What is Lyor Cohen's Net Worth?
Lyor Cohen is an influential American music industry executive, boasting a net worth of $150 million. His career commenced at Rush Productions in the '80s, managing prominent rappers. Notably, he led Def Jam in the '90s and later became the chairman and CEO of Warner Music Group. Lyor also founded 300 Entertainment in 2012 and, in 2016, became YouTube's Global Head of Music.
Early Life
Lyor Cohen was born on October 3, 1959, in New York City to Israeli immigrant parents. Raised in Los Angeles, he graduated from Marshall High School in 1977 and later earned a global marketing and finance degree from the University of Miami in 1981. His early professional journey included a stint at Bank Leumi's Beverly Hills office. Lyor's brother, Daniel Shulman, is a bass guitarist.
Rush Productions
After arranging shows for Run-DMC and Whodini at The Mix Club in Hollywood, Cohen joined Russell Simmons' Rush Productions in 1984, relocating to New York. Starting as Run-DMC's road manager, he steadily rose to sign artists like DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, A Tribe Called Quest, and Slick Rick. His exceptional negotiation skills landed endorsement deals for Run-DMC (Adidas, New Coke), DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince (Le Coq Sportif), and LL Cool J (Troop sportswear). Under Lyor's guidance, Rush emerged as rap's premier management firm, and he played a crucial role in the creation of Rush Associated Labels and Def Jam's partnership with PolyGram in the mid-'90s.
Def Jam
Following the PolyGram/Universal merger in 1998, Cohen became co-president of The Island Def Jam. The label expanded its repertoire to include artists like Mariah Carey, Bon Jovi, Elvis Costello, and Shania Twain. Cohen facilitated the 2001 acquisition of Roadrunner Records and a distribution deal with Rick Rubin's American Recordings.
Warner Music
In 2004, Cohen switched to Warner Music Group, overseeing the Atlantic/Elektra merger and promoting Julie Greenwald to a top executive role. Greenwald eventually became the highest-ranking female executive at a U.S. record company. Cohen orchestrated a groundbreaking content licensing deal between Warner and YouTube in 2006 and secured an agreement with Spotify in 2011.
YouTube
After departing Warner in 2012, Cohen launched 300 Entertainment, a hybrid label, marketing firm, and distributor with support from Google and Atlantic. In 2016, he transitioned to YouTube as the Global Head of Music.
Getty Images
Personal Life
Lyor married model E.K. Smith on April 1, 1988, but the marriage ended, and he married his second wife, Amy, in 1990. They had two children, Az (born 1994) and Bea (born 2001), before divorcing in 2006. In 2016, Cohen married Xin Li, a model and former basketball player who is a deputy chairman at Christie's Asia. Cohen has been a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame board and has served as director of Boys & Girls Harbor, a New York nonprofit.
Real Estate
In 2000, Cohen purchased an Upper East Side townhouse for $9.175 million, selling it for nearly $25 million in 2012. He then bought a 4,440 square foot NYC townhouse in 2014 for $11.4 million, below the asking price of $14.5 million.
