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Lyor Cohen ( ; born October 3, 1959) is the North American Chairman and CEO of Recorded Music for Warner Music Group (WMG). He has been a pioneer in the development of hip hop music and influential in the development of hip hop music acts, including Beastie Boys, Foxy Brown, LL Cool J, Jam Master Jay, Nas, Run-D.M.C. and others. In addition, he has done various promotional work on behalf of rock musician Jon Bon Jovi and the heavy metal band Slayer, pop music singer Mariah Carey and hip hop artists Sean Combs and Jay-Z. Cohen joined the company shortly after Time Warner's sale of WMG to an investor group led by Edgar Bronfman, Jr.. Prior to his current role with Warner Music, he worked with The Island Def Jam Music Group, where he led the growth of its roster of artists and record labels, including Def Jam Recordings, Island Records, Roc-A-Fella Records, and Lost Highway Records. At WMG, in 2007, his division brought the company its highest U.S. album share in a decade and was credited with delivering the "most improved performance of a major music company" by the New York Post. As head of WMG's recorded music division, Cohen has helped to transform the company's talent relationships by expanding the number of services it offers the artists on its roster and establishing a standardized, company-wide "360 deal." According to The New York Times, Cohen devised the now-standard record industry strategy of offering new releases at reduced price for the first week to boost sales on new albums. |