[7][5][8] In late 1978, Beer partnered with Dennis Lavinthal, also a record executive,[9] to form MusicVision, an independent promotion and marketing company.
They worked directly for Michael Jackson and Prince, and together managed Steely Dan founder Donald Fagen when his 1982 album, The Nightfly was released.
[10] [11][12] Beer co-founded the music industry trade magazine Hits in August 1986 as an irreverent alternative to Billboard.
Among other artists, they manage the Grammy Award-winning bands Pentatonix and A Great Big World,[2] The Airborne Toxic Event and Eagles of Death Metal.
He was a producer of Suzan-Lori Parks' Topdog/Underdog,[16] which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama (2002) and received a Tony nomination for Best Play.
He has been a guest speaker at USC and the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU and served as a member of the Grammy screening committee for six years.
[18] "Widely considered one of the most knowledgeable people in the music industry," [3] he frequently provides commentary for publications including the New York Times.