Posted: Sun., Mar. 30, 2003, 1:03pm PT

U's music pioneer Droz dies at 76

Chairman emeritus joined co. in 1996 as president

By Phil Gallo

Droz

Henry Droz, a music industry leader for six decades who was known as the architect of modern music distribution, died March 27 in Los Angeles of complications of a cardiac arrhythmia. He was 76.

Droz was chairman emeritus of Universal Music & Video Distribution, the sales and distribution arm of the Universal Music Group. He joined U in 1996 as president and became chairman in 1999, overseeing its growth as the industry's market share leader with a family of labels including Universal/Motown, A&M, DreamWorks, Geffen, Interscope, Island/Def Jam, MCA, MCA Nashville and Mercury Nashville. Company also distributed product from Universal Pictures' homevideo unit. He retired from UMVD in 2000.

Prior to working at Universal, Droz was prexy-CEO of the Warner Elektra Atlantic (WEA) unit of the Warner Music Group for 16 years, also guiding it to the top position in market share. While at WEA, Droz established a system of nationwide branch offices that eventually became the template for the entire music business.

Born in Detroit, Droz was an Army technical sergeant in the Criminal Investigation Division under Gen. Douglas MacArthur following WWII. Droz attended Wayne State U. in Detroit after his tour of duty and began his career in the music business at the Detroit warehouse of Decca Records.

In 1954, Droz founded Arc Distributing Co., an independent record distributor that he sold to Handleman Co. in 1962. He continued to run Arc until 1972, when he started at WEA in its Burbank headquarters. He was promoted to vice president, sales, after a year, and in 1975 was named exec VP. He was prexy of WEA from 1977 until he retired in 1993 to become a senior adviser to the Warner Music Group.

Over the years he received a plethora of awards but was most proud of the T.J. Martell Foundation's Humanitarian Award and the City of Hope's Spirit of Life Award, both in 1989, and the National Assn. of Record Manufacturers' Presidential Award in 2000.

Droz is survived by June, his wife of 43 years; a daughter; three grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

Memorial donations may be made to the T.J. Martell Foundation for Leukemia, Cancer and AIDS Research.