music industry leaders unite against antisemitism

Photo Credit: Creative Community for Peace

More than 400 prominent leaders from the music and entertainment industries—including executives from YouTube Music, Warner Music Group (WMG), Universal Music Group (UMG), VEVO, Roc Nation, and the Recording Academy—have signed a powerful open letter denouncing anti-Israel extremism and antisemitism.

The initiative, organized by the Creative Community for Peace (CCFP), marks a significant stand against the rising tide of hate speech and misinformation targeting Israel and Jewish communities since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on an Israeli music festival.

The open letter was released on May 28, 2025 and directly addresses the proliferation of extremist rhetoric and antisemitic incitement, which signatories say has been amplified by both ideological actors and unwitting celebrities. The letter states: “Hamas, Iran, and their allies and ideological sympathizers in the West have flooded the world with their hateful lies and antisemitic incitement since October 7—lies designed to demonize Israel, the Jewish people, and their supporters.”

“When public figures accuse Israel of genocide, call for intifada, or claim Jews are colonizers, they may not understand the history they’re invoking—but the people who act on those words do,” says Haim Saban, CEO of Saban Capital Group and the leading voice behind the letter. “This open letter is a plea for truth, for accountability, and for responsibility—especially from those with powerful platforms.”

Executives from major record labels and platforms including YouTube Music, WMG, UMG, VEVO, ROC Nation, and the Recording Academy have all endorsed the open letter. The Recording Academy has reiterated its commitment to the unifying power of music and condemned violence, hate, and antisemitism, particularly referencing the massacre at the Supernova music festival in Israel on October 7.

UMG’s statement highlighted the need for tolerance, empathy, and understanding, while WMG reaffirmed its opposition to all forms of discrimination and racism, expressing solidarity with Israel and the global Jewish community.

“For the past 600 days, the anti-Israel movement has espoused an unrelenting stream of extremist rhetoric to demonize Israel and anyone who supports the country — it’s a toxic mix of distortion, bigotry and incitement. Given the power of social media, it’s incumbent on entertainers and public figures, with their ability to influence millions around the world, to use their platforms responsibly. Without a course correction, we will only see more hate, more violence, and more innocent people targeted simply for being Jewish,” CCFP Chairman/Co-Founder David Renzer and Executive Director Ari Ingel add.

The full open letter and signatories are available here.