young, Massey, and Hunter; and Young-Olsen and Associates, all innovative independent companies that promoted songs to radio for every major label. Over the years, Young has promoted some of country music’s most prominent and legendary talent including Lynn Anderson, Garth Brooks, Johnny Cash, Kenny Chesney, Billy Ray Cyrus, John Fogerty, Mickey Gilley, Sammy Kershaw, Toby Keith, Kris Kristofferson, Kathy Mattea, Tim McGraw, John Mellencamp, Ronnie Milsap, Brad Paisley, Johnny Paycheck, Lionel Richie, Kenny Rogers, George Strait, Taylor Swift, Randy Travis, Shania Twain, Conway Twitty, Hank Williams Jr., Brooks & Dunn, The Judds, The Kentucky Headhunters, The Marshall Tucker Band, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Statler Brothers, and countless others.
“I’ve been fortunate to have worked for and alongside so many of Nashville’s music industry legends,” shares Young. “I’d like to thank legends Mike Dungan and Royce Risser for believing in me and for trusting me the last seven years to lead this kick ass promotion team. Working alongside Royce, David Friedman, Donna Hughes, Nick Kaper, Louie Newman, and Chris Schuler has been a perfect storm and the pinnacle of my career, and I’m so proud to have represented the biggest names in the format during my stint at Capitol. I’d like to thank everyone at UMG and especially the Capitol promotion team- Megan Youngblood, Mara Sidweber, Ashley Knight, Annie Sandor, Katie Bright, and Megan Kleinschmidt, all rockstars! I’d also like to extend my appreciation to my many friends over the years in country radio.”
“We are going to miss Bobby around here,” adds EVP Promotion Royce Risser. “I have had the honor of working with him since the UMG/EMI merger and during that time, learned his long and storied history in radio promotion. The artists and executives he has worked for and alongside are legendary and his impact on their careers is simply not calculable. He is absolutely loved by his coworkers and to me, that is the greatest testament to his character. We are excited for him and his family to enjoy some much deserved rest and relaxation. But we will truly miss his presence around UMG. Hopefully, he will come visit us or take us to lunch at Brown’s Diner.”