Jimmy Iovine

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James Iovine (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell; born March 11, 1953<ref name=allmusicbio>Template:Cite web</ref>) is an American entrepreneur, former record executive, and media proprietor. He is the co-founder of Interscope Records, and served as chairman and CEO of Interscope Geffen A&M, an umbrella music unit formed by Universal Music Group, from 1999 to 2014.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Iovine has been involved in the production of more than 250 albums.<ref name=allmusicbio /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2006, Iovine and fellow Interscope artist Dr. Dre co-founded Beats Electronics. Two years later, the brand launched its first set of headphones.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In late 2013, they began development for Beats Music, and released it in 2014, which went on to become the framework for Apple Music.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The company was purchased by Apple Inc. for $3 billion in May 2014.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the same time, Iovine vacated his positions as chairman and CEO of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, ending his twenty-five year relationship with his label.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

On August 21, 2018, after initial denial, Iovine parted ways with Apple and effectively retired from the media business.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> He is credited or named in institutional education centers such as the USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy, which was inaugurated in 2013,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the Iovine and Young Center, a magnet high school which opened in Los Angeles in August 2022.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref>

Early life and training

James Iovine was born in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, to an Italian working-class family.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":6" /> His mother was a secretary and his father, Vincent Iovine,<ref name="billboard.com">Template:Cite magazine</ref> worked on the docks as a longshoreman. He has an older sister, born in 1946.<ref name=":6">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The family lived in Brooklyn's Red Hook neighborhood.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His father died in 1985.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Iovine attended a Catholic school in Brooklyn,<ref name="pbs.org">Template:Cite web</ref> graduating from the since-closed Bishop Ford Central Catholic High School and went on to attend New York's John Jay College of Criminal Justice.<ref name="rollingstone.com">Template:Cite web</ref> At age 19, he dropped out of college. He was introduced to music production after he met a songwriter who helped him find a job as a recording studio cleaner, and he soon began working as an engineer.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Career

Music career

1970s–1980s: Music production and engineering

In the early 1970s, Iovine became a recording engineer, working with John Lennon<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Bruce Springsteen, among others. By 1973, Iovine was a part of the staff, working for the now-demolished New York City faction of the Record Plant,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> where he worked on Springsteen's Born to Run and Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell. He came to prominence through his work on Patti Smith's album Easter (1978), which included her Top 40 hit "Because the Night". He later collaborated with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on Damn the Torpedoes and U2 on Rattle and Hum. Iovine produced Bella Donna (the first solo album by former Fleetwood Mac member Stevie Nicks),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Making Movies for Dire Straits, The Distance for Bob Seger and Get Close for The Pretenders.

Iovine served as sound engineer for the Voyager Golden Records, a pair of phonograph records that were launched aboard the Voyager space probes in 1977.<ref name="Ferris">Template:Cite magazine</ref> His father's death and love for Christmas inspired Iovine to record and oversee A Very Special Christmas in 1985.<ref name="billboard.com" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The compilation was not released until 1987 under Interscope's future sister label A&M Records.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Iovine chose to not profit off the album and instead used the money from album sales to help fund Special Olympics programs. Following the release of the first album, ten more were produced. The initiative has raised over $145 million and helped more than 110 local Special Olympics programs.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was responsible for supervising the music used in the 1984 romance film Sixteen Candles, Streets of Fire and the 1988 comedy film Scrooged.

1989–2014: Interscope Records

In 1989, Iovine and Ted Field, founder of film production label Interscope Communications, co-founded Interscope Records.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A year later, the label secured a distribution deal with Atlantic Records and garnered success with artists including No Doubt, 4 Non Blondes and Gerardo.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Atlantic owned a 50% stock in the label.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Iovine and Field signed Tupac Shakur to a recording contract as one of the first hip-hop acts under Interscope in 1991.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> A year later, Interscope became notable for providing distribution, initial funding and financial oversight for the highly successful Death Row Records. Death Row, founded by Suge Knight, operated as a subsidiary of Interscope, beginning with the December 14, 1992 release of label artist and producer Dr. Dre's solo debut album The Chronic. With singles consisting of "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" and "Let Me Ride", both of which featuring labelmate Snoop Dogg, The Chronic sold over five million copies in the United States and became Dr. Dre's best-selling album in his career.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Iovine and Dr. Dre formed a friendship following the release of The Chronic. Over 19 million records sold from Death Row, the label was largely responsible for Interscope's multi-platinum success throughout the 1990s. However, Snoop Dogg accumulated more success on Death Row and Interscope with his November 1993 debut Doggystyle.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It opened at number one on the Billboard 200 with the biggest first-week sales in 1990s hip hop.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In November 1995, Interscope released Tragic Kingdom by No Doubt, which sold over 16 million copies worldwide as its single, "Don't Speak" made number one on Billboard's Radio Songs chart.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In September 1995, after internal conflict with Atlantic Records over controversy concerning the label's support of gangsta rap, the label and its former parent company at the time, Time Warner made the decision to sell off its share in Interscope to Iovine and Field.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In January 1996, Doug Morris, chairman and CEO of the music division of MCA Inc., convinced Iovine and Field to bring Interscope to the company in exchange for acquiring 50% of the label's shares for $200 million.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As a result, Interscope was placed in the same company portfolio of labels alongside future sister label Geffen Records, MCA Records, Universal Records and DreamWorks Records.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By then, MCA was sold off by Matsushita Electric (also a parent company of Panasonic) to Canadian distillery and mass media conglomerate Seagram.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> With Interscope now under the MCA and Seagram shade, the label managed to gain more success with Tupac Shakur's double album All Eyez on Me, which opened at number one on the Billboard 200 with 566,000 copies sold in its first week.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The album became another success for the rap division of the label and Death Row Records, where artist Dr. Dre felt uncomfortable due to founder and former CEO Suge Knight's consistent spending, violent behavior and gang affiliation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As a result, Dr. Dre departed from Death Row and re-signed with Interscope through a new label deal, creating his own imprint called Aftermath Entertainment.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The label's foundation proved to be challenging, when on November 26, 1996, upon release, the compilation Dr. Dre Presents: The Aftermath, was given a lukewarm response as was The Firm's The Album, despite the latter, released on October 21, 1997, almost a year after Dr. Dre Presents: The Aftermath, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Iovine, as stated on the 2017 HBO documentary, The Defiant Ones, was pressured by Doug Morris to either give Dr. Dre time to control his music and artists or drop him from his label. Iovine responded, "We could that, but then, you would save my salary as well because I'm going with him."<ref name=":4">Template:Cite web</ref> Interscope had further success with Tupac Shakur's posthumous record The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory as well as Snoop Dogg's Tha Doggfather and Bush's Razorblade Suitcase.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Iovine offered to sign hip hop entrepreneur Master P and his imprint, No Limit Records, but he rejected the offer. Iovine allegedly threatened him and his management team that if they would not consider the Interscope deal, they would never "find another deal in the industry nor in this town".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In December 1996, MCA Music Entertainment was renamed Universal Music Group with Interscope and various other labels now being a part of the newly rebranded UMG.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Following Death Row founder Suge Knight's probation violation and prison sentence in 1997, Iovine and Interscope ended their business relationship with Death Row;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the final album released under the Death Row/Interscope deal was the soundtrack to the Tupac Shakur action film, Gridlock'd, which managed to reach the Billboard 200's number one position.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

In March 1998, Iovine invited Dr. Dre to his house to listen to the Slim Shady EP, released in 1997 by an underground rapper, who was participating a tournament of rap battles at the time, by the name of Eminem.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The tape eventually landed in the hands of Interscope A&Rs Dean Geistlinger and D.J. Mormile, who later turned it in to label co-founder Ted Field, who also sent it to Iovine for review. Upon suggestion from Iovine, he urged Dr. Dre to find Eminem and have him join the Interscope family through Dre's label, Aftermath.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Eminem has found success with both labels despite controversy involving his lyrical themes.<ref name=":4" /> On February 23, 1999, Eminem released his debut studio album, The Slim Shady LP, to critical acclaim. The album made its way to number two on the Billboard 200, helping to improve both Interscope and Aftermath after years of low sales.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On December 10, 1998, Seagram acquired PolyGram,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and it merged with the Universal Music Group.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":5">Template:Cite web</ref> After the PolyGram and MCA merger of Universal Music Group, Interscope became sister labels to new entries A&M Records, Def Jam Recordings, Island Records, Mercury Records and Motown.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1998, Interscope, Geffen and A&M were put together under the umbrella label as Interscope Geffen A&M Records (IGA).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":5" /> Within IGA, Iovine and Field were hired to become the unit's co-chairmen and oversee operations of Interscope and Geffen.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In February 2001, Ted Field parted ways with IGA, leading Iovine to take full control of the labels.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In June 2002 of the latter year, Iovine was able to manage to negotiate Eminem and Dr. Dre's joint venture agreement involving then-upcoming hip hop artist and fellow New Yorker 50 Cent.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On February 9, 2003, he released his debut studio album, Get Rich or Die Tryin', to acclaim.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Iovine was confidential in merging A&M, DGC, MCA and DreamWorks into defection through Interscope Geffen A&M between 1999 and 2003.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Due to A&M co-founders Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss filing suit against Iovine, Interscope and UMG over a breach of agreement involving the label's operations, A&M Records had to remain fully operative as a one-off subsidiary of Interscope Records; the two plaintiffs were given a $200 million out of court settlement.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the end of 2003, Iovine made over $45 million in revenue generated from music sales from his label.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

For the next four years, Iovine, Interscope and Geffen began to see extended success from other artists including D12, AFI, Nelly Furtado, The Roots, Gwen Stefani (as a solo artist), The Game, Robin Thicke, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, The Pussycat Dolls and others. Iovine discovered Lady Gaga in 2007 who was sent to work with singer-songwriter Akon, who in exchange for his mentorship of Gaga, asked Iovine to sign her to Vincent Herbert's Streamline Records and Interscope.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2014, Universal Music Group reported that Iovine was departing from Interscope Records, ending his twenty-five year tenure with the label and vacating his fifteen-year dual position as chairman and CEO of Interscope Geffen A&M Records (now Interscope Capitol Labels Group, as of 2024).<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> It was confirmed that the Fueled by Ramen co-founder John Janick was hired as Iovine's replacement.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Janick was hired to become Interscope's president and COO in 2012. The final artist Iovine signed to his label was J. Cole.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> On May 28, 2014, Iovine effectively vacated his CEO and chairman positions, while departing from Interscope. The news of his departure from the label occurred following the sale of his and Dr. Dre's headphone company, Beats Electronics, to Apple Inc.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Business career

Beats Electronics

In 2006, Iovine worked with Dr. Dre to create Beats Electronics. It was originally a conversation between the two where Iovine exclaimed to Dr. Dre, "fuck sneakers, we need to do speakers."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The first set of headphones were produced in 2007 and were launched in 2008.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> From 2009 to 2011, Beats enclosed endorsement deals with Monster Cable and Hewlett-Packard.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The company had captured 20 percent market share of the headphones industry by 2012.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In January 2013, Iovine announced the expansion of Beats into the online digital music world with Daisy, a new service slated to launch in late 2013. Former Topspin Media executive Ian Rogers and Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor were said to be involved.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In January 2014, Beats Music was developed and opened to the public after being announced on December 8, 2013.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On May 28, 2014, Apple Inc. announced the acquisition of Beats Electronics. The acquisition gave Dr. Dre and Iovine a share of over $3.24 billion, becoming the largest acquisition deal in the history of Apple's timeline.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Iovine was hired to assume an undisclosed position at Apple<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> where he helped in the creation of Apple Music, which was launched in the summer of 2015 as replacement for Beats Music.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On June 26, 2018, Iovine and Dr. Dre were ordered to pay $25 million to former partner and creative designer, Steven Lamar, who sued the two co-founders for $100 million in unpaid royalties for designing the early Beats headphone models.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The lawsuit was filed in 2015 after news broke out of Apple's acquisition of the headphone brand a year prior.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was the creative consultant for Apple Music until August 2018.<ref name=":0" /> Firstly, he denied reports of him ending his partnership with Apple in January.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Citing high usage of music technology and little direction to where Apple Music could be headed to, Iovine quietly left the company and effectively retired from the media industry.<ref name=":0" />

Other ventures

In August 2022, the Iovine and Young Center, a magnet high school opened in Los Angeles.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /> The school aims to improve the declining rate of enrollment in the L.A. Unified district.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In August 2023, it was announced that the Iovine and Young Center was partnering with Atlanta Public Schools to open a new learning center at Frederick Douglass High School in August 2024. The goal of the center is to prepare students for their future academics and careers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In August 2024, Iovine and Dr. Dre announced they would partner with Inglewood Unified School District to open a new high school to help revive a district that had been forced to close schools due to declining enrollment. Regarding the partnership, Iovine stated, “We wanted to start in the inner city, because Dre and especially me, I owe a lot to the inner city of Los Angeles and we intend to pay it back.”<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Film and documentary productions

In 2002, Iovine and former Shady Records president Paul Rosenberg co-produced 8 Mile, which opened at number one in the box office and went on to gross more than $240 million worldwide.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The film also garnered an Academy Award for Best Original Song for its theme song, "Lose Yourself", making Eminem the first rapper to win this award.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Additionally, Iovine executive produced the 2005 crime drama Get Rich or Die Tryin', named after the 2003 debut album of its leading star, 50 Cent.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He also produced the 2009 documentary More than a Game,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> which centered on the life and career of basketball athlete LeBron James; his label Interscope released a soundtrack for the documentary.

Television career

In 2005, Iovine made a guest appearance as himself on "Don't Make Me Over", an episode for the fourth season of Seth MacFarlane's Family Guy.

From 2011 to 2013, Iovine was a mentor on Fox's American Idol.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Iovine's protégés—Scotty McCreery, Phillip Phillips, Jessica Sanchez, and Candice Glover—released their music through Interscope.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Iovine departed from the show in mid-2013; he was replaced by Randy Jackson.<ref>Jimmy Iovine Out Of ‘American Idol’, Randy Jackson Poised To Replace Him As Mentor Deadline, Retrieved August 23, 2013</ref>

In July 2017, HBO ran a four-part documentary about Jimmy Iovine's relationship with Dr. Dre and other musicians titled The Defiant Ones.

Voice roles

Iovine and Dr. Dre had provided their voices and motion capture performances in two downloadable content updates for Grand Theft Auto Online (2013); the first was 2020's Cayo Perico Heist and the second was 2021's The Contract, the latter of which the player helps to unlock unreleased music by Dr. Dre in between missions or after completing them.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Philanthropy

In May 2013, Iovine and Dr. Dre donated $70 million to the University of Southern California to create the USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The first class of the academy began in September 2014 with 31 students.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On October 2, 2019, the USC opened the Iovine and Young Hall.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In April 2020, Iovine and Dr. Dre donated to the city of Compton to provide support for medical supplies, free COVID-19 testing, and 145,000 meals for residents of the city.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In May 2020, Iovine and Dr. Dre partnered with restaurant chain Everytable to provide 30 days of drive-thru meals to Compton residents.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Honors and recognitions

In 2011, Iovine was honored by The Producers & Engineers Wing of the Grammy Awards. "This year we pay tribute to an industry leader, Jimmy Iovine, who has made an indelible impact as a recording engineer, producer, founder of Interscope Records, and now, entrepreneur focused on audio quality," Neil Portnow, president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the governing body of the Grammy Awards, said in presenting the award.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On May 17, 2013, Iovine received an honorary Doctor of Music degree<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> from the University of Southern California and gave the 2013 USC commencement address.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2022, Iovine was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Ahmet Ertegun Award category.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal life

New York rock radio DJ Carol Miller and Iovine had a two-year relationship in the late 1970s. Miller says "Jimmy had a wonderful, close-knit Italian Catholic family from Brooklyn and Staten Island who could not have been nicer to me. It was I, the Jewish girl from Queens, who always felt silently out of place." She says her father was not very nice to Iovine and was against the relationship due to the differences in their religions.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> According to Miller, the relationship ended in 1980, when Iovine began spending most of his time in California working with singer Stevie Nicks.

While producing her album Bella Donna, Iovine entered into a relationship with Nicks. The two eventually broke up in 1982. Nicks wrote the song, "Straight Back", included in the Fleetwood Mac album, Mirage, about him.Template:Citation needed According to Nicks, Iovine was an inspiration for one of her signature songs, "Edge of Seventeen".Template:Citation needed The song also became the backbone for the guitar sample used on Destiny's Child's hit single, "Bootylicious" (2001).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Nicks has said that Iovine's despondence from the death of his good friend John Lennon overwhelmed her, and eventually led to the end of their relationship. However, the strong emotion of the time led to the creation of "Edge of Seventeen".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Iovine was married to writer, lawyer, and model Vicki Iovine since 1985 before divorcing in 2006. It was finalized in 2009; the couple have four children.<ref name="huffpost">Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2014, he started dating Liberty Ross, the sister of music composers Atticus and Leopold Ross.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> They were married in front of their Malibu beach house on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2016, with friends and family in attendance.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On November 22, 2023, Iovine was accused of sexual harassment by an unnamed woman.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On February 15, 2024, the accuser dropped the sexual abuse case with prejudice.<ref name="casedropped">Template:Cite news</ref> Documents obtained by Billboard also revealed that while a summons notice was filed in November 2023, no official lawsuit had been filed against Iovine after the claim was made.<ref name="casedropped" />

Selected discography

Artist Album Released
John Lennon Walls and Bridges 1974
Kansas The Classic Albums Collection: 1974–1983 1974–1983
Bruce Springsteen Born to Run 1975
Bruce Springsteen Darkness on the Edge of Town 1978
Golden Earring Grab It for a Second 1978
Patti Smith Easter 1978
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Damn the Torpedoes 1979
Bruce Springsteen The River 1980
Dire Straits Making Movies 1980
Graham Parker and the Rumour The Up Escalator 1980
Stevie Nicks Bella Donna 1981
U2 Under a Blood Red Sky 1983
Simple Minds Once Upon A Time 1985
Pretenders Get Close 1986
Various A Very Special Christmas 1987
U2 Rattle and Hum 1988
Gwen Stefani Love. Angel. Music. Baby 2004
Lady Gaga Born This Way: The Collection 2011
Iggy Azalea The New Classic 2014

Discography

Filmography

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References

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