There are countless women artists in music that have made a massive impact on culture and entertainment. But what about some of the women behind the scenes many of us do not see? What about the women who have overcome adversity to become leaders in their field or heads of major record labels?

To celebrate Women’s History Month, we take a look at some of the most influential executives and managers in music, both past and present. Here’s a tribute to some of the women who smashed the glass ceiling.

A Brief History of Women’s History Month

The roots of Women’s History Month date back to 1911 and the first celebration of International Women’s Day. Since then, many activists and advocates have continually pushed Congress to recognize the achievements of women in the United States.

Through a lot of hard work and perseverance, International Women’s Day eventually turned into Women’s History Week in 1982. Following that accomplishment, the official Women’s History Month website states, “Throughout the next five years, Congress continued to pass joint resolutions designating a week in March as ‘Women’s History Week.’ In 1987 after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Project, Congress passed Pub. L. 100-9, which designated the month of March 1987 as ‘Women’s History Month.'”

Congress then continued to pass resolutions between 1988 and 1994 that authorized the President to proclaim every March as Women’s History Month. Beginning in 1995, every sitting President of the United States has issued an annual proclamation celebrating Women’s History Month.

People can celebrate Women’s History Month year-round thanks to WomensHistoryMonth.gov. The website is supported and run by a number of notable organizations and groups. Those organizations and groups include the National Gallery of Art, the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institute, the National Archives, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the National Park Service and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

• Sylvia Robinson

  Sylvia Robinson was “mother” decades before that slang term came to prominence. Her legendary career started as a performer. (Robinson was notably one half of the duo Mickey & Sylvia, who were best known for their song “Love Is Strange.”) However, she would become an icon of the music industry as the CEO and co-founder of Sugar Hill Records, the groundbreaking hip hop label that brought the world the Sugarhill Gang and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. In 2022, she was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a recipient of the Ahmet Ertegun Award, which honors non-performers who made an impact on music.

• Susan Silver

  Susan Silver is undoubtedly one of the most underrated figures from the Seattle grunge scene. She famously managed some of the scene’s biggest bands, including Soundgarden, Screaming Trees and Alice in Chains. (In fact, Silver continues to manage Alice in Chains to this day.) Silver was also integral in helping Nirvana navigate the record industry when they were trying to sign with a major label. Below, she can be seen talking about mental health issues with her daughter, Lily Cornell Silver, on her series Mind Wide Open, which Lily launched in tribute to her late father, Chris Cornell.

• Sylvia Rhone

  Sylvia Rhone has had a remarkable career running some of the biggest, most influential record labels in music. Currently, Rhone serves as the Chairwoman and CEO of Epic Records. Previously, she was the President of Motown Records from 2004-2011. Before that, Rhone was the Chairwoman and CEO of Elektra Entertainment Group. Additionally, she’s a member of the board of directors of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In 2023, she was named Executive of the Year at the Billboard Women in Music Awards.

• Desiree Perez

  Desiree Perez is the current CEO of Roc Nation Records. She joined Roc Nation in 2009 as its Chief Operating Officer and has been an integral part of growing the company. Perez has been responsible for negotiating countless multi-million dollar deals for the likes of Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kevin Durant in Roc Nation’s Sports division. In 2019, she was named Executive of the Year at the Billboard Women in Music Awards.

• Michelle Jubelirer

  Michelle Jubelirer became the first woman to be Chair/CEO of Capitol Records in December 2021. While she stepped down from the position in February 2024, Jubelirer made a remarkable impact on the label. One of her many accomplishments leading Capitol Records was winning the bidding war to sign Ice Spice. The rapper told Billboard, “I’m so honored to have worked with such a great woman and boss like Michelle. She always believed in me and supported my vision from the very beginning.” Jubelirer was also part of working with Universal Music with the release of “Now and Then,” the final single from The Beatles that was completed thanks to AI technology.

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