Julie Swidler, Sony Music's EVP of Business Affairs and General Counsel, is stepping down at the end of June after 18 years in the role, bringing to a close one of the most influential legal careers in the modern record industry. Her departure marks a notable moment for Sony Music and the wider business, as she has been closely involved in some of its most consequential decisions, and she is leaving to set up her own advisory practice.

Before joining Sony, Swidler built her career at Arista, J Records, RCA and BMG, having originally trained as a litigator before moving into entertainment law. During her Sony tenure she helped shape artist-friendly initiatives such as the Spotify-equity payouts and the Artists Forward programme, and in 2018 co-signed a letter with five senior female executives that pushed the Recording Academy to address its treatment of women in music. She has also been recognised with the Grammy Foundation's Entertainment Law Initiative Service Award, becoming the first woman and first label executive to receive it, and has featured on Billboard's Women in Music list for nearly two decades.