Jody Gerson To Receive GRAMMY Salute To Industry Icons Honor At The 2025 Pre-GRAMMY Gala

Accredited for her transformative leadership and impact on the music industry, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) Jody Gerson will receive the 2025 GRAMMY Salute To Industry Icons® honor. The Recording Academy® and Clive Davis will celebrate Gerson’s accomplishments at the 50th anniversary of the prestigious Pre-GRAMMY® Gala on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, the evening preceding the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards®.

“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.”

“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,” said Clive Davis. “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.”

Gerson is Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group and a member of Universal Music Group’s (UMG’s) Executive Management Board. One of the industry’s most respected and accomplished executives, Gerson leads a global company with 48 offices in 40 countries and more than 850 employees. She 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 transformed the company into a global powerhouse that owns and administers more than five million copyrights and the industry’s best global home for songwriters.

A highly respected creative authority and thought leader in our culture, Gerson has signed and works with the world’s biggest superstars, including 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, Rosalía, 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. 

As a champion for women in music and advocate for education, Gerson cofounded the global nonprofit She Is The Music. She also 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. 

In January 2020, Gerson made history as the first woman and first music publishing executive to be named Billboard’s ‘Executive of the Year’ for that outlet’s most coveted Power 100 list, and annually ranks within that list’s Top Ten. She is the recipient of numerous other prestigious honors, including Billboard Power Players’ Choice Award; Variety’s Hitmakers Executive of the Year; Billboard's 2015 Executive of the Year for their Women In Music issue; Rolling Stone’s ‘Future 25’; Variety’s Power of Women L.A.; The 2016 March of Dimes Inspiring Woman of the Year; and more. 

Gerson 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 Music Box: Yacht Rock: A DOCKumentary; The Beach Boys; STAX: Soulsville, U.S.A.; and Billy Preston: That’s The Way God Planned It.  Other recent projects that Gerson Executive Produced include The Bee Gees: How to Mend a Broken Heart and HBO’s Music Box series. Among her and Polygram’s many projects in development are documentaries on Bernie Taupin and Prince.

The invitation-only Pre-GRAMMY Gala includes a presentation to honor industry luminaries through the Recording Academy's GRAMMY Salute To Industry Icons award. Sponsored by Hilton, Mastercard and IBM, the evening has been one of the music industry’s most distinguished events for the past 50 years, convening music’s most innovative and influential creators and professionals.

ABOUT THE RECORDING ACADEMY 

The Recording Academy represents the voices of performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, and all music professionals. Dedicated to ensuring the recording arts remain a thriving part of our shared cultural heritage, the Academy honors music’s history while investing in its future through the GRAMMY Museum®,  advocates on behalf of music creators, supports music people in times of need through MusiCares®, and celebrates artistic excellence through the  GRAMMY Awards® — music’s only peer-recognized accolade and highest achievement. As the world’s leading society of music professionals, we work year-round to foster a more inspiring world for creators. 

ABOUT CLIVE DAVIS 

Clive Davis began his career at Columbia Records where he was appointed president in 1967 and signed such legendary rock artists as Earth, Wind & Fire, Billy Joel, Janis Joplin, Santana, and Bruce Springsteen. In 1974, Davis co-founded Arista Records where he signed Whitney Houston, Barry Manilow and Patti Smith. and further developed the careers of Aretha Franklin, the Grateful Dead, the Kinks, and Dionne Warwick. His business ventures include forming LaFace Records in 1989 with Babyface and L.A. Reid.  In 2000, J Records was born (in partnership with BMG) and emerged as a dominant force, producing the works of Alicia Keys and Maroon 5. Davis was then appointed chairman/CEO of BMG U.S. Label Group where he oversaw an expanded RCA Music Group, including J Records, RCA Records and Arista Records.

After BMG and Sony Music merged, in 2008 Davis was appointed chief creative officer, Sony Music Worldwide, where he continues to nurture and develop talent. In 2000, Davis received the Trustees Award from the Recording Academy and was recognized with the President's Merit Award at the 2009 GRAMMY Salute To Industry Icons. As a humanitarian, Davis has made tireless efforts in the battle against AIDS, spearheading donations of millions of dollars for AIDS research. In 2002, the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music was created at his undergraduate alma mater, New York University.

He is a graduate of Harvard Law School. His autobiography The Soundtrack Of My Life , published in 2013, has become the largest-selling book involving music in history and a New York Times bestseller. The Ridley Scott firm produced, and Chris Perkel directed, a documentary film on his life: Clive Davis: The Soundtrack Of Our Lives, which Apple TV, Apple Music and iTunes launched worldwide in 2017 and debuted at No. 1 on iTunes. The documentary has earned awards and accolades worldwide and made its premiere on Netflix in September 2019.  In November 2022, Davis was also one of seven honorees of the National Portrait Gallery's Portrait of a Nation awards, and his portrait was painted by David Hockney. In April 2024, Davis and his illustrious music career were celebrated at Carnegie Hall with The New York Pops 41st  Birthday Gala, The Soundtrack of Our Lives: A Tribute to the Legendary Clive Davis. The star-studded evening featured memorable performances by music legends and contemporary stars including Dionne Warwick, Carlos Santana, Barry Manilow, Babyface, Busta Rhymes, Toni Braxton, John Mellencamp, Deborah Cox and more.

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