Joan of Arc Music<\/a>, dedicated to upholding the old-school values of the country music business while building careers within the industry\u2019s emerging new paradigms.<\/p>\n\n\tMabe was upheld by many as the most powerful woman ever to have come through the Nashville music industry to hold long-term top executive positions in the major label system. Her staffing for the new company appears to pay that pioneering forward with all five of the execs who have been announced to be joining her at Joan of Arc being women, several of them fellow veterans of UMG Nashville who have followed her to the new company.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cCountry music is at a crossroads,\u201d Mabe asserted in a statement. \u201cWe risk losing the very essence of what makes country music special \u2013 its authentic storytelling, its connection to people\u2019s real lives, and its deep cultural roots. Joan of Arc Music exists to be warriors for creators and protect artistry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tThe company\u2019s announcement Tuesday morning characterized Joan of Arc Music as \u201ca 360 entertainment ecosystem\u201d that will be \u201cdedicated to preserving the legacy of country music while championing its future through artist development, label services, publishing, management, TV\/film production, next generation technologies and philanthropic impact. \u201d A release declared that the company \u201cprotects artistry, cultivates innovation and builds long-lasting careers by bridging heritage with the future of entertainment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tOne of the more intriguing aspects of Tuesday\u2019s announcement is a distribution partnership with Warner Music Nashville, and some of the execs that were friendly rivals at her old gig, including Warner topper Cris Lacy. A record label will be one of Joan of Arc\u2019s endeavors.<\/p>\n
\n\tOf aligning with a major label group, Mabe said, \u201cThis partnership with Cris Lacy and the team at Warner Records Nashville amplifies our mission. Cris is a Nashville veteran whose commitment to the legacy of country music aligns with our vision of preserving the genre\u2019s authentic storytelling while embracing innovative distribution and marketing strategies. Together, we\u2019re creating a powerful platform for both emerging and established artists to reach global audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tMabe\u2019s next move has been widely speculated about, with her high profile as an exec with Universal Music and its predecessors having gone back 18 years and encompassed relationships with many of the top artists in the business, including Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Darius Rucker, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Kacey Musgraves and the superstar artist whom she is most often cited for developing and breaking, Chris Stapleton.<\/p>\n
\n\tAs part of the launch, Mabe issued a separate mission statement of sorts establishing her philosophical goals for the company and reasons for starting it \u2014 some of which directly reference the \u201ccoastal legitimizing\u201d of country, which she sees as to some degree co-opting by outside forces that don\u2019t truly understand the legacy and impact of country music.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cWith the rush for coastal legitimizing, the labels suggesting they know better, it often feels like the coal mines of Appalachia being strip-mined of coal all over again,\u201d she wrote. \u201cWhat we do \u2014 the people who create and deliver it \u2014 has real value\u2026 My heart hurts for how little so many coming to the industry care about the sheer magic in music, let alone its power and purpose; that ability to change, comfort and inspire people. I can feel the indifference about the creators who generously give and sow pieces of their soul away in creating songs that heal, deliver hope and offer clarity about what these lives mean; all without anyone pouring back into them with mental health support, time and resources. \u2026 We will step up for our creators by providing insurance, mental health resources and wellness initiatives. Country music has always been a living, breathing art form, but it\u2019s the people who give it wings.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tThe five execs announced for Joan of Arc Music at launch are all listed on the company\u2019s website under a promising banner: \u201cCountry Music Preservationists.\u201d <\/p>\n
\n\tLori Christian will serve as head of label services & management; she was formerly executive VP of marketing at UMG Nashville. Dawn Gates is head of business development & ventures; until recently she served as UMG overseeing digital marketing, as well as having led Sing Me Back Home Productions, a new division dedicated to developing scripted and unscripted television and films. Harper Grae will be gead if TV\/film & project scouting; her credits include the documentary \u201cGloria Gaynor: I Will Survive\u201d and the NBC special \u201cToby Keith: American Icon,\u201d as well as being an alumnus of \u201cThe Glee Project 2\u201d as a performer. Leigh Morrison has been tapped to be head of office management & artist relations; she had worked with Mabe at UMG Nashville since 2002. And Allison Winkler is head of the JOA Music Preservation Foundation; she previously launched and oversaw CAA\u2019s Latin music division, founded i3 Philanthropic Strategies and served as COO of Ricky Martin Enterprises.<\/p>\n
\n
\n\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\tLori Christian, Dawn Gates, Harper Grae, Leigh Morrison and Allison Winkler of Joan of Arc Music<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJoan of Arc Music<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\tJoan of Arc\u2019s unveiling includes a structure that will find the company \u201coperating through four integrated pillars that work cohesively\u201d: <\/p>\n
\n
\nJoan of Arc Entertainment<\/strong>, described as \u201ccomprehensive artist management, recorded music\/label services, project development and marketing, and publishing services with a focus on breaking new talent and developing established careers.\u201d<\/li>\nJoan of Arc Studio Works<\/strong>, characterized as \u201cmulti-platform content creation including TV\/film production, audio content and short-form monetization.\u201d<\/li>\nJoan of Arc Ventures<\/strong>, \u201cstrategic investments in innovative partnerships and equity-backed ventures.\u201d <\/strong><\/li>\nJoan of Arc Music Preservation Foundation<\/strong>,\u201d a \u201cphilanthropic division that defines the company\u2019s ethos from day one,\u00a0protecting the timeless legacy of country music while championing its continued evolution. Every project across the JOA ecosystem directly supports the Foundation\u2019s work through charitable initiatives that benefit the country music community.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\tJoan of Arc also announced three \u201cinaugural partnerships,\u201d with the CMA Foundation, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and Porter\u2019s Call, the last of which provides mental health and wellness services for touring musicians and their families.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source variety.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cindy Mabe, one of the most prominent execs in country music, has been quiet since stepping down from her job as chair and CEO of Universal Music Nashville early last year. Fourteen months later, she has revealed ambitious plans as founder-CEO of a multifaceted new company, Joan of Arc Music, dedicated to upholding the old-school […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2372994,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25179],"tags":[461653,461654],"class_list":["post-2372993","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","tag-cindy-mabe","tag-joan-of-arc-music"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Cindy-Mabe-Ex-UMG-Nashville-Chief-Announces-Joan-of-Arc-Music.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2372993","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2372993"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2372993\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2372995,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2372993\/revisions\/2372995"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2372994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2372993"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2372993"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2372993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}