Sony Music and Julie Swidler, executive vice president, business affairs and general counsel, have announced her long-planned departure at the end of June.
Since being appointed in 2008, Swidler has helped guide the company through periods of transformation while championing artists, innovation and long-term progress in the sector more broadly.
She has overseen business, legal and governmental affairs globally, advising Sony Music’s record labels and operating units on strategic negotiations, talent agreements, litigation, transactions and joint venture operations.
Rob Stringer, chairman, Sony Music Group, said: “Julie has been a vital component of the Sony Music senior management team for many years and her wisdom, experience and knowledge has been a bedrock of our company’s strategy and growth. She leaves us with our deepest respect and gratitude.
“As a friend and colleague, on a personal note, as Julie and I have planned together her departure for a while now, she will be missed at Sony Music but I know that her next working chapter will be equally stimulating and rewarding.”
Julie Swidler said: “Every great adventure eventually makes room for a new one, and this feels like the right moment for mine. There are few companies in the world like Sony Music that carry this much history and remain this relevant. Being part of that legacy has been a privilege.
“That journey would not have been the same without Rob Stringer’s leadership, friendship and trust, and I’m grateful for all of it. I’m just as proud of our global business and legal affairs practice and the extraordinary people in it who are truly second to none. We have always been guided by what is fair and right for artists, and that compass never failed us.”
Her wisdom, experience and knowledge has been a bedrock of our company’s strategy and growth
Rob Stringer
In 2015, Swidler worked closely with Sony Music Nashville and its roster to support them through a transition at the top. In 2018, she represented the music ecosystem on the Recording Academy’s Task Force that issued a landmark report on diversity and inclusion in music.
Prior to 2008, Swidler held senior legal and business affairs jobs at Arista Records, J Records, RCA Records, and BMG. She served as lead counsel for the 1994 Woodstock Festival and aided in the start of J Records alongside Clive Davis, contributing to the release of Alicia Keys’ multi-platinum, Grammy-winning debut album.
Swidler began her music industry career at PolyGram Records and Mercury Records for more than a decade.
In 2026, Swidler was named a Music Visionary of the Year by UJA-Federation of New York. Her honours include the Grammy Foundation’s Entertainment Law Initiative Service Award, where she became the first woman and the first record label executive to receive the distinction; the TJ Martell Foundation’s Lifetime Music Industry Award; and the Music Business Association’s Presidential Honour.
In 2023, she was elected to her current position as chair of the board of trustees of Union College. She has held leadership roles with organisations such as the Recording Industry Association of America and the TJ Martell Foundation.
PHOTO: Jamie McCarthy for TJ Martell Foundation/ Getty Images
FOLLOW 
