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Peter Edge | |
|---|---|
| Born | England |
| Citizenship | English and American |
| Alma mater | Coventry Polytechnic |
| Occupation(s) | CEO, RCA Records |
| Years active | 1985 - present |
| Board member of | Board of directors, Arms Around the Child |
| Awards | Billboard Power 100 (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) |
| Website | rcarecords |
Peter Edge is a British music industry executive. He is the CEO of RCA Records, a position he has held since 2011.[1]
Early life and education
[edit]Edge was born near Coventry, England. Fueled in part by his sister’s record collection – which included influential records by Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, and Marvin Gaye -- he developed an early passion for music. As a university student at Coventry Polytechnic, Edge dj’d at local radio stations, clubs and parties and formed a friendship with 2 Tone and The Special AKA founder, Jerry Dammers. He graduated with honors and earned a degree in Communication Studies, which required coursework in film, art, psychology and sociology.[2][3]
Career
[edit]Following his graduation, Edge moved to London, where he was hired as a music researcher for Channel Four’s television series Switch. He booked up-and-coming artists such as Sade and Grace Jones for Switch, and was hired by Simon Fuller to work a side gig as an A&R representative for Chrysalis Music Publishing. As he gained recognition for his “ears,” he was invited to meet with Doug D’arcy, then the head of Chrysalis Records. Edge had planned to pitch D’Arcy on creating another music program for television, but was instead recruited to start a label. In 1985, the label, Cooltempo, was launched as an imprint of Chrysalis Records, where, by then, Fuller also worked.[2][4]
A reflection of his own taste in music as well as the burgeoning house and hip hop scene of the mid-80s, the Cooltempo roster was anchored by pioneering hip hop artists including Doug E. Fresh, Erik B and Rakim, EPMD, The Real Roxanne, and Monie Love, as well as house artist Adeva. Edge worked in partnership with producer Danny D of D Mob, and with a string of best-selling albums and hit singles including Paul Hardcastle's "19," Monie Love's "Grandpa's Party," and Adeva's "Respect," Cooltempo became the preeminent dance label of the time.[5][6][7]
Edge began working at Warner Bros. Records in 1991, after he met Benny Medina and Lenny Waronker, who then ran the label. Over his five-year tenure at Warner Bros., he signed Monie Love to a US contract and signed and worked closely with Meshell Ndegeocello and the artists associated with Native Tongues, including the Jungle Brothers. He moved to New York in 1993.[8][9]
In 1996 Edge was introduced to the then 14-year-old Alicia Keys by her manager, Jeff Robinson. Later that year, he met Clive Davis, who hired him as vice president of A&R at Arista Records. Robinson and Edge set up showcases for Keys, but the timing was off, and as Edge transitioned from Warner Brothers to Arista, Keys was signed by Columbia Records.[10]
At Arista, Edge continued to focus on dance and pop music, notably signing the trip hop trio Faithless, who went on to sell more than 10 million records worldwide. Along with Sister Bliss and Maxi Jazz, Faithless included Rollo Armstrong, whose sister, Dido, sang on several of the group’s tracks. Impressed, Edge signed Dido to Arista, and oversaw the recording of her first album, No Angel, which sold 21 million records worldwide.[11] Edge also signed Angie Stone, a three-time Grammy nominee, in addition to others, and in 1998 was reunited with Keys, who had been released from her contract at Columbia. Edge served as the executive producer on her debut album, Songs in A Minor.[8]
In 2000, with $150 million in funding from BMG, Davis founded J Records and brought Edge and other key executives from Arista to the newly-formed label.[12] Keys' Songs in A Minor was released on J, and entered the Billboard charts at #1. It earned five Grammy Awards, and as of 2015 had sold more than 13 million albums. Keys' catalogue has exceeded 75 million in global sales.[13]
With Edge leading A&R, J released multi-platinum records from Luther Vandross, and Jamie Foxx, among others, as well as Mario's self-titled debut album, which was certified gold. Two years after it was launched, BMG bought a majority stake in J, and it was folded into the RCA Music Group; in 2004, as the result of a joint venture between BMG and Sony, the label operated as part of the Bertelsmann Music Group. Subsequently, Edge was appointed executive vice president of A&R at RCA, and in 2007, he was named president of A&R for RCA Music Group.[14] He continued to work with Keys -- her second album, The Diary of Alicia Keys, surpassed 15 million in sales -- and served as the A&R executive on Dido's multi-platinum records Life for Rent and White Flag.Edge had additional success with records by Jamie Foxx, Jazmine Sullivan and Mario, who had one of the biggest hits of the decade with "Let Me Love You." [15][16]
Following a series of sales, mergers and reorganizations between 2007 and 2011, Sony Music became the parent company of RCA Music Group, which then included Jive Records, Arista, J, and RCA. In 2011, Doug Morris, formerly the chairman of Universal Music, was named chairman of Sony Music Entertainment and, with an acknowledged focus on a&r and artist development, appointed Edge RCA Records chief executive officer.[17] Shortly thereafter, the Jive, Arista, and J label imprints were folded into RCA Records.[18]
Edge has remained involved in the process of making records, working with a team of A&R executives that includes Keith Naftaly, Mark Pitts, Rani Hancock, and David Wolter. Under his auspices, RCA has released hit records by Christina Aguilera, Chris Brown, Kelly Clarkson, Miley Cyrus, D’Angelo, Foo Fighters, Kings of Leon, Ray LaMontagne, P!nk, R. Kelly, Mark Ronson, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Shakira, and Usher, among others, and has achieved breakthrough success with artists including ASAP Rocky, Pitbull, Miguel, Pentatonix, and Sia.[19]
Edge was included on Billboard's "Power 100" list in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015.[20][21][22]
Philanthropy
[edit]Edge has been involved in the charitable organization Keep a Child Alive since it was established in 2003. Founded by Alicia Keys and Leigh Blake, a longtime AIDS activist, the organization provides HIV treatment, care, food and support services to children and families affected by HIV in Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda and India. He serves on the Global Board of Directors for Arms Around The Child, an outgrowth of Keep A Child Alive, which provides housing, medical treatment, education and additional services to children who have lost their parents or are living in adversity. Edge was honored for his work with the charity in 2013 at the inauguration of The Other Ball, an annual fundraiser for Arms Around The Child.[16][23][24]
Discography
[edit]| Year | Album | Artist | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Love Stuff | Elle King | A&R |
| Reality Show | Jazmine Sullivan | Producer | |
| 2014 | JHUD | Jennifer Hudson | Executive producer |
| Shakira | Shakira | A&R | |
| 2012 | Girl on Fire | Alicia Keys | A&R |
| New Life | Monica | Producer | |
| Perfectly Imperfect | Elle Varner | Producer | |
| Two Eleven | Brandy | Executive producer | |
| 2011 | Late Nights & Early Mornings | Marsha Ambrosius | Producer |
| The Essential Whitney Houston | Whitney Houston | A&R | |
| 2010 | Love & War | Daniel Merriweather | A&R, executive producer |
| 31 Minutes to Takeoff | Mike Posner | A&R | |
| Best Night of My Life | Jamie Foxx | Executive producer, producer | |
| Love Me Back | Jazmine Sullivan | Producer | |
| What Did You Think Was Going to Happen? | 2AM Club | A&R | |
| 2009 | D.N.A. | Mario | Producer |
| Impossible | Daniel Merriweather | A&R | |
| The Element of Freedom | Alicia Keys | Executive producer | |
| Throwing Bricks Instead of Kisses | Inward Eye | A&R | |
| 2008 | Fearless | Jazmine Sullivan | Executive producer |
| Intuition | Jamie Foxx | Executive producer | |
| Safe Trip Home | Dido | A&R | |
| 2007 | As I Am | Alicia Keys | Executive producer |
| Go | Mario | Executive producer | |
| 2006 | Blue Collar | Rhymefest | Executive Producer |
| Defected in the House: Eivissa 06 | Various artists | Executive producer | |
| East Side Story | Emily King | Executive producer | |
| MTV2 My Block: Chicago | Various artists | Executive producer | |
| 2005 | Dido Live | Dido | A&R |
| Greatest Hits Live | Angie Stone | Executive producer | |
| Stone Hits: The Very Best of Angie Stone | Angie Stone | Executive producer | |
| Unplugged | Alicia Keys | Executive producer | |
| Unpredictable | Jamie Foxx | Executive producer | |
| 2004 | Don't Leave Home | Dido | A&R |
| If I Ain't Got You | Alicia Keys | Executive producer | |
| Stone Love | Angie Stone | Executive Producer | |
| Turning Point | Mario | Executive producer | |
| 2003 | Life for Rent | Dido | A&R |
| The Diary of Alicia Keys | Alicia Keys | Executive producer | |
| White Flag/Paris | Dido | A&R | |
| 2002 | How Come You Don't Call Me | Alicia Keys | Executive producer |
| Learning From Falling | Lamya | Producer | |
| Mario | Mario | Executive producer | |
| No Fear | Abra Moore | A&R | |
| 2001 | Fallin' (German CD) | Alicia Keys | A&R, executive producer |
| Fine | Whitney Houston | A&R | |
| Luther Vandross | Luther Vandross | A&R | |
| Mahogany Soul | Angie Stone | Executive producer | |
| Olivia | Olivia | A&R | |
| Songs in A Minor | Alicia Keys | Executive producer | |
| Thank You | Dido | A&R | |
| 2000 | The Greatest Hits | Whitney Houston | A&R |
| 1999 | Black Diamond | Angie Stone | Executive producer |
| No Angel | Dido | A&R | |
| 1997 | Money Talks soundtrack album | Various artists | A&R |
| 1994 | Natural Thing | Juliet Roberts | Executive producer |
| 1993 | In a Word or 2 | Monie Love | Executive producer |
| The Voice | Mavis Staples | Executive producer |
References
[edit]- ^ Szalai, George (August 8, 2011). "Peter Edge Named CEO of Sony's RCA Music Group". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ^ a b Swerdloff, Alex (November 29, 2004). "The Man Behind the Musicians". New York Sun. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ^ Staple, Neville (July 9, 2010). Original Rude Boy: From Borstal to The Specials: A Life in Crime & Music. London: Aurum Press. ISBN 1845135423. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ^ Taylor, Chuck (April 2, 2011). "Peter Edge, President of A&R". Billboard. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ^ "Cooltempo releases at Discogs". discogs.com. Discogs. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ^ Reed, John (8 March 2005). Paul Weller: My Ever Changing Moods. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 1844494918. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ Wright, Chris (2010). One Way Or Another: My Life in Music, Sport & Entertainment. London: Omnibus.
- ^ a b Bouwman, Kimbel (October 13, 2004). "Interview: Peter Edge". hitquarters.com. Hitquarters. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ^ Coker, Cheo Holdark (September 1, 2005). "Gassed Up: Jamie Foxx". Vibe. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ^ Cole, Harriette (November 1, 2007). "Alicia Bares Her Soul". Ebony. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ^ Ingham, Tim (January 22, 2013). "Dido: 'You should never hold anything back'". Music Week. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ^ Waller, Don (August 25, 2000). "Davis spins BMG diskery". Variety. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ^ "Keys' Debut Tops The Billboard 200". Billboard. July 5, 2001. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ^ Friedman, Roger (February 3, 2004). "Luther Vandross: Worse Than Thought". Fox News. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ^ Christman, Ed (July 2, 2011). "Upfront: Six Questions with Peter Edge". Billboard. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ a b Mayfield, Geoff (November 14, 2009). "Good Vibrations". Billboard. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ Halperin, Shirley (October 7, 2011). "RCA Records' Peter Edge and Tom Corson on Why the Label Downsized and its Place in Sony's Big Picture". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ^ Perpetua, Matthew (October 7, 2011). "RCA Folds Arista, Jive and J Records". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ "Artist Roster". rcarecords.com. RCA Records (official site). Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ Mitchell, Gail. "Peter Edge & Tom Corson: The 2014 Billboard Power 100". January, 2014. Billboard. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
- ^ Mitchell, Gail. "Billboard Power 100: Peter Edge and Tom Corson". February 2, 2013. Billboard. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
- ^ "Billboard Power 100 2015". billboard.com. Billboard. February 5, 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ^ Jones, Kim (November 13, 2013). "The Other Ball". hallels.com. Hallels. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ "Keep A Child Alive at Changing the Present". changingthepresent.org. Changing the Present. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ "Peter Edge credits". allmusic.com. All Music.