Don Ienner

Columbia Records Chairman Don Ienner runs the No. 1 label in the music business--home to a diverse roster of stars that includes Bob Dylan, Los Super Seven, Offspring, Lauryn Hill, Bruce Springsteen and Lil' Bow Wow. In a business dominated by number-crunching suits and timid middle managers, the 49-year-old New York native stands out. Ienner's rivals characterize him as a fierce competitor who stops at nothing to get what he wants. His temper is legendary.

Sony Music promoted industry veteran Don Ienner to a newly created post as president of its U.S. division, placing the 51-year-old executive at the helm of a sprawling operation that releases albums from a diverse roster of acts including the Offspring, Nas and Good Charlotte.

Sony Music promoted industry veteran Don Ienner to a newly created post as president of its U.S. division, placing the 51-year-old executive at the helm of a sprawling operation that releases albums from a diverse roster of acts including the Offspring, Nas and Good Charlotte.

Columbia Records Chairman Don Ienner runs the No. 1 label in the music business--home to a diverse roster of stars that includes Bob Dylan, Los Super Seven, Offspring, Lauryn Hill, Bruce Springsteen and Lil' Bow Wow. In a business dominated by number-crunching suits and timid middle managers, the 49-year-old New York native stands out. Ienner's rivals characterize him as a fierce competitor who stops at nothing to get what he wants. His temper is legendary.

* Sony Music Entertainment is expected today to promote Will Botwin to president of the Columbia Records Group, the No.1 label in the music business, sources said. Botwin, who joined Columbia in 1996 after managing such acts as Los Lobos and Liz Phair, will report to Columbia Chairman Don Ienner. * Forrester Research Inc., an emerging-technology research firm, said it will eliminate about 126 jobs, or 22% of its work force.

Columbia Records Starting a West Coast Label: The company said the new label--which is yet to be named--will be headed by the former Virgin Records team of Jeff Ayeroff and Jordan Harris and will be based at Sony Music's Santa Monica complex. Ayeroff and Harris were co-chairmen of Virgin Records America through 1993. They will report to Don Ienner, chairman of Columbia Records Group. The staff of Columbia's Chaos Records will be incorporated into the company.

Prince has signed a new major-label record contract after years of releasing albums himself and promoting his music primarily through his website. His new album, "Musicology," will be released April 20 on Sony-owned Columbia Records. "Over the course of his extraordinary career he's continually taken on new artistic challenges, and in the process he has repeatedly set new standards of excellence in popular music," Sony Music U.S. President Don Ienner said in a statement.

The Department of Labor has upheld the election that swept Screen Actors Guild President Alan Rosenberg and his supporters into office last year, the guild announced. Paul Christie, SAG's New York branch chief, and New York Vice President Sam Freed, alleged in a Labor Department complaint that Rosenberg and his backers were trying to "cover up election improprieties," including improperly accessing e-mail addresses and other personal information of more than 17,000 members.

Polly Anthony, president of Sony Music Entertainment's Epic Records, is leaving the label later this month after more than two decades at the company, sources said Thursday. The exit of Anthony, who joined Sony Music predecessor CBS Records in 1978, comes five months after the Japanese conglomerate made sweeping job cuts and consolidated some operations of its Columbia and Epic labels in a bid to slash $100 million in costs.

AUSTIN, Texas -- “I am the musician,”  Dave Grohl said during this keynote speech at the South by Southwest music festival and conference, “and I come first.” In just under an hour Thursday, the former Nirvana drummer and current Foo Fighters leader preached artist independence -- a philosophy, he said, that was informed by seeing Chicago punk band Naked Raygun and being almost destroyed by the “guilt” of success. It was a speech that alternately corrected some myths about Nirvana while perpetuating others.