Universal Music Publishing Group Chair-CEO Jody Gerson will receive the 2025 Grammy Salute to Industry Icons honor at the Recording Academy and Clive Davis’ annual Pre-Grammy Gala, the organizations announced today. The celebration takes place Feb. 1, 2025, on the Saturday night before the Grammy Awards. Adding to the honor, the “Clive Party” is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2025.
“Jody is an inspirational leader who champions integrity and inclusivity in everything she does and is a revolutionary executive,” said Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. “She has opened doors for and propelled the careers of many of the world’s greatest songwriters, while simultaneously serving as one of the biggest advocates for women in music. We are thrilled to host an extraordinary evening that not only celebrates her remarkable impact but also marks the gala’s incredible 50-year milestone.”
Clive Davis added, “Jody Gerson is one of the music industry’s most illustrious leaders and I am thrilled that she will be this year’s Salute to Industry Icons honoree. Jody’s longtime trailblazing commitment to supporting songwriters across the music spectrum as well as her tireless dedication to advocacy, diversity and equality in the music business are exemplary. Artists and the industry at large are fortunate to have a leader with such tremendous insight and passion at the helm.”
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Gerson is Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group and a member of Universal Music Group’s Executive Management Board. She leads a global company with 48 offices in 40 countries and more than 850 employees, and made history as the first female chairman of a global music company and the first woman to be named CEO of a major music publisher.
Since joining UMPG in 2015, Gerson has elevated the company into a global powerhouse that owns and administers more than 5 million copyrights. Gerson has signed and works with Adele, Bee Gees, Bad Bunny, Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter, Lana Del Rey, Ariana Grande, Coldplay, Drake, Billie Eilish, H.E.R., Elton John, Alicia Keys, Steve Lacy, Kendrick Lamar, Post Malone, Maren Morris, the Prince estate, Rosalia, Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, SZA, The Weeknd, and more. She also led UMPG’s historic and highly competitive acquisitions of the iconic catalogs of Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, Sting, and others. She jointly oversees Polygram Entertainment, a film and television development and production division of UMG which produces award-winning feature-length films and music-centric series. In 2024 alone, she served as Executive Producer on a broad array of projects, including “Yacht Rock: A DOCKumentary,” “The Beach Boys,” “Stax: Soulsville, U.S.A.,” and “Billy Preston: That’s the Way God Planned It.”
She also cofounded the global nonprofit She Is the Music, and serves on Boards for the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the National Music Publishers Association, New Roads School, and Project Healthy Minds.