[6] That same year, the first record released was New Songs by John Gruen, initially a flop but a big learning lesson; 500 copies were pressed with fewer than a quarter of them sold.

[2] He signed such acts as the Doors, Queen (US only), Love, Josh White, Tim Buckley, Carly Simon, the Stooges, MC5, Harry Chapin, and Bread to Elektra and discovered folk singer Judy Collins.

In 1964, Holzman served as executive producer for 13 stock sound effect libraries titled Authentic Sound Effects which generated $1.5 million ($14.7 million in 2023 dollars[5]) in sales giving Elektra further financial security;[2] that same year he also founded Nonesuch Records as a classical music budget label.

In 1982, following the death of president and founder Robert Gottschalk, Holzman took charge of Panavision, a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Bros.

[11] In 1986, he formed FirstMedia, an investment firm which acquired Cinema Products Corporation, the maker of the Oscar-winning Steadicam camera stabilization system.

Although Holzman's work at Warner Music covers a range from mentoring executives and future planning, his first project was the creation of an on-line label, Cordless Recordings,[13] introduced in late 2005.

Cordless gave bands space to hone their art and grow without the expectations and cash outlays associated with a major label.

Curated and produced by Holzman, the collection included a series of instrumental pieces composed, performed, and recorded by his son Adam.