Seymour Stein was the co-founder of Sire Records, who helped launch the careers of musicians including Talking Heads and Madonna.
- Died: April 2, 2023 (Who else died on April 2?)
- Details of death: Died at his home in Los Angeles of cancer at the age of 80.
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Seymour Stein’s legacy
Stein parlayed an early love for pop music into a high school job as a clerk at Billboard magazine. There, he worked on the team that created the Hot 100, charting the most popular singles on the radio. He went on to intern for King Records, gaining crucial knowledge of the record industry before launching his own record label. With producer Richard Gottehrer, Stein founded Sire Records in 1966, and initially focused on bringing music from Britain and the rest of Europe to the U.S. Among Sire’s early bands were the Climax Blues Band and Matthews Southern Comfort.
Stein and Sire embraced punk and new wave music as the genres began to emerge from underground clubs and bars. He signed bands including the Ramones, Talking Heads, the Pretenders, the Cure, and Depeche Mode, launching legendary careers and influencing the direction of the music industry. After listening to Madonna’s demo tape in 1982, Stein recognized her great potential, and signed her to Sire, launching her chart-topping career. The next year, Stein was among the founders of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, to which he was inducted in 2005. He is credited with having invented the term “new wave” as an alternative music term to “punk” for bands that didn’t quite fit that description. Stein remained president of Sire – as well as vice president of Warner Records Inc., which acquired Sire in the 1970s – until his retirement in 2018.
Notable quote
“I just love music and love this business. And you know what? I still don’t believe I get paid for it.” —from a 1986 interview for Rolling Stone
Tributes to Seymour Stein
Full obituary: The New York Times
