After almost a decade of decline, recorded music groups are hoping a new generation of executives can find a better business model, even if it means sidelining veterans of their pre-digital glory days.

Sony BMG this month picked Barry Weiss, 49, to replace the 76-year-old Clive Davis at the helm of the BMG label group. Once, the industry would not have risked unsettling artists signed by such long-serving executives, but cost controls and the search for “digital natives” have taken precedence.