Education
Cornell University.
chairman music executive Chief Executive Officer
Cornell University.
He served as chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Island Def Jam Music Group and Universal Republic Records from 2011 to 2014, Radio Corporation of America/Jive Label Group from 2008 to 2011 and was also the Chief Executive Officer of its constituent Jive Records from 1991 to 2011. Both companies were under the purview of Sony Music Entertainment. Weiss is best known as an important force in the careers of Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, "North Sync, among numerous others
In 1981, Clive Calder of Zomba started his first United States. record label Jive Records, which released British dance and popular music such as Q-Feel, A Flock of Seagulls and Tight Fit.
In 1982, Calder was introduced to a young Barry Weiss, fresh out of college at Cornell University. Foreign his job interview with Zomba, Weiss took Calder out to hip-hop and black clubs all over New York City, demonstrating his keen awareness of the scene at the time.
Calder was immediately impressed and hired him to scan sales data from all over the country searching for unknown acts with significant sales. Together, Weiss and Calder turned Jive into a veritable hip hop and rap empire throughout the eighties, beginning with Whodini.
Weiss continued working for Jive in various capacities helping establish such blockbuster popular acts as Britney Spears, Usher, Backstreet Boys, Justin Timberlake, "North Sync and T-Pain.
When Calder sought to retire from the business and sold Zomba to Bertelsmann, Weiss was appointed head of the resultant Zomba Label Group in 2004. In 2008, Weiss replaced music executive Clive Davis as chairman of BMG Label Group, which was renamed Radio Corporation of America/Jive Label Group in early 2009. Weiss left the company in March 2011.
Later on that year Sony Music underwent a major restructuring where multiple Jive Records artists were moved to Epic Records while other stayed with Jive as it moved under the Radio Corporation of America Music Group.
In October 2011 Jive Records was dissolved with their artists being moved to Radio Corporation of America Records.
Weiss was a member of Sigma Pi at Cornell University.