Z Rock

Over the course of his four-decade career in the music industry, Jason Flom has proven he has the golden touch. He is considered "one of the most successful record men of the past 20 years," as The New Yorker described him in a lengthy 2003 feature, adding that "Flom's specialty is delivering 'monsters' -- records that sell millions of copies and become rainmakers for everyone else because they bring fans into the music stores."  

Indeed, during Flom's turn as Chairman and CEO of the Atlantic Music Group, artists whom he discovered and developed -- including Rob Thomas and Matchbox 20, Jewel, Tori Amos, Kid Rock, Sugar Ray, Skid Row, and Twisted Sister -- have sold more than 200 million albums worldwide. During Flom's 26 years at Atlantic Music Group, where he was mentored by Ahmet Ertegun and Doug Morris, Flom also had the opportunity to work with such rock legends as The Rolling Stones and AC/DC.  

In January 2007, Flom was appointed Chairman and CEO of EMI's Capitol Music Group, where he oversaw the careers of such artists as Coldplay, Lenny Kravitz, Corinne Bailey Rae, KT Tunstall, and Joss Stone.

Flom is equally known for contributing his time and energy to various charitable organizations, including serving on the board of the Drug Policy Alliance (a division of George Soros' Open Society Institute), the Innocence Project, Families Against Mandatory Minimums (F.A.M.M.), and the Legal Action Center, whose work is at the forefront of the fight to end discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS and/or histories of addiction. He has also served on the board of Manhattan's New School.

In addition, Flom has been active in raising awareness and funds for various medical research organizations including The T.J. Martell Foundation, which honored him with its Humanitarian Award in 2005, and City of Hope, which presented Flom with the Ambassador Award in May 2008 at an event that raised more than $400,000 for cancer research. Flom was also named the UJA Federation's first "Music Visionary of the Year" and was awarded the "Torch of Liberty" by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Flom's passion for social justice and commitment to philanthropy are not surprising given his upbringing. Born and raised in New York City, he is the son of legendary lawyer Joseph Flom, a co-founder of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, and the late Claire Flom, a noted philanthropist in her own right and the founder of New York's Gateway School. In 1990, Flom's parents created the Joseph and Claire Flom Foundation, whose mission was to promote racial understanding and tolerance and to help gifted, disadvantaged youth. Today Jason Flom uses his considerable influence among his peers in the music industry to honor his mother, who died in November 2007 after a long battle with cancer.