Table of Biography
Barry Weiss is a well-known American music executive. Barry Weiss is best known for joining forces with Sony Music Entertainment to co-found the young artists-focused record label RECORDS in 2015.
Early Life and Childhood
Barry Weiss was born on February 11, 1959, in New York City, New York, U.S. He is currently 64 years old. He was born to his father Hy Weiss and his mother Rosalyn Weiss. His father was also a famous music executive.
He holds American nationality and is of Jewish ethnic background. Likewise, he follows Judaism as his religion. According to his date of birth, he was born under the zodiac sign Aquarius.
Education
Regarding his educational background, he is a master’s degree holder student. He completed his graduation from Cornell University in 1981. Later, in 1986, Weiss graduated with a master’s degree in business administration from New York University.
Career and Professional Life
1981-2008: Early Years, Jive, and Zomba
Weiss had early employment at Ariola America and Infinity Records. In 1982, he landed his first significant position at Clive Calder’s brand-new record label, Jive Records. Weiss took Calder to various gay, black, and hip-hop clubs where he knew bouncers and doormen from all over New York City for his job interview. He began his career as the Manager of Artist Development. When he arrived, the label was primarily home to pop artists like Samantha Fox, A Flock of Seagulls, and Billy Ocean.
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, A Tribe Called Quest, Whodini, Kool Moe Dee, Too Short, Boogie Down Productions, UGK, and other rappers and hip-hop artists found a home on the label thanks in part to Weiss. Weiss, Verity, and Silvertone were all given promotions to the position of President of Jive Records in January 1995.
Weiss worked from 1995 to 2000 with groups like Britney Spears, NSYNC, The Backstreet Boys, and others. Additionally, he oversaw the release of NSYNC’s No Strings Attached, which broke the album sales record in 2000 and held it until 2015.
Moreover, the parent company of Jive Records, Zomba Music Group, was acquired by BMG for $2.7 billion in 2002. Weiss was appointed President and CEO of the newly established Zomba Label Group by BMG. He oversaw the careers of musicians like Chris Brown, T-Pain, R. Kelly, and others while holding that position.
2008-2014: RCA/Jive to Universal
Weiss succeeded Clive Davis as Chairman and CEO of the BMG Label Group in 2008 (later renamed RCA/Jive Label Group). Weiss oversaw Jive, Verity, GospoCentric, Volcano, RCA, Arista, Fo Yo Soul, LaFace, and J as the leader of the label group.
In addition, he took over the management of numerous other artists, including Kelly Clarkson, Leona Lewis, Pink, Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys, Daughtry, and the Foo Fighters. Weiss made his intention to leave the RCA/Jive Label Group and join the Universal Music Group public in 2010.
In March 2011, Barry Weiss was formally appointed as Chairman and CEO of a collection of labels collectively known as Universal’s “East Coast” labels (i.e. Republic Records, Island Def Jam, Motown Records, etc.). Kanye West, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, 2 Chainz, Fall Out Boy, The Weeknd, Avicii, and many other artists fell under Weiss’s purview. After Universal decided to split up the music group into standalone labels, he resigned from his position in 2014.
2015-present: Founder of RECORDS
Early in 2015, Weiss co-founded a new independent label called RECORDS in collaboration with SONGS Music Publishing. The Weeknd, Diplo, Lorde, and DJ Mustard were among the artists on the SONGS roster at the time RECORDS was established. Nelly and iLoveMemphis were among the first artists signed to RECORDS. 2015 saw the platinum certification of the singles from both artists, “The Fix” and “Hit the Quan,” respectively.
In December 2017, SONGS Music Publishing was transferred to the Kobalt Music Group. Sony Music Entertainment and RECORDS formed a joint venture the following month.
Personal Life
Barry Weiss is a straight-gender person. As for his relationship, he is a divorced man. He has previously broken his 30 years of marriage with his wife. However, the details of his wife are not disclosed. He has two kids named Julie (daughter) and Jack (son).
He claimed in an interview that his large circle of friends prevents him from feeling lonely. Weiss also added that he has a girlfriend, but he wouldn’t say who she is. He added that he has been receiving numerous marriage proposals online but has ignored them all due to his intense workload.
Caption: Barry Weiss with his friends
Source: Zimbio
Barry Weiss – Net Worth 2024
Barry is a hard-working and successful American music executive. He has earned a hefty amount of money throughout his career. He has a net worth of $10 million as of 2023. However, he hasn’t shared his salary and other asset values with the media.
Social Media
Reflecting on his social media presence, he is only active on Facebook. His Facebook page ‘Barry Weiss’ has more than 1.1K followers to date. However, he is not active on other social media sites like Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and so on.
Barry Weiss – Body Measurements
Talking about his physical appearance, Barry Weiss has a tall and dazzling personality. He stands at a height of 5 feet 6 inches and weights 75kg. However, there are no details about his body size, dress size, waist size, shoe size, and so on. But looking at his pictures we can assume that he has a pair of brown eyes with white colored hair.