Columbia A&R President Exits

• In another high-level industry departure, Variety reports Mark Williams has exited as President of A&R for Columbia Records. The move marks one of Ron Perry‘s first executive moves since formally joining Columbia as Chairman and CEO on Jan. 1.

Williams had been with Columbia since 2010 and was elevated to run the A&R division in November 2015. His successes include such acts as Leon Bridges, Pharrell Williams, Odd Future, Jack White and The Shins. According to a Variety source, Williams had 10 months left on his contract but received the news this week.