Jerome Sheldon Moss (May 8, 1935 – August 15, 2023) was an American recording executive, best known for being the co-founder of A&M Records, along with trumpet player and bandleader Herb Alpert
What is Jerry Moss’s Net Worth?
Jerry Moss is an American recording executive and musician who has a net worth of $700 million. Jerry Moss is best known as the co-founder of A&M Records, which he established with musician Herb Alpert. The name is a play on the first letters of their respective last names. A&M was launched in 1962 with a handshake and $200 invested from both men. Over the next 25 years, A&M would eventually grow into the largest independent record label in the world. A&M is famous for having signed many of the most successful artists of the last several decades including The Police, Cat Stevens, The Carpenters, Janet Jackson and Sheryl Crow.
In 1989, Herb and Jerry sold A&M records to PolyGram for $500 million in cash. That’s the same as roughly $1.2 billion in today’s dollars. The duo would stay on for the next five years managing the company. In 1999, Herb and Jerry successfully sued PolyGram for an additional $200 million payout.
Horse Racing
Along with his wife Ann, Jerry are very passionate and successful horse breeders. Their horses have competed very well in many prominent races around the world. One of their horses won the largest ever first place purse at the 2005 Kentucky Derby. Jerry and Ann frequently name their horses after artists or songs from A&M records.
Music career
After graduating from Brooklyn College with a degree in English and serving in the United States Army, Moss began his music career by promoting “16 Candles“, a 1958 hit for the Crests on Coed Records. In 1960, he moved to California, where he teamed up with Alpert, forming Carnival Records in 1962 and running the company from an office in Alpert’s garage. Discovering that the name was already taken, they dubbed their newly-founded company A&M Records.
Moss and Alpert agreed in 1989 to sell A&M to PolyGram Records for a reported $500 million. Both continued to manage the label until 1993, when they left because of frustrations with PolyGram’s constant pressure to force the label to fit into its corporate culture. In 1998, Alpert and Moss sued PolyGram for breach of the integrity clause, eventually settling for an additional $200 million payment. Alpert and Moss then expanded their Almo Sounds music publishing company to produce records as well, using it as a vehicle for Alpert’s music. Almo Sounds imitates the former company culture embraced by Alpert and Moss when they started A&M.
Moss and Alpert were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006 in the non-performer category.
Personal life and death
Jerry Moss married Tina (Morse) Moss in 2019, after dating since 2016. They lived in Bel Air, California and Maui, Hawaii.
Jerry Moss died at his Bel-Air, California home on August 15, 2023, at the age of 88.
Philanthropy
In 2020, Moss and his wife Tina donated $25,000,000 to The Music Center in downtown Los Angeles. This was the largest single contribution ever made to The Music Center.
A&M Records
Finding out that the name Carnival Records had already been claimed, Moss and Alpert renamed their company A&M Records, after both of their first initials. From 1966 to 1969, the company had its headquarters on the grounds of Charlie Chaplin Studios near Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. Over the course of the 60s and 70s, A&M housed a plethora of major artists, including Burt Bacharach; the Carpenters; Lee Michaels; Quincy Jones; Perry Botkin; Liza Minnelli; Gino Vannelli; Bobby Tench; Toni Basil; Paul Williams; Joan Baez; Billy Preston; and Phil Ochs. Via licensing and signing agreements, the company also signed multiple popular British artists, such as Joe Cocker, Free, Procol Harum, and Cat Stevens.
In the 70s, A&M agreed to a manufacturing and distribution deal with Ode Records, and subsequently released albums by Carole King, Styx, Supertramp, and the comedy duo Cheech & Chong. The company continued to work with various renowned acts throughout the 80s, including Janet Jackson; Falco; Bryan Adams; Suzanne Vega; Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark; Oingo Boingo; the Police; Charlie Peacock; Henry Badowski; and Joe Jackson. For a while the largest independent record company in the world, A&M gradually added speciality imprints such as Almo International, Horizon Records, and Vendetta Records.
PolyGram Records and Fate of A&M
In 1989, Moss and Alpert sold A&M Records to PolyGram Records; the deal was estimated to be valued at around $500 million. The pair continued to manage the label until 1993, at which point they left due to the company’s insistence that they make the label conform to corporate expectations. In 1998, Moss and Alpert sued PolyGram for violating the integrity clause of their contract, and eventually settled for a $200 million payment.
PolyGram was ultimately purchased by Seagram in 1998 and subsequently dissolved into Universal Music Group. Meanwhile, A&M ended its operations when it merged with Interscope Records and Geffen Records, creating Interscope Geffen A&M Records. Later, in 2007, the A&M brand was revived and merged with Octone Records, forming A&M Octone Records. This company ran until 2014 when it merged with Interscope.
Almo Sounds
Following their departure from PolyGram, Moss and Alpert founded the record label Almo Sounds in 1994. With the new label, their intention was to reproduce the original concept and company culture of A&M. Almo Sounds signed such artists as Imogen Heap, Garbage, and Gillian Welch during the 90s. Additionally, Alpert released some of his own albums on the label. Almo ceased releasing new media in 1999.
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