Michelle Jubelirer is the Chair & CEO at the Los Angeles-headquartered Capitol Music Group (CMG).
She was promoted into that role in 2021, having previously served as President, COO, and EVP at CMG.
Michelle Jubelirer: Career history
Michelle Jubelirer started her career at the law firm Simpson, Thacher, & Bartlett as an associate mergers and acquisitions attorney in 1999.
She stayed with the company until 2003, when she moved to Sony Music as a Music Attorney.
In 2005, Jubelirer relocated to the entertainment law firm King, Holmes, Paterno & Berliner as an Attorney, eventually becoming a Partner. At King, Holmes, Paterno & Berliner, Jubelirer represented clients including Aviici, Nas, Frank Ocean, Odd Future, Pharrell Williams, and Ke$ha, among many others.
Jubelirer remained at the entertainment law firm for eight years, leaving in 2013 to become an EVP at Universal Music Group-owned Capitol Music Group.
After only two years as an EVP, Jubelirer was quickly elevated to the position of COO at CMG. In the COO role, Jubelirer spent the majority of her time developing new business strategies; she also acted as senior liaison to Universal Music Group, CMG’s parent company.
Jubelirer played a crucial role in setting the creative direction of CMG’s brand portfolio which today includes Motown, Blue Note, Capitol Records and more.
In 2020, she also assumed the role of President of CMG. And in December 2021, Jubelirer was promoted once again, this time to the role of Chair and CEO.
Jubelirer’s current role sees her adopt responsibility for CMG and all its subsidiary brands’ management and creative directions.
During her time with the company, Jubelirer has been directly involved with signing artists including Halsey, Beck, Toosii, Neil Diamond, and Paul McCartney.
Michelle Jubelirer: Professional philosophy
In an interview with Music Business Worldwide in 2019, Michelle Jubelirer discussed her upbringing and the impact it’s had on her professional trajectory.
She said: “After my dad died, I watched my mom scramble to figure out how she was going to take care of us. So I knew from an uncomfortably young age that I couldn’t rely on anyone to take care of me – that I needed to find a job where I was going to be able to take care of myself financially.
“As I got a little older, I also knew that I wanted to marry that up with something I was passionate about. I watched my mother going through a lot of personal struggle, obviously, but there was always music in the background.
“I saw how music was something that got you through the tough times. In my wildest dreams, I didn’t think I’d ever get here, but I knew this was the direction I wanted to take.”
“I saw how music was something that got you through the tough times. In my wildest dreams, I didn’t think I’d ever get here, but I knew this was the direction I wanted to take.”
Michelle Jubelirer
Specifically discussing the impact that her mother has had on her career outlook, Jubelirer commented: “She taught me, from a young age, to be impeccable with your word. She taught me to under-promise and over- deliver, which I tell people here on a daily basis – I get upset when the opposite happens. Perhaps because I was an only child, surrounded by adults, she also really instilled in me to never be intimidated by anybody. And that no matter how vaunted someone is, everyone’s fallible.
“She told me to never say, no matter what stage I am in my career, ‘That’s not my job.’ She taught me to do my best and to always be willing to roll up my sleeves and get the job done.
“My mom was once honored as Woman of the Year in Pennsylvania. That definitely instilled in me that ambition isn’t something to be embarrassed about. I think, sadly, a lot of women are sometimes embarrassed to be ambitious – I’m certainly not.”Music Business Worldwide