Burger departs Sony in global restructure.

Sony Music Europe chief Paul Burger has become the highest-profile international casualty of the major's ongoing restructuring with the news that he is to leave the company after 26 years.

Sony last week confirmed his departure alongside news that it is to shed around 1,000 jobs worldwide--around 10% of its workforce--as part of the strategic overhaul instituted by new worldwide chairman and CEO Andrew Lack. The changes, which look set to be the most extensive since Sony Corp purchased CBS in 1988 to create Sony Music, are expected to save around $100m (63m [pounds sterling]) annually.

Around 370 of the positions being cut are understood to be in the company's international operations outside the US, with a further 350 coming from the company's US head office and label operations and around 300 coming from manufacturing in the US and abroad.

Sony Music International president Rick Dobbis is expected to assume Burger's responsibilities as part of an expanded role. Prior to returning to the US, Dobbis built up considerable experience overseeing continental Europe for PolyGram before its purchase by Seagram.

Beyond confirming Burger's departure no further details of any other changes in Europe had been revealed as Music Week went to press. In recent months there have been ...