Goldman Sachs CEO Will Perform At Lollapalooza (Yes, Really)

Topline

Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon—who DJs in his spare time—is among the dozens of musical acts set to perform at Lollapalooza this summer, the festival announced Tuesday, marking the latest big stage the investment bank chief has performed on.

Key Facts

Key Background

Solomon has worked at Goldman for more than two decades, and he has led the 153-year-old bank since 2018, when he succeeded outgoing CEO Lloyd Blankfein. But Solomon’s career spinning records as an electronic dance music DJ predates his time at the helm of Goldman. He has performed periodically since at least 2017, previously working under the stage name “DJ D-Sol,” and he releases original music on a Spotify account that lists more than 600,000 monthly listeners. His previous gigs include a 2019 Amazon conference, a Super Bowl party last month and a 2020 Chainsmokers concert in the Hamptons that later drew the attention of state officials for possible breaches of Covid-19 rules (a Goldman spokesperson told the New York Times Solomon left the charity concert before it ended and was “troubled” that a small number of audience members didn’t follow coronavirus guidelines). In 2018, Solomon founded Payback Records, a music label that channels all revenue from its releases to charity.

Tangent

If club DJing seems like an unusual side-hustle for the CEO of one of the nation’s largest investment banks, that might be intentional. “David’s always believed that having a wide range of outside interests leads to a balanced life and makes for a better career … He’s preached that regularly to younger employees in the firm and tries to lead by example,” Goldman spokesperson Jake Siewert told the Times in 2017.

Further Reading

At Goldman, He’s David Solomon. At the Club, He’s D.J. D-Sol. (New York Times)