Peter Edge

Following his graduation, Edge moved to London, where he was hired as a music researcher for Channel Four's television series Switch. He booked up-and-coming artists such as Sade and Grace Jones for Switch, and was hired by Simon Fuller to work a side gig as an A&R representative for Chrysalis Music Publishing. As he gained recognition for his “ears,” he was invited to meet with Doug D’arcy, then the head of Chrysalis Records. Edge had planned to pitch D’Arcy on creating another music program for television, but was instead recruited to start a label. In 1985, the label, Cooltempo, was launched as an imprint of Chrysalis Records, where, by then, Fuller also worked.[3][6]

A reflection of his own taste in music as well as the burgeoning house and hip hop scene of the mid-80s, the Cooltempo roster was anchored by pioneering hip hop artists including Doug E. Fresh, Erik B and Rakim, EPMD, The Real Roxanne, and Monie Love, as well as house artist Adeva. Edge worked in partnership with producer Danny D of D Mob, and with a string of best-selling albums and hit singles including Paul Hardcastle's "19," Monie Love's "Grandpa's Party," and Adeva's "Respect," Cooltempo became the preeminent dance label of the time.[7][8][9]

Edge began working at Warner Bros. Records in 1991, after he met Benny Medina and Lenny Waronker, who then ran the label. Over his five-year tenure at Warner Bros., he signed Monie Love to a US contract and signed and worked closely with Meshell Ndegeocello and the artists associated with Native Tongues, including the Jungle Brothers. He moved to New York in 1993.[10][11]

In 1996 Edge was introduced to the then 14-year-old Alicia Keys by her manager, Jeff Robinson. Later that year, he met Clive Davis, who hired him as vice president of A&R at Arista Records. Robinson and Edge set up showcases for Keys, but the timing was off, and as Edge transitioned from Warner Brothers to Arista, Keys was signed by Columbia Records.[12]

At Arista, Edge continued to focus on dance and pop music, notably signing the trip hop trio Faithless, who went on to sell more than 10 million records worldwide. Along with Sister Bliss and Maxi Jazz, Faithless included Rollo Armstrong, whose sister, Dido, sang on several of the group's tracks. Impressed, Edge signed Dido to Arista, and oversaw the recording of her first album, No Angel, which sold 21 million records worldwide.[13] Edge also signed Angie Stone, a three-time Grammy nominee, in addition to others, and in 1998 was reunited with Keys, who had been released from her contract at Columbia. Edge served as the executive producer on her debut album, Songs in A Minor.[10]

In 2000, with $150 million in funding from BMG, Davis founded J Records and brought Edge and other key executives from Arista to the newly formed label.[14] Keys' Songs in A Minor was released on J, and entered the Billboard charts at #1. It earned five Grammy Awards, and as of 2015 had sold more than 13 million albums. Keys' catalogue has exceeded 75 million in global sales.[15]

With Edge running A&R, J released multi-platinum records from Luther Vandross, and Jamie Foxx, among others, as well as Mario's self-titled debut album, which was certified gold. Two years after it was launched, BMG bought a majority stake in J, and it was folded into the RCA Music Group; in 2004, as the result of a joint venture between BMG and Sony, the label operated as part of the Bertelsmann Music Group. Subsequently, Edge was appointed executive vice president of A&R at RCA, and in 2007, he was named president of A&R for RCA Music Group.[16] He continued to work with Keys—her second album, The Diary of Alicia Keys, surpassed 15 million in sales—and served as the A&R executive on Dido's multi-platinum records Life for Rent and White Flag.Edge had additional success with records by Jamie Foxx, Jazmine Sullivan and Mario, who had a worldwide hit with "Let Me Love You."[17][18]

Following a series of sales, mergers and reorganizations between 2007 and 2011, Sony Music became the parent company of RCA Music Group, which then included Jive Records, Arista, J, and RCA. In 2011, Doug Morris, formerly the chairman of Universal Music, was named chairman of Sony Music Entertainment and, with an acknowledged focus on a&r and artist development, appointed Edge RCA Records chief executive officer.[19] Shortly thereafter, the Jive, Arista, and J label imprints were folded into RCA Records.[20]

Edge has remained involved in the process of making records at RCA, and works with A&R executives including Keith Naftaly, Mark Pitts, and Tunji Balogun. Under his auspices, RCA has released hit records by Christina Aguilera, Chris Brown, Kelly Clarkson, Miley Cyrus, D’Angelo, Foo Fighters, Kings of Leon, Ray LaMontagne, P!nk, Mark Ronson, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Shakira, and Usher, among others, and achieved breakthrough success with artists including A$AP Rocky, A$AP Ferg, G-Eazy, Childish Gambino, H.E.R., Khalid, Miguel, Pentatonix, Bryson Tiller, SZA, and Sia.[21]

Edge has been included on Billboard's "Power 100" list for nine consecutive years, beginning in 2012.[22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]