Bob Cavallo will retire in January from his position as chairman of the Disney Music Group. Ken Bunt has been promoted to executive vice president and will run Disney Music Group upon Cavallo’s retirement.
Cavallo, whose last day will be Jan. 31, has been with Walt Disney Studios for more than 13 years. Chief among his accomplishments was the reorganization of the company’s recorded music, music publishing and concert operations into one centralized business entity, the Disney Music Group.
The Disney Music Group distributes the Walt Disney Records and Hollywood Records labels, and manages artists such as Jonas Brothers, Selena Gomez, Grace Potter, Breaking Benjamin, Miley Cyrus and Plain White T’s.
A former manager – Cavallo started with the Lovin’ Spoonful in the 1960s – his client roster at his 3rd Rail company included Prince, Green Day, Seal , the Goo Goo Dolls and Alanis Morissette. Cavallo was also a producer of Prince’s films “Purple Rain” and “Under the Cherry Moon.”
In 1998, after almost a decade in film with Atlas Entertainment, Cavallo became chairman of the Buena Vista Music Group, overseeing all of the Walt Disney Company’s recorded music and music publishing operations.
Bunt joined Hollywood Records and the Disney Music Group in 1998, helping to lead the company’s digital media strategy. In 2005, Bunt was promoted to senior vice president of marketing, responsible for the marketing campaigns of acts such as Breaking Benjamin, Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez and others.
“My time at Disney has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, and I’m so proud of where the music group has evolved to today,” Cavallo said in a statement. “This is an incredible team of music-industry professionals, and I know I’m leaving it in the best hands.”
Cavallo’s move, coupled with the impending departure of longtime Hollywood GM Abbey Konowitch earlier this month, appear to represent a changing of the guard at the company.
“After 10 years as General Manager of Disney’s Hollywood Records and working with incredible artists,” Konowitch said in a statement, “I will be leaving the Company at the end of September to begin the next stage of my career. In the interim, I will be working with Bob Cavallo on projects.”