Charles Koppelman Obituary, Musican Charles Koppelman has passed away

Charles Koppelman Obituary, Death – Charles Koppelman, who was born on March 30, 1940, was a businessman, musician, and music producer. He formerly served as chairman of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and has held executive positions with EMI and Steve Madden. Currently, he leads CAK Entertainment as CEO. Koppelman made his debut in the music industry as a member of the band The Ivy Three, which had a Top 10 hit in 1960 with the song “Yogi,” which was named after the Yogi Bear cartoon.  Soon after, Koppelman and bandmate and future business partner Don Rubin joined the Aldon Music composition crew, which also included Carole King, Neil Sedaka, Barry Mann, and Cynthia Weil, which was led by CEO Don Kirshner.

Koppelman received a promotion to director of Screen Gems/Columbia Music, the new business created as a result of Columbia Pictures’ acquisition of Aldon Music. Koppelman and Rubin departed Columbia in 1965 to found Koppelman/Rubin Associates, an entertainment business that signed The Lovin’ Spoonful the same year, with the financial support of his uncle, Leon Koppelman. The Little Bits of Vibe, a Long Island, New York-based band with a psychedelic sound, was signed by Koppelman/Rubin in 1967. Koppelman and Rubin Associates was acquired by Commonwealth United in 1968, and they continued to handle the music sector. They notoriously forced the psychedelic band the Rahgoos to alter its name to Gandalf after signing them in 1968. [8] Koppelman joined CBS Records in the early 1970s and had a variety of jobs there, including Vice President/National Director of A&R, where he signed artists like Journey, Phoebe Snow, Janis Ian, Dave Mason, Billy Joel, and Dave Mason.

Koppelman had advanced to Vice President/General Manager of global publishing for CBS Records by the middle of the 1970s. He founded The Entertainment Company in 1975 alongside Martin Bandier and Samuel LeFrak, a New York real estate tycoon and Bandier’s father-in-law. The corporation created music stars like Barbra Streisand, Dolly Parton, Diana Ross, the Four Tops, and Cher and independently managed and promoted song libraries. Tracy Chapman was a musician who gained notoriety in the early 1980s. Koppelman’s son Brian, who was a student at Boston’s Tufts University at the time, introduced her to his father, who quickly signed her to a record deal.

The 250,000 titles owned by CBS Songs were purchased by SBK Entertainment World, Inc. in 1986 for $125 million, the most ever paid for a music publishing portfolio, by Koppelman, Bandier, and Stephen C. Swid. A significant part of the careers of musicians like Michael Bolton, Robbie Robertson, New Kids on the Block, Grayson Hugh, Icehouse, Al B. Sure!, and Eric B. & Rakim was played by SBK, which grew into the largest independent music publisher in the world. For $300 million, SBK Entertainment World, Inc. was sold to EMI Music in 1989. Koppelman and Bandier agreed to partner with EMI Music Worldwide to establish their own record label, SBK Records, as part of the agreement.

Koppelman also accepted the roles of Chairman of EMI Music Publishing and Chairman and CEO of the new label. Bandier was appointed vice chairman of EMI Music Publishing and president and chief operating officer of SBK Records. With Technotronic’s Pump Up the Jam, SBK Records received their first platinum record just one year after their doors opened. Jesus Jones, Wilson Phillips, Waterfront, and Vanilla Ice were among the acts that SBK Records later signed. When Koppelman and Bandier sold EMI Music their stake in SBK Records in 1991, EMI became the label’s sole owner. Koppelman was later named Chairman and CEO of EMI Records Group North America after EMI Music opted to combine its businesses. When Frank Sinatra and Capitol Records reunited while Koppelman was still at EMI, the result was the five-million-copy-selling album Duets. CEO Koppelman held the position until 1997.

Koppelman served as Chairman of Steve Madden, Ltd. from 2000 to 2004 and managed the business while Madden was imprisoned for securities fraud. Koppelman was chosen to lead Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia in 2005.  On NBC’s The Apprentice: Martha Stewart in 2005, Koppelman also made an appearance as Stewart’s right-hand man. From 2008 to 2011, when he left to grow CAK Entertainment, he served as the Company’s de facto CEO.  Koppelman has been a director at Six Flags Entertainment Corporation since 2010  and is presently a member of the Las Vegas Sands Board of Directors.

Koppelman replaced Manu Kumaran as chairman of Medient Studios Inc. in June 2014. He has two marriages. He has three children with his first wife, Brenda “Bunny” Koppelman, who was also Jewish: Brian, Stacy, and Jennifer. Pancreatic cancer claimed her life in 2008. [20] [21] He married Gerri Kyhill Koppelman on October 29, 2011. His daughter, Jennifer Hutt, is a radio host who has hosted a number of programs, including the well-liked Just Jenny program on Sirius Satellite Radio. Rounders and Ocean’s Thirteen are among the films his son, screenwriter Brian Koppelman has worked on.

Charles Koppelman Obituary, Death – Charles Koppelman, who was born on March 30, 1940, was a businessman, musician, and music producer. He formerly served as chairman of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and has held executive positions with EMI and Steve Madden. Currently, he leads CAK Entertainment as CEO. Koppelman made his debut in the music…