Ep. 98: Jody Gerson (Chairman + CEO, Universal Music Publishing Group)

And The Writer Is...with Ross Golan

And The Writer Is

Unknown, Music Interviews, Songwriting, Music, Songwriters, Education, Interviews, Music Creation, Artists

4.9 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 21 September 2020

⏱️ 78 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

With more than three decades of experience, our guest is one of music’s most respected, accomplished executives and a preeminent creative authority. She is the first female chairman of a global music company and the first woman to be named CEO of a major music publisher. Since joining Universal Music Publishing Group in 2015, she has transformed the company into a billion-dollar business and the industry’s best global home to songwriters. She has led the signings and extensions of world-class songwriters including the Bee Gees, Elton John, Carly Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Rosalia, Alicia Keys, Coldplay, Justin Bieber, Jack White, SZA, Post Malone, Quavo, Brandi Carlile, Ariana Grande, H.E.R., Harry Styles, Maren Morris and many more. A strong advocate for women’s empowerment, our guest co-founded and serves on the Board of Directors for She Is The Music, a nonprofit championing equality and inclusion for women. She also serves on boards for the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA), and The Archer School for Girls. She has been named to numerous prestigious honors, including: Billboard 2020 ‘Executive of the Year’ for the prestigious Power 100 list; Billboard Power 100 numerous consecutive years; Billboard 2015 Executive of the Year for their Women In Music issue; Rolling Stone’s ‘Future 25’; Variety’s Power of Women L.A.; 2016 March of Dimes Inspiring Woman of the Year for her accomplishments as a leader in the entertainment industry and as a dedicated mother; and more. Prior to joining Universal Music, she served as Co-President of Sony/ATV Music Publishing. Previous to that, she was part of the senior management team at EMI Music Publishing, serving as head of the company’s east coast publishing division and then revitalized and led EMI’s west coast division. Outside of music, this executive has also served as a producer of the successful films Drumline and ATL and as executive producer for VH1’s Drumline 2. And The Executive Is... Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group, Jody Gerson!

This episode is brought to you in partnership with She Is The Music.

Art: Michael Richey White

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Attention at all passengers. You can now book your train tickets on Uber and get 10% back in Uber credits to spend on your next train journey.
0:11.0	So no excuses not to visit your in-laws this Christmas.
0:16.5	Trains now on Uber. T's and C's apply Anne the Writer is. I'm your host Ross Golan. I've written with
0:37.7	hundreds of artists and writers over the years and my favorite part of each session
0:41.8	is the first hour when we catch up about life, the
0:44.4	industry, politics, composition, whatever.
0:47.9	So this is a journey of learning why people write songs, how people write songs, and most importantly, who the people are who write the songs. I'm producing this with
0:57.5	the great Joe London, big deal music publishing, and mega house music
1:01.6	management. If you want to listen to the songs we discuss in this
1:05.4	podcast, follow us on our socials, find out about special live events, or buy that
1:11.5	merch, aka that hat I always wear, go to our website
1:15.0	W.W. and the writer is.com. For a little bit of context, we just wanted you to know that a lot of these were recorded before quarantine.
1:26.4	And as we know, a lot has changed in 2020.
1:29.7	So again, please stay safe out there and enjoy the new episodes of And The Writer is.
1:37.0	Welcome to And the Writer is. I am your host, Ross Golan. Today's iconic executive is one of the most influential publishers of all time.
1:48.0	For over 25 years she has signed the world's biggest writers and stars from all different genres.
1:55.8	Rising in the ranks to become the first woman chairman of a major global music company,
2:02.0	she now runs Universal Music Publishing, the largest publisher of them all.
2:08.8	And yet she continues to treat writers with a notoriously empathetic touch.
2:15.0	Her voice matters in protecting all songwriters, regardless of where or if they are signed.
2:21.5	She has launched initiatives to empower women in the music industry, which is
2:25.8	evolving the morality of our profession, continuing to push for a better future for all of us.
	...

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