Sylvia Rhone

Sylvia Rhone is an American music industry executive. She is the Chair and CEO of Epic Records, a label owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Rhone is regarded as the most influential female executive in the history of the music business. Named Chairman and CEO of Epic Records in 2019, a division of Sony Entertainment, Ms. Rhone has helmed senior positions at all three major record companies, and was the first woman to be named CEO of a major record label owned by a Fortune 500 company

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Commencement Speeches for the Class of is a production of
I Heart Radio. Class of Parents, faculty, rising graduates, Welcome
to commencement. You made it. This year is a little different,

(00:23):
a difficult time to graduate because the traditional graduation day
has been put on hold. So we're bringing it to
you wherever you are, because this is still your day,
your moment. And now put your hands together. It's time
to be inspired. This year's commencement speaker the one and
only Sylvia Romee. Thank you to Heart for inviting me

(00:53):
to celebrate you graduating class. It's an honor to speak
to you as you to a giant step in your
life and usher in your next chapter. There is a
renaissance on the horizon. It is indeed a great time
of change, and change has always been sparked by the young,

(01:14):
the youthful, the ambitious, beann afraid. You are the ones
that will mold and shape the new social, political, creative renaissance. Historically,
it has always been the youth that ignited the fire
of change that would bring about a new day. You
have always been the ones to move us into social, political,

(01:36):
and cultural renaissance. The power of transformation and innovation is
in your hands. These challenging times present an unprecedented opportunity
to rise up and shine your light on the world,
and nothing will stand in your way. You were born
for this. You are here on this day and time

(01:59):
because she specifically possessed what is necessary to embrace the
opportunities and challenges, no matter how big or small. When
Apple was going bankrupt, Steve Jobs said, the cure for
Apple is not cost cutting. The cure for Apple is
to innovate its way out of its current predicament. When

(02:20):
a young Bishop Curry heard about a baby dying in
a hot car, he invented a device that detects if
someone is left in the vehicle. It then distributes cool
air and contacts first responders. The innovation that this renaissance
will bring is within you. A young woman watched her

(02:41):
on and uncle, the only two parents she ever knew,
die of cancer. She went on to become the seventies
six African American woman to receive a PhD in physics.
Dr Green has created a laser cancer treatment that produces
nearly one tumor regression in my ice, you will be

(03:02):
the ones that will usher in the change in our nation.
You don't have to do it by developing a cure
for a fatal disease or creating technology that forever changes
our culture. You can do it simply with your passion.
A DJ was home alone practicing social distancing and decided

(03:22):
to play some music on I G Live for his friends.
It resulted in d Nice hosting Club Quarantine with over
one million viewers, including Michelle Obama, the Kardashians, Rihanna, and
Will Smith. Discover what set your soul on fire? You
have something special and unique that no one else on

(03:43):
this planet can duplicate. Whatever it is. Whether you're good
at making people smile, you can build things with your hands,
you're great at math, you know how to paint or cook,
or you love gardening or writing or organizing chaos. It
does doesn't matter. Oprah Winfrey once said, you have to

(04:04):
know what sparks the light in you, so that you,
in your own way, can illuminate the world. Guide us
into a new advanced world of love, kindness, and compassion.
Lead us into our utopia where wealth is great, health,
beautiful friendships, and living your passion. You are the change

(04:29):
that the world needs right now. You didn't spend the
past year studying to play life small. When you walk
into a room, people should know you are there. Your
energy should greet them before you do. They should feel
the weight of who and what you are. Strong, grounded,

(04:51):
focused on wavering determination. Use your magic to manifest our
collective destiny. You have the power, our and knowledge to
lead us into the new day. You can simply do
it with your passion. Grammy Award winning super producers Swiss
Beats and Timberland created a music battle on social media.

(05:14):
In the latest event featuring iconic singer songwriter baby Face
and legendary hit maker Teddy Riley, over four million people
tuned in to celebrate their love of music. They broke Instagram.
I want you to know and feel you have something
special and unique that no one else on the planet

(05:36):
can duplicate. We are counting on you to lead us
into greatness, lead us into excellence, lead us into innovation,
to lead the new renaissance, Guide us into a new
world where wealth is great, health, beautiful friendships, and living
your passion. You are the change that the world needs

(05:57):
right now. Congratulations to the Class of twenty. You can
find a collection of incredible commencement addresses from all your
favorite speakers at the commencement podcast on I Heart Radio

(06:20):
or wherever you listen to podcasts. H