Esteemed for their entrepreneurial force in music and industry-altering impact, REPUBLIC Founder and CEO Monte Lipman and REPUBLIC Founder and COO Avery Lipman will receive the 2026 GRAMMY Salute to Industry Icons® honor. The Recording Academy® and Clive Davis will celebrate the accomplishments of the brothers and co-founders of Republic Records at the 2026 Pre-GRAMMY® Gala, on Sat, Jan. 31, 2026, the evening preceding the 2026 GRAMMY Awards®.

“Monte and Avery are proof of how far drive and dedication, combined with passion and talent, can go in this industry,” said Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. “Their collective vision and unwavering will to go above and beyond for the incredible community of artists they support have made Republic Records one of the most influential labels in the world. We look forward to celebrating their impact as true industry icons at the 2026 Pre-GRAMMY Gala.”

“Monte and Avery are two of the music industry’s most illustrious leaders, and I am thrilled that they will be this year’s Salute to Industry Icons honorees,” said Clive Davis. “Their longtime trailblazing commitment to supporting songwriters across the music spectrum as well as their staunch dedication to advocacy, diversity and equality in the music business are exemplary. Artists and the industry at large are fortunate to have Monte and Avery’s insights and passion at the helm.”

Monte Lipman and Avery Lipman are the Founders of Republic Records, an independent music recording company that the brothers launched in 1995.

Republic Records has become the music industry’s most successful label of the past decade, earning Billboard’s “Hot 100 Label of the Year” 11 of the past 12 years while dominating the global charts in nearly every genre of popular music. Recently, Monte and Avery have been appointed to lead Universal Music Group’s East Coast Collective of labels including Island Records, Def Jam Recordings, Mercury Records, and Republic Records among others.

Alongside their professional success, Monte and Avery are equally dedicated to philanthropic and charitable initiatives. Their efforts have been recognized with honors such as City of Hope’s Spirit of Hope Award, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation’s Spirit of Hope Award, UJA-Federation’s Music Visionary of the Year, the T.J. Martell Foundation’s Humanitarian of the Year, and by Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation. Monte has also been honored by the DKMS Foundation, alongside his wife, Dr. Angelina, and has served on the board of directors for the Robin Hood Foundation since 2022.

The invitation-only Pre-GRAMMY Gala includes a presentation to honor industry luminaries through the Recording Academy’s GRAMMY Salute To Industry Icons award. Sponsored by Hilton, IBM and Mastercard, the evening has been one of the music industry’s most distinguished events for over 50 years, convening music’s most innovative and influential creators and professionals.

 

ABOUT CLIVE DAVIS

As the record industry’s most innovative and influential executive, Clive Davis has had a profound effect on the world of music spanning over 50 years. He has earned four GRAMMYS in his role as Album Producer, has received the GRAMMY Trustees Lifetime Achievement Award, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000, and, in 2010, The Recording Academy named The GRAMMY Museum theatre in his honor. Born in Brooklyn, Mr. Davis graduated from New York University and Harvard Law School. He first worked at Columbia Records, where he was named President in 1967. In 1974, Mr. Davis founded Arista Records, and expanded the company to include Arista Nashville in 1988. He continued his exploration of different musical genres with the formation of LaFace Records in 1989. In 2000, Mr. Davis formed J Records, which quickly emerged as a dominant force in the industry. In 2008, Mr. Davis was appointed Chief Creative Officer for Sony Music Entertainment, a position which expanded the number of artists for whom he was creatively responsible.

Mr. Davis has impacted the worlds of Pop, Rock and Roll, R&B, Country, and Hip-Hop, and has played a key role in the careers of countless artists across those genres including: Janis Joplin, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Chicago, Santana, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Aerosmith, Earth, Wind & Fire, Simon & Garfunkel, Sly & The Family Stone, Barbra Streisand, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Barry Manilow, Whitney Houston, Gamble and Huff, Patti Smith, Sarah McLachlan, Aretha Franklin, Annie Lennox, The Kinks, The Grateful Dead, Dionne Warwick, Carly Simon, Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Toni Braxton, Notorious B.I.G., Alicia Keys, Maroon 5, Luther Vandross, Rod Stewart, Jennifer Hudson, and he launched the first six American Idol award winners to multi-platinum success.

As a humanitarian, Davis has made tireless efforts in the battle against AIDS, spearheading donations of millions of dollars for AIDS research. In 2002, the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music was created at his undergraduate alma mater, New York University.

His autobiography, The Soundtrack Of My Life, published in 2013, has become the largest-selling book involving music in history and a New York Times bestseller. The Ridley Scott firm-produced and Chris Perkel directed the award-winning and highly praised documentary film on his life: Clive Davis: The Soundtrack Of Our Lives, which Apple TV, Apple Music and iTunes launched worldwide in 2017 and debuted at No. 1 on iTunes, stayed at #1 for five consecutive weeks and is now available on Netflix. In 2019, Clive Davis produced the highly acclaimed Memorial Concert for Aretha Franklin on CBS and executive-produced with Brian Grazer the eight-part limited TV series “GENIUS: ARETHA,” which aired on National Geographic Channel in March 2021. In August 2021, Mr. Davis also co-executive produced the historic “We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert” with the City of New York and Live Nation, which was a monumental globally televised music event. Following the memorable concert, on November 16, 2021, Mr. Davis was also presented with a key to New York City.

In November 2022, Davis was also one of seven honorees of the National Portrait Gallery’s Portrait of a Nation awards, and his portrait was painted by David Hockney. In April 2024, Davis and his illustrious music career were celebrated at Carnegie Hall with The New York Pops 41st Birthday Gala, The Soundtrack of Our Lives: A Tribute to the Legendary Clive Davis. The star-studded evening featured memorable performances by music legends and contemporary stars including Dionne Warwick, Carlos Santana, Barry Manilow, Babyface, Busta Rhymes, Toni Braxton, John Mellencamp, Deborah Cox and more. In February 2025, Davis also celebrated another major career milestone moment with the 50th anniversary of his legendary star-stuffed annual Pre-GRAMMY Gala ahead of the GRAMMYS.

In June of 2025, Davis’ legacy as one of the record industry’s first and most impactful advocates for Black artists was celebrated with his inclusion in the Apollo Theater’s prestigious Walk of Fame in Harlem, New York. Citing Davis’ 60-year history of championing Black music and signing Black artists – starting with the iconic duo of Gamble and Huff in 1971 – the Apollo simultaneously awarded him its Legacy Award.