Lyor Cohen is an American music industry executive who has a net worth of $75 million dollars. Cohen has been actively involved in hip hop at various record labels for more than 30 years. Cohen took on a leadership role at Warner Music Group. In September 2012, Cohen resigned from Warner and started his own independent label, 300 Entertainment. On September 28, 2016, Cohen was named YouTube’s Global Head of Music.
After attending the University of Miami and receiving a degree in global marketing and finance, he began working for music shows in Los Angeles. He also worked as Run-DMC’s road manager and soon began taking on more work responsibilities while working himself “up the chain.”
In 1989 he made a big switch and began working for music labels rather than artists themselves. He would go on to work for Def Jam, Island Def Jam, and Universal Music Group. In 2004 he was named Warner Music Group’s chairman and chief executive, a position he held until 2012. During this time he is widely credited for growing the label, specifically by allowing YouTube and Spotify to access various Warner Music Group material.
While his involvement still remains unclear, it’s been announced that Cohen is starting a company called 300 Entertainment, named after the Spartans in the movie 300. The company is set to act as both record label and marketing company, as well as having a hand in distribution, with support from search engine mogul Google, as well as Atlantic Records.
