rosenblatt

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Ed Rosenblatt

Chairman and chief executive

Geffen Records

With a career spanning more than three decades, Ed Rosenblatt figures he has seen it all.

He grew up at time when the music industry was in its infancy. But a friend convinced him to move from his native New York to Los Angeles in 1967 and take a job as a sales manager for A & M; Records.

“There was no such thing as a music industry when I first started; we were pioneers,” says Rosenblatt, 63. “I discovered it was a very fun business, so I never left.”

His first big break came in 1971 when he got a job as national sales manager for Warner Bros. Records. Nine years later he joined up with David Geffen to form Geffen Records. The Geffen label quickly took off, with superstars like John Lennon, Donna Summer and Elton John. By the late 1980s it was also a major force on the rock scene, with bands like Aerosmith and Guns N’ Roses.

“It is great to start something and build it up,” says Rosenblatt. “I have had the opportunity to see a lot of very talented artists come though our doors over the years.”

In 1990, Geffen sold his company to MCA Inc., agreeing to stay on as chairman and CEO for an additional five years. Rosenblatt, who served as president under Geffen, was promoted to chairman and chief executive when Geffen left in 1995 to start DreamWorks SKG.

Since Geffen’s departure, the road has been a bit rocky for Geffen Records. The label’s market share went from 7 percent in 1995 to 2 percent last year.

“Like any label, from time to time, as trends change and music tastes change, they have to reinvent themselves,” said Zach Horowitz, president of Universal Music Group, the division under which Geffen Records operates. “Every record company wants to increase their market share. Eddie and his team are on the road to doing that in a significant way.”

To cut costs, Rosenblatt laid off 10 percent of his workforce early last year. He also restructured the artists and repertoire department; Davis Simone, a former PolyGram executive, took over A & R; to cut deals with artists and their managers. The plan is to have Simone bring in more Latin and black music.

Rosenblatt also hopes to boost profits with artists like Beck, Counting Crows, Rob Zombie and Hole.

“I want to sell enough records to keep everyone happy and keep my corporate bosses happy,” says Rosenblatt.

Jessica Toledano

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