Ralph Peer, II

As Executive Chair of peermusic, Ralph Peer, II has charted a singular career to become one of the most accomplished and respected figures in music publishing history. Under his leadership, peermusic developed to a global network of music publishing companies operating from 38 offices in 31 countries. With well over a million titles owned or administered and over 200+ employees worldwide, Ralph Peer, II directs the largest privately owned music publishing company of its kind in the world. 

Ralph Peer, II is a life-long advocate for the protection and crediting of copyright and lyric rights has been involved in every issue facing the music publishing industry over the past 50 years, delivering a consistent message of upholding the rights of creators to boards, committees, and governments throughout the world. The International Confederation of Music Publishers (ICMP) has credited him playing a hugely important role in shaping music publishers into a strong and cohesive force. In recognition of his remarkable impact, Ralph Peer II was the first music publisher to receive Lifetime Achievement Awards from the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) and also the Music Publishers Association (MPA). Peer was the inaugural recipient of the ICMP Award for outstanding contribution to global music publishing; a previous recipient of the Music Publishers Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame; and was previously honored as “Music Maker of the Year” at MIDEM. In 2018, Peer received France’s top cultural honor “Officier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres,” recognizing his outstanding contributions to the arts in France and around the world.

A respected authority on copyright, Peer has been a leader in numerous national and international publishing organizations, including vice president and director of the NMPA and the Harry Fox Agency, and publisher/director of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). He is a lifetime director and past president of the Country Music Association and a former trustee of the Copyright Society of the USA. He was a founding director of eMusic, the first record company to focus on the Internet as a platform for the sale and electronic distribution of music. In the international arena, Peer is past Chairman and a Director of the International Confederation of Music Publishers. He served for a number of years on the board of Mechanical Copyright Protection Society, U.K. Peer has been named to Billboard’s International Power Players list in recent years and to Billboard’s prestigious Power 100 list in 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023.  

Ralph Peer, II continues to play a crucial role in making our industry a truly global, strong and cohesive force.

About peermusic

Founded by Ralph S. Peer in 1928, peermusic is now the only truly independent music publishing company with a worldwide presence. Through its network of over 30 offices peermusic’s professionals actively support and develop a roster of talented writers and artists, while managing a diverse catalog of over a quarter million titles. More information is at www.peermusic.com.