Ron Perry (music)

Perry is the former president of SONGS Music Publishing, founded by fellow EMI alum Matt Pincus.[2][3] A partner of SONGS since the company's inception in 2004, Perry had signed and overseen the careers of artists and songwriters including The Weeknd,[4] XXXTentacion,[5][6] Lorde,[7][8][9][10] Diplo,[11] DJ Mustard,[12] Major Lazer, Desiigner,[13] Q-Tip[14] and many others. In December 2017, SONGS was sold to Kobalt Music Publishing.[15]

Some of Perry's A&R credits include the 11x Diamond single for Lil Nas X, "Old Town Road (featuring Billy Ray Cyrus)." This became the longest running #1 single of all time on the Billboard Hot 100 for 19 consecutive weeks,[16] and earned 2 Grammy Awards for Music Video of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.

Other credits include the 6x Multi-Platinum "Starboy" and the 3x Platinum "I Feel It Coming" for The Weeknd and Daft Punk, as well as Lorde's second album Melodrama, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 and received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.[17]

In December 2020, Perry was named as Variety's Hitmakers Executive of the Year. [18]

In January 2020, Perry earns Billboard's inaugural Breakthrough Award.[19] He also was named on Billboard's Power 100 list.[20]

In February 2019, Perry was named No. 34 on Billboard's Power 100 list.[21]

In October 2018, Perry was named in Variety’s “New Power of New York” list.[22]

In January 2018, Perry was named No. 28 on Billboard’s Power 100 among the most powerful executives in music.[23]

On January 2, 2018, Perry was named as the Chairman & CEO of Columbia Records.[1]

In November 2017, Perry was named by Variety as one of its 2017 Hitmakers in its inaugural list, which highlights the music industry's "key influencers — the people behind the scenes who make and break the hits."[24]

In February 2017, Perry was also named in Billboard’s Power 100 among the most powerful executives in music.[25] Billboard noted: “Perry spent 2016 pairing clients with collaborators to make high-profile hits: The Weeknd with Daft Punk for ‘Starboy’; Major Lazer and MØ with Justin Bieber for ‘Cold Water,’ which opened at No. 2 on the Hot 100; and Canadian singer Kai with Australian producer Flume for the breakthrough single ‘Never Be Like You.’”

In November 2016, Perry was named as one of the industry’s leading A&Rs in Billboard’s inaugural A&R Power Players list.[26]

Between 2014-2016, Perry was featured as one of Billboard’s 40 Under 40[27] for three consecutive years[28] as one of the industry’s leading hitmakers by The Hollywood Reporter in its Top 35 Hitmakers in Music list.[29]

Additionally, Perry’s signings and record making skills led SONGS Music Publishing to a publishing market share of 5% and to the position of #1 Independent Co-Publisher, for 12 consecutive quarters according to Billboard.[30]

Perry was depicted as himself in three episodes of South Park's 18th season (“The Cissy,” "#Rehash,” and “#HappyHolograms”). In one of the episodes Perry gets into a verbal altercation with Cartman, as Cartman refers to Perry as a "40 year old with a Justin Bieber haircut."[31]

Perry is known to be an avid Nirvana fan and has played “Smells Like Teen Spirit" on guitar alongside Miley Cyrus, and separately, Nirvana's “Lithium” on stage with Post Malone at Coachella 2016.[32]

In 2019, Perry performed guitar alongside John Mayer, Leon Bridges, and Ryan Tedder at his 40th birthday celebration held at The Troubadour in Los Angeles.[33] He is married to Jenna Andrews, a songwriter as Columbia Music.