Ezekiel Lewis has been named Chairman and CEO of Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Group, in a move that formalizes his rise inside the company and signals a new chapter for the storied frontline label. Lewis now reports directly to Sony Music Group Chairman Rob Stringer and will oversee both the creative and commercial direction of Epic, long home to major artists across pop, hip‑hop and R&B.
Leadership transition at Epic Records
Lewis’s appointment follows the tenure of Sylvia Rhone, who led Epic as Chairwoman and CEO through the 2020s and helped steer the label through the streaming and catalog‑driven growth era. Stepping into the top job, Lewis is not an unknown quantity internally: he joined Epic in 2018 as Executive Vice President of A&R, was later elevated to President, and has already been deeply involved in day‑to‑day operations and frontline signings.
Across that period, he has worked closely on projects from artists such as 21 Savage, Future, Travis Scott, Meghan Trainor and Zara Larsson, contributing to both chart performance and the label’s broader repertoire strategy. Before Epic, he held senior A&R roles at Motown and other major‑label divisions, bringing a track record with acts ranging from Ne‑Yo and Erykah Badu to Migos and Lil Yachty, alongside his own history as a Grammy‑winning songwriter and producer.
Strategic direction under Lewis
Sony has framed Lewis’s elevation as part of a broader effort to sharpen Epic’s market position and deepen its artist development pipeline, particularly in hip‑hop, R&B and global pop where he already has strong credibility. Internally, his background on the A&R side is expected to translate into a continued focus on signing and developing talent while tightening the connection between creative strategy, data, and global marketing.
In public comments around the appointment, Lewis has emphasized innovation, collaboration and the use of technology to reach new audiences, aligning with Sony’s wider push around data‑driven A&R, short‑form content, and global repertoire export. That likely means more emphasis on cross‑territory signings, social‑platform‑driven discovery, and closer integration between Epic’s frontline campaigns and Sony Music’s central analytics and partnerships teams.
Why the industry is watching
Epic’s leadership is closely watched because the label sits at the intersection of mainstream U.S. radio, streaming culture and global youth music, and its performance has material implications for Sony Music’s frontline market share. With Lewis in the chair, peers across labels and management are reading the move as a bet that an A&R‑first leader can navigate an environment where catalog, virality and audience fragmentation all compete for attention.
As consumption habits continue to shift toward playlists, social video and global repertoire, the success of Lewis’s tenure will be measured not only in hit records, but in how effectively Epic can break new artists, protect its share of attention, and translate that into durable, career‑length trajectories.