0BLACK ENTERPRISE sat down with legendary music publishing/distribution mogul, entrepreneur, and investor Julius Erving III, better known as J Erving (son of legendary NBA player, Dr. J), to learn how he’s building his Black-owned music publishing company around the development of tomorrow’s Black executives.
As the founder of Human Re Sources, the company that started the careers of Brent Faiyaz and Pink Sweat$, and struck gold again with artists like RAYE who currently has the #2 album of the year, Erving is passionate about developing the next generation of Black music executives to combat the industry’s need for diversity and inclusion.
With Erving at the forefront, the Black-owned and -operated company stands out in the music industry due to its commitment to diverse representation. Its 14 employees, all of whom are 100 percent people of color, and the majority of whom are women, Human Re Sources takes immense pride in this inclusive composition, a value instilled by Erving since its 2016 inception.
Sony Music acquired Human Re Sources in 2020, which added EVP to Erving’s title while he continues leading the pack at the music publishing company he founded four years before. Now representing two major music companies, Erving remains intentional about hiring diverse talent with aspirations to move the culture forward
“It was an intention when I went into Sony,” Erving tells BLACK ENTERPRISE of hiring mostly women and all people of color. “To their credit, they’ve supported it.”
Erving is leading by example in the music industry, where people of color have largely been left out of the equation. After growing up under the wing of an NBA legend, J Erving knew many assumed he was headed for a career in professional sports, but he had a passion for music and knew a regular job wouldn’t cut it.
Taking us back to the internships that helped open his eyes to the business side of music, J Erving shares his journey of becoming a highly respected music executive with a roster that includes Floetry, Angie Stone, Rodney Jerkins, and hip-hop artist Freeway and more current music acts like YBN Nahmir, YBN Cordae
, Baby Rose, Bren Joy, and Damian Lillard.Press play below to hear how J Erving acquired deals with the likes of Sony Music and Spotify, identifies talent to add to his roster, and hires team members he trains to become music executives of tomorrow. Erving also provides major keys of insight to anyone interested in entering into an A&R role in the music industry.
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