Barry Weiss

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Not to be confused with Bari Weiss.
This article is about the music executive. For the TV personality, see Storage Wars § Barry Weiss.
Barry Weiss
Born (1959-02-11) February 11, 1959 (age 65)
New York City, U.S.
Alma materCornell University (BS)
New York University (MBA)
Occupations
  • Record executive
  • media proprietor
Years active1981–present
Labels

Barry Weiss (born February 11, 1959) is an American

Sony Music Entertainment which specializes in young recording artists.[1]

Weiss got his start at

publishing firm SONGS.[2]

Early life and education

Weiss was born to a Jewish family in New York, New York on February 11, 1959, to parents Hy and Rosalyn Weiss.[3][4][5] His father, Hy, was also a music executive having founded Old Town Records in the late 1950s.[6] Barry Weiss graduated from Cornell University in 1981. While in school, he worked as a promoter to radio stations from his dorm room.[7][8] Weiss received his Master of Business Administration from New York University in 1986.[9]

Career

1981–2008: Early years, Jive, and Zomba

Early on in his career, Weiss worked at

DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, A Tribe Called Quest, Whodini, Kool Moe Dee, Too Short, Boogie Down Productions, UGK, and others.[8][13]

In January 1995, Weiss was promoted to President of Jive Records along with Verity and Silvertone.[4][14] From 1995 to 2000, Weiss was involved with acts such as Britney Spears, NSYNC, The Backstreet Boys, and others.[15][16][17] He also oversaw the release of NSYNC's 2000 album, No Strings Attached which broke the album sales record (a record that stood until 2015).[17] In 2002, Jive Records' parent company, Zomba Music Group, was purchased by BMG for $2.7 billion.[18] Under BMG, Weiss was named the President and CEO of the newly formed Zomba Label Group.[6][19] While in that position, he oversaw the careers of artists like Chris Brown, T-Pain, R. Kelly, and others.[20]

2008–2014: RCA/Jive to Universal

In 2008, Weiss was named Chairman and CEO of the BMG Label Group (later renamed RCA/Jive Label Group), replacing

Motown Records, etc.) came in March 2011.[23][24][25]

Artists under Weiss's purview included Kanye West, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, 2 Chainz, Fall Out Boy, The Weeknd, Avicii, and numerous others. He left his position in 2014 after Universal decided to reorganize the music group into standalone labels.[24]

2015–present: Founder of RECORDS

In a partnership with

DJ Mustard (among others) at the time of RECORDS' founding. Early RECORDS' signees included Nelly and iLoveMemphis.[26][27] Both artists had 2015 singles ("The Fix" and "Hit the Quan," respectively) that were certified platinum.[28][29] Other RECORDS artists include Noah Cyrus,[30] LSD (composed of Labrinth, Sia and Diplo),[31] Lennon Stella,[32] Lauren Jauregui,[33] Dylan Brady,[34] St. Paul and The Broken Bones, and James Barker Band,[35] among others.[36]

SONGS Music Publishing was sold to the

Sony Music Entertainment.[32][39]

References

  1. ^ "About RECORDS". Recordsco.com.
  2. ^ https://www.billboard.com/pro/barry-weiss-records-sony-joint-venture-buyout-matt-pincus-ron-perry/
  3. ^ "Hy Weiss, 84; Romanian native co-founded '50s R&B label Old Town". Los Angeles Times. April 2, 2007. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Good Works". Billboard. February 24, 1996. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  5. ^ Patrick Goldstein (June 19, 1988). "A Rappin' Big Year for Little Jive Records". Los Angeles Times.
  6. ^ a b Sisario, Ben (March 31, 2007). "Hy Weiss, 84, Music Executive From Rock 'n' Roll's Early Days, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  7. ^ a b c Newman, Melinda (April 25, 2008). "BMG's Weiss brings business savvy". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  8. ^
    ISBN 9781416594550
    .
  9. ^ "THE ULTIMATE WEISS GUY: BARRY THROUGH THE YEARS". Hits Daily Double. December 7, 2010. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  10. ^ a b "Executive Turntable". Billboard. May 29, 1982. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  11. ^ Bell, Carrie (November 21, 1998). "Jive Imprint Slides Into Electronica". Billboard. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  12. ^ Leeds, Jeff (July 23, 2007). "Oops! ...They Did It Again". The New York Times. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  13. ^ Charnas, Dan (February 1, 2013). "The 25 Best A&Rs in Hip-Hop History". Complex. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  14. ^ Lichtman, Irv (January 14, 1995). "The Billboard Bulletin". Billboard. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  15. ^ LeBlanc, Larry (July 17, 1999). "Bartlett Kick-Starts Zomba Canada". Billboard. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  16. ^ Christman, Ed (August 12, 2000). "BMG's Jones: 'Keep The Ball In Play'". Billboard. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  17. ^ a b Halperin, Shirley (January 8, 2016). "RECORDS Founder Barry Weiss on Being a 'Major-Label Refugee,' Adele Surpassing 'N Sync and the 'Emotional' Closing of Jive". Billboard. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  18. ^ Oppelaar, Justin; Meza, Ed (November 26, 2002). "BMG finally jumping Jive". Variety. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  19. ^ "Details Prove Devilish For Sony, BMG Merger". Billboard. November 22, 2003. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  20. ^ Lee, Chris (April 18, 2008). "Iconic CEO has new role at BMG". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  21. ^ Laurent, Lionel (April 18, 2008). "Clive Davis Out Of The Spotlight". Forbes. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  22. ^ Sisario, Ben (December 7, 2010). "A Sony Executive Joins Universal Music". The New York Times. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  23. ^ Halperin, Shirley (March 17, 2011). "Barry Weiss replaces L.A. Reid at record label". Reuters. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  24. ^ a b Halperin, Shirley (April 1, 2014). "Island Def Jam Motown Reorganizes, Barry Weiss Steps Down". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 3, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  25. ^ Christman, Ed (January 7, 2012). "The Billboard Power 100". Billboard. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  26. ^ Christman, Ed (February 17, 2015). "Barry Weiss To Join Forces With SONGS Publishing On New Label". Billboard. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  27. ^ Mitchell, Gail (October 14, 2015). "'Hit the Quan' Rapper iLoveMemphis Signs With RECORDS Label". Billboard. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  28. ^ "Gold & Platinum: Nelly". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  29. ^ "Gold & Platinum: iLoveMemphis". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  30. ^ Reilly, Phoebe (May 18, 2017). "Noah Cyrus Talks Debut Album 'NC-17' and the Skill She'd Borrow From Miley". Billboard. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  31. ^ Shackleford, Tom (May 3, 2018). "Watch: Sia, Diplo and Labrinth team up for new LSD collaboration, share trippy animated video for 'Genius'". AXS. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  32. ^ a b Hollabaugh, Lorie (January 17, 2018). "Lennon Stella Signs With RECORDS/Columbia Records". MusicRow. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  33. ^ Karp, Hannah (April 12, 2019). "Why RECORDS CEO Barry Weiss Is Betting on Country - and Unproven Talent - in His Latest Act". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  34. ^ "Why RECORDS CEO Barry Weiss Is Betting on Country - and Unproven Talent - in His Latest Act". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  35. ^ Farthing, Lydia (January 23, 2023). "James Barker Band Joins RECORDS Nashville's Growing Roster". Music Row Magazine. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  36. ^ McCall, Malorie (November 10, 2015). "St. Paul & The Broken Bones Signs With RECORDS". Billboard. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  37. ^ Ingham, Tim (December 7, 2017). "SONGS has agreed to sell for around $160m, say sources". Music Business Worldwide. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  38. ^ Karp, Hannah (December 8, 2017). "SONGS Music Publishing Sells Catalog To Kobalt: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  39. ^ "Jenna Andrews Joins Barry Weiss' Records Label as Exclusive A&R Consultant". Billboard. February 26, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
Preceded by
L.A. Reid (Island Def Jam)
Mel Lewinter (Universal Motown Republic)
 Chief Executive Officer of
Universal Republic

March 2011-April 2014 		Succeeded by
Position terminated
Preceded by
Clive Davis (RCA Music Group)
 Chief Executive Officer of RCA/Jive Label Group
April 2008-March 2011 		Succeeded by
Peter Edge (RCA Music Group)
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