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At Grammy Hall of Fame Gala, Aaron Bay-Schuck Recounts Mo Ostin’s Advice on Leading Warner Records
Aaron Bay-Schuck honored Mo Ostin’s advice as Warner Records was celebrated at the 2026 Grammy Hall of Fame Gala in Beverly Hills.
Warner Records took center stage at the 2026 Grammy Hall of Fame Gala, and the label’s celebration came with a reminder that its reputation has always been built on patience, trust and a little bit of nerve. On Friday night, May 8, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, co-chairman and CEO Aaron Bay-Schuck accepted the honor by looking back to a lunch he shared with the late Warner legend Mo Ostin shortly before taking the job.
Bay-Schuck said he asked Ostin how he managed to keep Warner “the most exciting label in the world decade after decade,” expecting some kind of shortcut. Instead, Ostin offered something closer to a philosophy. “There is no secret,” Bay-Schuck recalled him saying. “Create the environment where your artists feel supported and protected, give them the space to experiment, to succeed and to fail, and create a culture at the company where people feel inspired, collaborative and proud to represent.” Bay-Schuck added that being recognized with the honor felt like proof that Warner had done exactly that, calling it “proud” and “gratifying” for him and the wider Warner family.
This marked the third straight year the Grammy Hall of Fame event has saluted a label, following prior tributes to Atlantic Records and Republic Records. For Warner’s moment, the live musical side of the evening came from two of its artists, Teddy Swims and Josh Groban, each of whom performed two songs as part of the tribute.
Before turning to the label’s history, Bay-Schuck made sure to single out his partner, Tom Corson, the co-chairman and COO of Warner Records Group. “Tom my brother. It’s been the greatest gift being on this journey with you as my partner,” he said.
From there, Bay-Schuck leaned into the weight of inheriting one of the industry’s most respected names. Warner, he noted, has been home to Prince, Madonna, Jimi Hendrix, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Young and many others. He described those artists as fearless and unapologetically themselves, and said that when he and Corson took over leadership of Warner Records in 2018, the goal was to reposition the company without losing sight of that legacy.
“In a time where data and algorithms were sending people in the direction of quick wins and fleeting moments, we were going to demonstrate that talent, quality and vision still mattered the most,” Bay-Schuck said. He added that the label wanted to show that waiting for greatness, rather than settling for something merely good, was the better path, and that artist development should remain a core value for a major label.
Corson, who spoke before Bay-Schuck, framed the honor as something much larger than the two men at the podium. “This award belongs the entire Warner family, everyone at Warner Records Nashville, Warner UK, and across the Warner Music Group worldwide, as well as generations of executives, creatives and artists who built this label long, long before us,” he said. “We’re standing on the shoulders of giants tonight. We truly appreciate it. Most importantly, thank you to our artists. Everything begins and ends with them, and we’re especially proud to have two extraordinary representatives of our label here tonight.”
Corson also reflected on the path that brought him to Warner, noting that after stints at IRS Records, A&M, Capitol, Columbia, J Records, Arista and the RCA Music Group, he had always wanted to work there. “I always wanted to work at the label. It took me a long time to get hired there, and I’m glad I did. It’s been amazing. But it’s a team sport, right? And to all our team over there, give yourselves a hand,” he said.
That team spirit carried into the performances. Groban thanked the label for taking a chance on “a shy kid with a big voice” that other labels didn’t know what to do with, while Swims delivered “Mister Know It All” and his Billboard Hot 100-topping breakthrough “Lose Control.” Groban, meanwhile, performed two songs from his album Cinematic, which arrived the same day: “Brucia La Terra,” a Sicilian-language version of “Love Theme From The Godfather” sometimes known as “Speak Softly, Love,” and “Stand by Me.” Take 6 joined him on the latter, which brought the evening to a close.
