Last month, music business conference MUSEXPO unveiled details of its landmark 25th edition, and now they’ve shared more exciting news regarding what we can expect.
Today (August 20), it has been announced that highly-respected Mom+Pop Music founder/co-owner Michael Goldstone will become the recipient of the Seymour Stein Global A&R Award.
The award – created by Sat Bisla, president & founder, A&R Worldwide /MUSEXPO, Richard Gottherer, co-founder of Sire Records, and Mandy Stein, Seymour’s daughter – was established last year to mark Stein’s remarkable legacy by honouring music industry executives who are making significant and important contributions.
Goldstone, who follows the inaugural recipient of the award Wendy Goldstein (president and chief creative officer, Republic Records), will be presented with the honour as part of the International Music Industry Awards gala dinner on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, at the conclusion of the MUSEXPO. The event is set to take place in Burbank, CA from March 16 – 19, 2025.
An official press release stated that the prestigious award “celebrates the A&R career and contributions of Michael Goldstone, founder & co-owner of the independent record label Mom+Pop Music, now in its 16th year, and his decades-long career, signing some of the most successful artists in music.”
Goldstone started his career in the mailroom at Chrysalis Records, before quickly ascending to roles in publicity, marketing, and artist development, collaborating with Blondie, Billy Idol, The Specials, and Pat Benatar.
His first A&R position was at MCA Records, where he signed Charlie Sexton. He later moved to PolyGram, where he signed the beloved Seattle, WA band Mother Love Bone ushering in a new era of rock.
Goldstone went on to move to the role of vice president of A&R at Sony Music/Epic Records, where he signed and developed ’90s giants, Pearl Jam and Rage Against The Machine, plus A&R’d the seminal soundtrack for Cameron Crowe’s film Singles. He also signed indie band Shudder To Think, among many others during his tenure at Epic.
He subsequently became a partner at DreamWorks Records, where he was instrumental in building the company’s A&R, marketing, and promotion departments, signing platinum-selling artists Buckcherry and The All-American Rejects.
In the early 2000s, Goldstone was tapped by Seymour Stein himself to aid him in the relaunch of Sire Records, where he signed Regina Spektor, Tegan And Sara, Against Me!, and others.
In 2009, he founded Mom+Pop Music, which has gone on to release music from artists including Grammy-nominated Courtney Barnett, Del Water Gap, MGMT, Flume, Orion Sun, Maya Hawke, and others. As co-owner with his business partner Thaddeus Rudd, they continue to break new and important ground across the music industry. Additionally, Goldstone co-managed the Grammy-winning alt rock band Cage The Elephant with Q Prime.
Speaking about next year’s event, its president & founder Sat Bisla has declared that it will be “the best MUSEXPO ever and promises to surpass all expectations”. Bisla will also be embracing his own personal milestone of 40 years of contributions to the US and international music business in 2025.
Sat Bisla added: “Our team and I are honoured to bring our 25th global edition of MUSEXPO to the worldwide music industry next year. Watching the immeasurable impact that MUSEXPO has had on so many artists, executives, and companies during the past twenty-four editions is extremely humbling. We are grateful for the participation and support of everyone who has been a part of this amazing conference, showcase event, and special music community, and we intend to make MUSEXPO 2025 our best one ever!”
More announcements about MUSEXPO 2025 will be released in the coming months.
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