It’s approaching the end of a tough month at Atlantic Music Group, as Julie Greenwald, who has been at the top of the company for more than 20 years, prepares to leave the company that she played an essential role in making one of the most successful and consistent labels in music industry history.
Since she joined the company in 2004 from Def Jam Records and Rush Management with longtime boss Lyor Cohen, she and longtime co-chair Craig Kallman have played an invaluable role in the success and often the rise of artists including but hardly limited to Cardi B, Brandi Carlile, Kelly Clarkson, Coldplay, Jack Harlow, Lil Uzi Vert, Lizzo, Charli XCX, Kehlani, Bruno Mars, Janelle Monáe, Panic! at the Disco, Charlie Puth, Ed Sheeran, Tiësto, Rob Thomas, Twenty One Pilots, and Wiz Khalifa, as well as award-winning projects like “Barbie the Album” and the Original Broadway Cast Recordings of “Hamilton” and “Dear Evan Hansen.” Under Atlantic, the company’s subsidiary labels, including 300, ATCO, Big Beat, DTA, Elektra, Fueled By Ramen, Low Country Sound, Public Consumption, and Roadrunner, have thrived.
But equally important are the executives that came up under her — many of the company’s staffers were with her for many years or decades, and it’s a testament to the culture she and Kallman fostered that so many of them remained with the company until her last official day. She has a reputation for toughness — as a woman who came up in the ‘80s hip-hop world, there were few other options — but also fairness, and the company’s talented and diverse staff is a tribute to her leadership.
Julie Greenwald was not just one of the most important female executives in music-industry history — although the huge number of “Women in Music” and similar honors she’s received are a testament to that — she remains one of the most important executives in the industry’s history, period.
She will remain as a consultant to incoming CEO Elliot Grainge through January, but it’s clear from her farewell note below, she’s clearing the way for new leadership. Kallman will remain with the company as chief music officer in the next administration, and as Greenwald notes below, several veteran Atlantic executives will be elevated to more-senior roles, along with Grainge’s longtime associates. But as Warner Music CEO Robert Kyncl has said, Atlantic will become a different company.
Greenwald’s letter follows in full:
Subject: Ciao Bella
To All My Friends, Family and Colleagues,
I’ve been thinking about this goodbye letter for the past few weeks.
For someone who is never short on words, this one has been a real challenge.
I came into Atlantic Records 9 months pregnant with a mission on my back to rebuild the house that Ahmet created.
Lucky for me, I found a partner ready to roll up his sleeves and start something new.
Craig and I were in lock step, sharing one vision, not to be the biggest company in the industry, but to be the best.
We wanted to create a risk taking culture that rewarded creativity.
For all of the old crew, remember our magic number was 34 albums a year. And our strategy worked.
We signed, nurtured and delivered some of the greatest artists on the planet. No matter how long the single took, or how many mixtapes or albums, we stayed in the fight. The weirder the marketing plan, the better.
Our goal wasn’t simply a plaque, but selling lots and lots and lots of hard tickets.
MSG was first in our sights and then came the O2.
World building wasn’t a buzz word we threw out in pitch meetings, but a true accomplishment.
I subscribe all of our successes to the perfect melding of extraordinary artists meet the most gifted employees.
For everyone who has passed through Atlantic High, Elektra, FBR, Roadrunner, 300 and WMG, I cannot say thank you enough.
(And when I see you in person, I will properly do so.)
To Lyor, Steve, and Max, I am filled with tremendous gratitude for all the support and generosity you gave us throughout our years.
It was always a team effort.
To my day one partners Craig, Kyser and Sheila, I will be eternally grateful for one of the greatest rides in the history of the music business.
To Len, Robert, Elliot, Zach and Tony, I’m handing over the keys to Ahmet’s house. I wish you all the best and will remain the greatest cheerleader for all things Atlantic.
And to all my artists, I will never stop being your #1 Fan.
Love,
Julie
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