10 Women Who Are Leading The Music Industry From Behind The Scenes

These are a few of the women we should be celebrating.

10 Women Who Are Leading The Music Industry From Behind The Scenes - While the music industry has long built its notorious reputation as a boys club, a growing number of women have been leading the charge from behind the scenes for over three decades.  From brokering deals to launching some of the most lucrative music careers, leading women of the industry’s most revered label houses have dominated integral roles in shaping the music culture we enjoy today. With Women’s History Month drawing to a close, we’ve spotlighted the crowns of 10 trailblazing music executives who are leading the charges of the music business. (Photo L-R: Tasia Wells/Getty Images for Church Boutique, Robin L Marshall/Getty Images, Leon Bennett/WireImage)

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10 Women Who Are Leading The Music Industry From Behind The Scenes - While the music industry has long built its notorious reputation as a boys club, a growing number of women have been leading the charge from behind the scenes for over three decades.  From brokering deals to launching some of the most lucrative music careers, leading women of the industry’s most revered label houses have dominated integral roles in shaping the music culture we enjoy today. With Women’s History Month drawing to a close, we’ve spotlighted the crowns of 10 trailblazing music executives who are leading the charges of the music business. (Photo L-R: Tasia Wells/Getty Images for Church Boutique, Robin L Marshall/Getty Images, Leon Bennett/WireImage)

Ethiopia Habtemariam - Habtemariam got her start in the industry as an intern at LaFace Records when she was 14, according to Variety. She bypassed college to jump headfirst into a full-time job with LaFace straight out of high school. Now, at 39, Habtemariam is both the president of Motown and executive vice president of Capitol Music Group where she has been bridging deals between Quality Control and Motown. (Photo by Leon Bennett/WireImage)

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Ethiopia Habtemariam - Habtemariam got her start in the industry as an intern at LaFace Records when she was 14, according to Variety. She bypassed college to jump headfirst into a full-time job with LaFace straight out of high school. Now, at 39, Habtemariam is both the president of Motown and executive vice president of Capitol Music Group where she has been bridging deals between Quality Control and Motown. (Photo by Leon Bennett/WireImage)

Juliette Jones - Jones grinded her way to success from an entry-level job with Jive Records to stints at Virgin Records and Warner Bros Records. She now holds a seat at the table of one of music’s hottest labels as the executive vice president of urban promotion at Atlantic Records. (Photo by Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for Grit Before the Gram)

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Juliette Jones - Jones grinded her way to success from an entry-level job with Jive Records to stints at Virgin Records and Warner Bros Records. She now holds a seat at the table of one of music’s hottest labels as the executive vice president of urban promotion at Atlantic Records. (Photo by Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for Grit Before the Gram)

Photo By Photo by Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for Grit Before the Gram

Sylvia Rhone - As one of music’s most esteemed executives in the game, Rhone has had a legendary instrumental hand in the music industry since the mid-80s. She rewrote history when she became the first African-American woman to lead a major record label after she was appointed chairman and CEO of Elektra Entertainment Group — and she’s not done yet. In 2014, she was handpicked by L.A. Reid as Epic Records’ new president where she has bolstered the careers of top artists such as Future and Travis Scott while launching the next generation of stars such as 21 Savage. (Photo by Tasia Wells/Getty Images for Church Boutique)

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Sylvia Rhone - As one of music’s most esteemed executives in the game, Rhone has had a legendary instrumental hand in the music industry since the mid-80s. She rewrote history when she became the first African-American woman to lead a major record label after she was appointed chairman and CEO of Elektra Entertainment Group — and she’s not done yet. In 2014, she was handpicked by L.A. Reid as Epic Records’ new president where she has bolstered the careers of top artists such as Future and Travis Scott while launching the next generation of stars such as 21 Savage. (Photo by Tasia Wells/Getty Images for Church Boutique)

Desiree Perez - Declared 2019’s “Executive of the Year” by Billboard, Perez has been Jay-Z’s right hand woman for the past decade and was integral to transforming Roc Nation into the entertainment and business powerhouse it is today. At the end of 2019, the Bronx-born native was elected as the new CEO of the multi-hyphenate company. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Billboard) 

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Desiree Perez - Declared 2019’s “Executive of the Year” by Billboard, Perez has been Jay-Z’s right hand woman for the past decade and was integral to transforming Roc Nation into the entertainment and business powerhouse it is today. At the end of 2019, the Bronx-born native was elected as the new CEO of the multi-hyphenate company. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Billboard) 

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Nicki Farag - Following a brief stint at New York radio station z100, Farag climbed the corporate ladder at Def Jam Records, starting out as an assistant. From there, she has been the driving force behind music’s biggest names such as Kanye West, Alessia Cara and Rihanna among others. In 2018, Farag was upped to Executive Vice President/ Head of Promotion, making her the first woman to hold the post at the iconic label, according to Billboard. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Billboard)

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Nicki Farag - Following a brief stint at New York radio station z100, Farag climbed the corporate ladder at Def Jam Records, starting out as an assistant. From there, she has been the driving force behind music’s biggest names such as Kanye West, Alessia Cara and Rihanna among others. In 2018, Farag was upped to Executive Vice President/ Head of Promotion, making her the first woman to hold the post at the iconic label, according to Billboard. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Billboard)

Heather Lowery - Before she found her calling, Lowery dabbled in various roles across entertainment until she found her stride with the launch of her booking agency, Agency For Artists. She has worked alongside 2 Chainz, Ashanti, Big Sean, and even booked Prince’s last three shows, per Billboard. This led to her current position as vice president of talent and touring at Live Nation, where she founded Femme It Forward, an initiative spotlighting women visionaries both on the stage and behind the scenes. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for Billboard)

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Heather Lowery - Before she found her calling, Lowery dabbled in various roles across entertainment until she found her stride with the launch of her booking agency, Agency For Artists. She has worked alongside 2 Chainz, Ashanti, Big Sean, and even booked Prince’s last three shows, per Billboard. This led to her current position as vice president of talent and touring at Live Nation, where she founded Femme It Forward, an initiative spotlighting women visionaries both on the stage and behind the scenes. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for Billboard)

Yvette Noel-Schure -  While Beyoncé is undoubtedly one of the most powerful forces of music, her longtime publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure, has been a key figure in her extraordinary global success. Noel-Schure has been working alongside Bey since she was the publicist for Destiny’s Child at Columbia Records. Eventually, Noel-Schure started her own PR firm, Schure Media, where she has been running the show ever since. (Photo by Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for Grit Before the Gram)

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Yvette Noel-Schure -  While Beyoncé is undoubtedly one of the most powerful forces of music, her longtime publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure, has been a key figure in her extraordinary global success. Noel-Schure has been working alongside Bey since she was the publicist for Destiny’s Child at Columbia Records. Eventually, Noel-Schure started her own PR firm, Schure Media, where she has been running the show ever since. (Photo by Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for Grit Before the Gram)

Amber Grimes - A hustler’s spirit and determination goes a long way in music, which is exemplified best by Grimes. At 19, she dropped out of college and landed a job at Def Jam under Abou “Bu” Thiam before she eventually made her way to Spotify as a senior manager. This put her on Capitol Music Records’ radar, who tapped her to be their senior vice president of global creative in 2018. (Photo by Jerritt Clark/Getty Images)

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Amber Grimes - A hustler’s spirit and determination goes a long way in music, which is exemplified best by Grimes. At 19, she dropped out of college and landed a job at Def Jam under Abou “Bu” Thiam before she eventually made her way to Spotify as a senior manager. This put her on Capitol Music Records’ radar, who tapped her to be their senior vice president of global creative in 2018. (Photo by Jerritt Clark/Getty Images)

Karen Civil - Few others know how to maneuver the digital landscape than Karen Civil. With the launch of her eponymous website in 2008, the entrepreneurial media maven has worked with a number of music’s biggest names and built her own digital empire. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images)

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Karen Civil - Few others know how to maneuver the digital landscape than Karen Civil. With the launch of her eponymous website in 2008, the entrepreneurial media maven has worked with a number of music’s biggest names and built her own digital empire. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images)

Rayna Bass - In an increasingly over-saturated music landscape, 300 Entertainment has quickly emerged as the label home of some hip-hop’s most promising acts, from Gunna to Megan Thee Stallion, in just a few years. New releases from the indie label instantly go viral on social media, and Bass is the mastermind behind it all. As 300’s Senior Vice President of Marketing, she’s crafted experiences such as Megan’s fan-driven Cognac Queen beauty pageant. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Billboard)

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Rayna Bass - In an increasingly over-saturated music landscape, 300 Entertainment has quickly emerged as the label home of some hip-hop’s most promising acts, from Gunna to Megan Thee Stallion, in just a few years. New releases from the indie label instantly go viral on social media, and Bass is the mastermind behind it all. As 300’s Senior Vice President of Marketing, she’s crafted experiences such as Megan’s fan-driven Cognac Queen beauty pageant. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Billboard)