Jason Flom

Jason Flom (born c. 1961) is an American music industry executive, podcaster and philanthropist. He is the founder of Lava Records, and was previously the chairman of Atlantic Records and Virgin Records/Capitol Music Group. He is also an advocate for those who have allegedly been wrongfully convicted.[1]

Jason Flom
Jason Flom with Lorde, 2013
Bornc. 17 Feb 1961
Manhattan, New York
Occupation(s)CEO, Lava Music, podcaster, philanthropist
Parent

Music industry career

In 1979, while a college freshman at New York University, Flom got a job as a trainee field merchandiser at Atlantic Records hanging record posters in stores.[2] In 1981, he moved to the sales research team and, in 1983, into Atlantic's A&R department.[2] At 20, Flom departed NYU to work full-time at Atlantic. Bands he signed at the time included Skid Row.[3] In mid April 1994 Jason listened to Hootie & The Blowfish's debut album and said it was "unreleasable" and tried to pass on one of the all-time best selling albums.

In 1995, Flom launched Lava Records in partnership with Atlantic Records.[4] In 2004, Flom sold Lava Records to Atlantic Records Group, where he was named chairman and CEO of the Atlantic Records Group.[5] Flom was named chairman and CEO of Virgin Records in 2005. In 2007, he led a merger with Capitol Records to create the Capitol Music Group, where he was named chairman and CEO.[6] In 2007 he signed Katy Perry.[7] In 2008, Flom left Capitol Music Group to re-launch his own Lava Records label, this time in partnership with Universal Music Group's Republic Records.[8] In 2013, Flom signed Lorde to Lava, which released her debut single, "Royals".[9]

Flom founded Lava Publishing in 2014, which has published writing from Evan Konrad,[10] Maty Noyes,[11] and all four members of Greta Van Fleet.

In 2018, Flom co-wrote a children's book titled Lulu Is a Rhinoceros with his daughter Allison Flom - a book which follows a bulldog named Lulu who identifies as a rhino.[12]

Notable A&R/production acts

Philanthropy

In 1993, he joined the board of Families Against Mandatory Minimums and soon after became a founding board member of the Innocence Project.[13] As part of his work with the Innocence Project, Flom launched the podcast Wrongful Conviction with Jason Flom in 2016. The podcast features interviews with men and women who have spent time in prison for crimes they claim they did not commit and other activists, advocates and experts.[14][15] Notable guests on the podcast include Kim Kardashian,[16] John Grisham,[17] Meek Mill,[18] Amanda Knox, Raymond Santana,[19] Brendan Dassey,[20] and Rodney Reed,[21] among others. The podcast reached to #7 on the iTunes charts within its first 2 weeks of release, and has since been downloaded over 10 million times.[22]

In 2018, Flom and Jeff Kempler founded Lava for Good. Its podcast series are hosted by human rights and justice experts, activists, attorneys, journalists, as well as formerly incarcerated persons. The Lava for Good lineup includes Wrongful Conviction,[23] Wrongful Conviction with Maggie Freleng,[24] Righteous Convictions with Jason Flom, Bone Valley,[25] The War on Drugs,[26] False Confessions,[27] as well as Junk Science.[28]

2021 saw Lava for Good honored with a Webby Award win in the Crime & Justice category for Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions.[29] In 2022, Lava for Good won a Silver Anthem Award for Human & Civil Rights - Best Strategy.[30] Wrongful Conviction and Wrongful Conviction with Maggie Freleng were honored with Silver[31] and Bronze/Listener's Choice Awards,[31] respectively, at the first inaugural Signal Awards announced in January 2023.

Flom also sits on the board of directors of the Legal Action Center, which uses legal and policy strategies to fight discrimination, build health equity, and restore opportunity for people with criminal records, substance use disorders, and HIV or AIDS.[32]

In 1999, Flom received the Torch of Liberty award from the American Civil Liberties Union.[33] He was named Music Visionary of the Year in 2000 by the UJA Federation.[34] In 2004, The Correctional Association of New York honored him with its social justice award and in 2005 Flom received the T.J. Martell Foundation Humanitarian Award. In 2008, Flom was honored as Partner in Pursuit of Justice by the Bronx Defenders and was awarded with City of Hope's Ambassador Award.[35] He received the Innocence Project's Award for Freedom and Justice in 2009[36] and the Spirit of Life award by Russell Simmons' Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation in 2014.[37] Flom was honored by The Innocence Project of New Orleans in 2017.[38] At the 2022 Clio Awards, Flom was presented a Clio Music Impact Award for his work in criminal justice reform.[39]

References
  1. "A Record Exec's Crusade for Justice". Rolling Stone. 7 January 2020.
  2. "Flom Renews Atlantic Pact as Lava Remains Red-Hot". Business Wire. New York, NY: 1. 1 June 1999.
  3. Wild, David (19 September 1991). "Skid Row: Pretty Bad Boys". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  4. "History of Elektra Entertainment Group – FundingUniverse". www.fundinguniverse.com. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  5. Gallo, Phil (1 April 2004). "Flom flows to Atlantic post". Variety. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  6. Leeds, Jeff (26 January 2007). "EMI Merging Record Labels and Ousting Capitol's President". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  7. "Katy Perry on the Cover of PAPER in 2009". PAPER. 30 March 2009. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  8. "LAVA Records Renews Partnership with Republic Records". www.businesswire.com. 16 October 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  9. "From Lorde to Jessie J, the Hits Keep Coming for A&R Superstar Jason Flom". Observer. 1 October 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  10. "Evan Konrad Signs to Lava Records, Debuts New Song 'Long Way Out': Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  11. "Kobalt, Jason Flom Deal for Lava Music Publishing". Music Connection Magazine. 22 May 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  12. Pesce, Nicole Lyn. "How this father-daughter duo wrote Lulu is a Rhinoceros, an adorable children's book about accepting yourself". MarketWatch. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  13. Petronzio, Matt (4 October 2016). "Meet the millionaire music executive helping the wrongfully convicted". Mashable. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  14. "Wrongful Conviction with Jason Flom | Lava for Good Podcasts". Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  15. "Board Member Jason Flom Premieres Podcast on Wrongful Convictions". Innocence Project. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  16. Barchenger, Cydney Henderson and Stacey. "Kim Kardashian returns to the White House to make the case for another convict's release". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  17. "For a convicted double murderer long on famous supporters, basic detective work could be key - The Washington Post". The Washington Post. 22 April 2019. Archived from the original on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  18. "Meek Mill Talks Criminal Justice System On 'Wrongful Conviction' Podcast". Vibe. 15 August 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  19. Gell, Aaron (21 November 2016). "How a Music Mogul Became a Powerful Voice for the Wrongfully Convicted". The Vindicated. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  20. "Kim Kardashian West speaks out in favor of 'Making a Murderer' subject Brendan Dassey". ABC7 San Francisco. 5 October 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  21. "'Wrongful Conviction' Podcast Visits Rodney Reed on Death Row as He Awaits a Stay of Execution". Fortune. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  22. Gell, Aaron (21 November 2016). "How a Music Mogul Became a Powerful Voice for the Wrongfully Convicted". The Vindicated. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  23. America, JOCE STERMAN and ALEX BRAUER | Spotlight on (2 May 2022). "Exec who launched stars like Katy Perry and Kid Rock is now helping free the innocent". WPDE. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  24. Peukert, Amanda (2 May 2022). "Maggie Freleng's New Podcast Aims to Exonerate". SPIN. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  25. Quah, Nicholas (13 December 2022). "The Best True-Crime Podcasts of 2022". Vulture. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  26. Ho, Rodney. "Atlanta comic, actor Clayton English digs into history and fallacies of 'The War on Drugs' in new podcast". Georgia Entertainment Scene Blog (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution). Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  27. "Podcast Featuring Making a Murderer Lawyers Asks: Why Would an Innocent Person Confess to a Crime?". Peoplemag. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  28. "NEW: Wrongful Conviction: Junk Science". Podcast Business Journal. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  29. "NEW Webby Gallery + Index". NEW Webby Gallery + Index. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  30. "Entry". Anthem Awards. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  31. "Signal Award Winner". Signal Awards. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  32. "Legal Action Center | Jason Flom". Legal Action Center. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  33. "Update". Billboard. 17 July 1999. p. 98.
  34. "Bizzers flow to Lava prez". Variety. 12 June 2000. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  35. "Members". United Justice Coalition. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  36. "From Music Exec to Criminal Justice Reformer". Prisons and Justice Initiative. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  37. Bacardi, Francesca (28 July 2014). "Russell Simmons Celebrates 15th Anniversary of Art for Life Benefit". Variety. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  38. Strachan, Sue (21 June 2017). "Innocence Project New Orleans honors five at 16th Anniversary Gala". NOLA.com. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  39. Willman, Chris (12 May 2022). "Clio Music Awards Honor Jason Flom, Mary J. Blige, Sandy Hook/'Teenage Dream' Spot and More in Nashville Ceremony". Variety. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
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