Sylvia Rhone

American music industry executive Sylvia Rhone (born March 11, 1952) is an American record executive. A fifty-year veteran of the music industry, she is the first Black woman to chair a major record company imprint and the first Black woman to hold dual CEO and chair positions at a major label. Rhone served as the president of Epic Records from 2014 until 2019 and the label's chair and CEO from 2019 to 2025. Earlier in her career, she was the chairman of the Atlantic imprint East West America, chair and CEO of Elektra Entertainment Group, president of Universal Motown Records, and chair of the Universal Motown Record Group.. She also founded the Epic imprint Vested in Culture and held senior positions at Atlantic. She began her career as a secretary at Buddah Records. Early life and education Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 11,1952, and raised in Harlem, New York, Rhone said her attendance at R&B shows at the Apollo Theatre was central to her belief that music is an inspirational force, as were artists including Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. Rhone attended the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and graduated with a BS in