Industry veteran Sylvia Rhone has been promoted again: she’s now chairman and CEO of Sony Music label Epic Records, having joined it as president in 2014. She’ll report directly to Sony Music boss Rob Stringer, in a role leading the ‘overall creative direction and management’ of a label that includes Camila Cabello, Travis Scott and Future on its roster.
The news came alongside confirmation that Rhone will be getting a keynote slot at this summer’s Midem conference. She’ll appear alongside lawyer Dina LaPolt, while also receiving the Midem 2019 Hall of Fame award. “One of the things that I really want to talk about is the relationship between record labels and artists. I think it’s an interesting topic in this day and age with technology and the sense of an independent spirit that’s going to the creative community and what are the pros and cons of being independent versus being with a record label,” Rhone told Billboard, ahead of the event. She added that gender and racial parity in music industry companies will also be a key topic for the keynote. “I think that there is always room for improvement. But, at the same time, I think we have made some great strides – and I can only speak for Sony Music, which is now almost 50% women globally, and I think that we’re well above the industry norm…”
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