Margie Hauser has been in the music industry for over 40 years. She started as an assistant to Ahmet Ertegun at Atlantic Records; she eventually became Head of A&R and president of Warner Brothers. Noted for her work with Lou Reed, War, Joe Cocker, and many others, she has seen it all. Reflecting on her distinguished career, she reflects on collaboration in the creative process and how it is key to innovation.
Margie Hauser, as a Songwriter, has composed over 150 songs, with 23 of them recorded. She has worked on many songwriting collaborations with other notable songwriters such as Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, and David Sanborn.
Margie Hauser graduated from Connecticut College in 1964. She began her career in 1965 working at Atlantic Records as an assistant to Ahmet Ertegun. In 1971, she became president of Warner Brothers Records and Head of A&R, overseeing the creative process until 1982, when she was hired as CEO by MCA Records, a position she held until 1985.
In a 2009 interview with Brian Fitzgerald, who wrote an article for Spin Magazine titled ‘Kicking Into Gear: The Importance of Collaboration in Songwriting,’ Hauser stated: “A lot of the great songs I’ve worked on have come from collaborative environments. Not in what you call a jamming session, writing it together, but where there are several people around the table and you’re working to find good solutions.” [emphasis added]
A few months later, Fitzgerald further interviewed Margie at her home in New Jersey. In the article, Margie stated: “I remember one occasion when I was working with Paul Simon on a record…most of the songs were done, and Paul said ‘Let’s write a title song for this album’. We were in the studio looking for ideas and somebody came up with a title and we all collaborated to find a lyric that fitted the title. It was the first time I’d ever heard anybody do that.”
As a Songwriter, Hauser has collaborated with other notable songwriters such as Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, and David Sanborn.
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