RCA Revives Jive Records, Taps Mike Weiss and David Melhado to Lead

Jive Records is back.

Sony Music’s RCA is reviving the iconic record label that served as the home for a wide range of acts from A Tribe Called Quest and Outkast to Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys, and RCA has tapped former UnitedMasters executives Mike Weiss and David Melhado to run the label as co-presidents. Jive will exist as a standalone label, RCA said, and Weiss and Melhado will report to RCA chairman and CEO Peter Edge and COO John Fleckenstein.

“We admire the impressive results Mike and David have achieved in their careers,” Edge said in a statement. “Bringing them in to lead JIVE Records feels like a natural evolution—and a poetic way to revive a label that has been at the forefront of hip-hop and pop. Their sharp instincts and proven ability to discover and develop artists make them a great team to launch JIVE’s next era.”

Jive was first founded by Clive Calder in 1981, and run by prolific executive Barry Weiss for over two decades. Sony Music bought the label in 2004, and RCA folded in 2011 alongside Arista Records. (Arista was re-launched in 2018). In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter at the time, RCA COO Tom Corson — who is now the COO of Warner Records — said that “the path we’ve taken is to refresh RCA, so we’re going to retire those brands.”

Before its closure, Jive was long associated with major hip-hop and pop acts of the ’90s and 2000s, with pop icons Backstreet Boys, NSync and Britney Spears all signed to the label. Also on Jive’s roster were P!nk, Usher and Aaliyah.

“JIVE Records is deeply personal to me—it shaped entire generations and the way I learned this business,” Weiss said in a statement. “Relaunching this iconic label with David allows us to carry forward JIVE’s legacy of creative and operational excellence while proving that major labels can deliver both innovation and fairness for artists. The same artist-first philosophy that guided us at UnitedMasters is what we plan to bring to JIVE, and I’m grateful to Rob Stringer, Peter Edge, and John Fleckenstein for trusting us with this legendary brand.”

As Melhado added: “I’ve spent much of my career developing artists from the ground up, which has shaped my perspective on this business and what artists need to build lasting careers. Relaunching JIVE alongside Mike is an opportunity to honor its independent spirit and double down on developing artists while shaping culture. I’m excited to work with Rob Stringer, Peter Edge, John Fleckenstein, and the entire team to bring this vision to life.”