MONTE & AVERY ON THE SPIRIT OF GIVING

Republic Records overlords Monte and Avery Lipman will be honored today at the City of Hope's Spirit of Life gala, supporting one of the nation's largest cancer research and treatment organizations. We diverted their attention from watching Taylor Swift’s streaming numbers for a few moments this week to get their thoughts on philanthropy and the event.

Could you provide us with a bit of your involvement in City of Hope over the years and what this charity means to you?
Monte: City of Hope is an incredibly impressive organization. We were introduced to it by Zach Horowitz. [Horowitz’s father, Ben, was CEO from the early 1950s into the mid-1980s]. Zach was general counsel for UMG for many years and introduced us to the City of Hope community and all the amazing things they're responsible for. We've always lent our support, probably for no less than 15 years, have always been prepared to jump in, help provide talent, whatever it may be.

Avery: I've been to the events, obviously, but once you visit the campus, it gets into your bones; it gets into your spirit. It's one of those moments where you feel happy and appreciative that you can actually help. So it's not obligatory; it's the opposite. City of Hope is a really special place.

Philanthropy has always been a big part of the music industry. What do you think accounts for the industry as a whole undertaking so many philanthropic efforts?
Monte: The platforms we've created are incredibly powerful—the voices we represent touch all points of the world. And there's also this overwhelming sentiment from the artist community to make the world a better place. For us, it's a very simple request—activating the artist community on behalf of these philanthropic causes is also part of our responsibility to the community. We can make a difference. And we're very appreciative and grateful because we're surrounded by an artist community that makes it personal. It's something we will continue to press upon. It's part of our core values.

Jack Johnson will perform at the Spirit of Life dinner. How was he selected?
Avery: Jack is, I think, the longest-running artist we've been working with—from back in 2000—so it's a really cool moment that we're together. He is also very giving, very thoughtful. To give back is just part of his whole culture.

Monte: At Jack's core, it's always been about giving back. It typically starts with "What are they trying to accomplish; how do they make a difference?" He’s incredibly philanthropic. At the end of the day, it comes from such an authentic place. It's in his DNA.

How much do artists’ interests in charitable causes affect what you get involved in?
Monte: There are of course individual decisions to pursue some of the causes and for obvious reasons, just the way it impacts each person's life and family and community. When anyone calls us from within the artist community, we raise arms and do what we can to support them. We do the best we can in terms of trying to do the right thing on behalf of the community. There's no pre-set agenda—most of it is just coming from a place of compassion, from a place of empathy.

Avery: There are definitely some lesser-known causes our artists are involved in. Metro Boomin, for example, supports single mothers, and he's been doing it on his own. He has his own reasons for doing it. It really enhances the relationship you have with an artist. It transcends the record label/artist partnership—when an artist has a cause that they're passionate about and you can contribute and help, it expands the relationship in ways that are hard to describe. It’s great to see. Every time we're asked, we're happy to participate, whoever it may be.

This is obviously the first time in three years a lot of people are getting together. Do you expect to be doing a lot of catching up?
Monte: Typically, when you participate in these kinds of events, there's a certain level of anxiousness just because it is a big event. Like any other event you'd plan, you want it to come across perfectly. And in this particular case, there's a certain vibe of so much anticipation and excitement just to be back in the room with one another. There's a sense of warmth. Even leading up to this, we had a breakfast event in Los Angeles, and we had a breakfast event in New York, and just the sentiment in the air was so healthy. It just felt really good being in the room with our peers, our contemporaries, our family, the artist community.

You’ll have family members with you?
Avery: Yeah, we're bringing both our families. And we're very excited that our parents are gonna be in the room as well.

Monte: It’s definitely a family affair.

Middle pic: The Lipmans flank event host Billy Porter.