Eddie Rosenblatt, the revered music govt who partnered with David Geffen to launch Geffen Information after which succeeded him as chairman, has died. He was 89.
Rosenblatt died Tuesday of pneumonia at a Santa Barbara hospital, a household spokesperson introduced.
Nicknamed “The Chief,” Rosenblatt had spent a couple of decade at Warner Bros. Information when was named president of Geffen Information when it started in 1980.
The label discovered early success with such landmark albums as John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Double Fantasy, oversaw releases from established stars Don Henley, Joni Mitchell and Neil Younger and broke acts like Peter Gabriel, Quarterflash and Whitesnake.
When Geffen offered his label to MCA for $550 million in 1990 and opened DGC Information, Rosenblatt served as its president as properly. DGC grew to become synonymous with various rock and grunge, releasing seminal titles from Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Weezer, Gap and Beck.
Geffen Information continued its success with such artists as Weapons N’ Roses and Counting Crows, and in 1994 alone, Geffen and DGC generated $500 million in album gross sales, greater than 1 / 4 of the worldwide income of MCA’s music division.
In 1995, David Geffen stepped down at Geffen Information to co-found DreamWorks SKG and tapped Rosenblatt to be his successor as chairman.
“In case you consider David because the imaginative and prescient behind Geffen Information, then Eddie is the center,” Mo Ostin, his former boss at Warner Bros., stated. “That label is not only worthwhile, it’s acquired hipness and warmth, and Eddie is the glue that has held it collectively all these years.”
Born on Nov. 6, 1934, in Far Rockaway, Queens, Rosenblatt attended Brooklyn Faculty and served within the U.S. Military earlier than coming into the music enterprise in 1958 in Cleveland at Cosnat Distribution after which Mainline Distribution. In Ohio, he shaped essential connections with rock ’n’ roll impresarios Phil and Leonard Chess.
He moved to Los Angeles in 1967 to develop into gross sales director at A&M Information, then teamed with Steve Binder to open the impartial TA Information, which signed Seals & Crofts and releasing their first album.
Rosenblatt joined Warner Bros. in 1971 as director of gross sales and performed a pivotal position in transitioning it out of impartial distribution by creating WEA Distribution. Then, as vp gross sales and radio promotion, he labored with music legends Younger, Alice Cooper, Van Morrison, Fleetwood Mac and James Taylor, amongst others.
Amid the consolidation led to by Seagram’s buy of PolyGram in 1998 and the merger of PolyGram with the Common Music Group, he retired from the enterprise. He and his late spouse, Bobbi, moved to Montecito, the place they engaged in charitable actions.
Rosenblatt mentored dozens of executives throughout his profession, amongst them Johnny Barbis, Invoice Bennett, Dennis Dennehy, Al Coury, Tom Zutaut, Gary Gersh, John Kalodner, Bryn Bridenthal, Marko Babineau, Peter Baron, David Berman, Mark DiDia, Larry Solters and Wendy Goldstein.
Survivors embody his youngsters, Michael, Steven, Peter and Gretchen; six grandchildren; and a great-grandchild. His spouse of 68 years died in March 2023.
A memorial service is being deliberate. Donations in his reminiscence might be made to the Sansum Clinic. He served on the board of the nonprofit healthcare group.
