Schnur was born in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, where he graduated from Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School.[2] He has been a label and music publishing company president, TV executive producer, music supervisor, professional musician, songwriter, composer, record producer and more.[3] At age 7, Schnur began to study guitar, piano, composition, production and arrangement at Carnegie Hall.[4][better source needed] By his early teens, he was playing piano in pop, rock and jazz bands with seasoned musicians.
In 2001, Schnur joined Electronic Arts as Worldwide Executive of EA Music Group and is responsible for the creation and development of the global vision for music integration and marketing surrounding EA games.[5] He has influenced visions for franchises such as NHL, NBA, NASCAR, Madden NFL, FIFA and Need for Speed[6] and through those initiatives he has helped launched the careers of various artists. Some of those artists have included Thirty Seconds to Mars, Robyn, Fall Out Boy, K’naaan, Katy Perry, Imagine Dragons, Kings of Leon, The Weeknd, and Florence + The Machine.[7]
In 2010, he formed Artwerk Music and Music Publishing Group and directly signed, developed and launched artists – including alternative breakthrough acts Matt & Kim, Chromeo, Airbourne and Ladytron – for publishing, master recordings, sync deals and distribution.[9]
In 2011, he produced the No.1 Billboard hit “Dance On” and the Top 5 hit, “Undivided” featuring Snoop Dogg.[10]
Currently serves on the City of Hope board and Belmont University's Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business board, where he acts as an adjunct professor. He is a voting member of the Grammy's Producers & Engineers Wing, advisor to the Nashville and Tribeca Film Festivals, Music Advisor to Major League Soccer as well as the U.S. National Men's and Women's soccer teams and has served as both chairman and chairman emeritus of The Grammy Foundation. Additionally, he is a former board member of the Country Music Association.
Awards and recognition
2009: 'MUSEXPO's International Music Person of the Year
2009: ACLU’s Bill of Rights Award
2012: The Guild of Music Supervisor's Music Supervisor of the Year
2014: MUSEXPO’s International Music Supervisor of the Year
^Alumni Hall of Fame, Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School. Accessed August 12, 2019. "Steve Schnur '79: His contributions to the music and video game industry are un-paralleled. He was selected as one of the most creative people in the entertainment industry by Entertainment Weekly."