The four-residence compound, boasting 150 feet of white-sand beachfront, will sell for the first time in half a century
By Evelyn Battaglia
The Maui estate of the late hitmaker Jerry Moss, who co-founded A&M Records in the 1960s, is heading to auction in August.
Elevated above the white sands of Po’olenalena Beach, the four-residence compound is spread across two parcels totaling 1.5 acres and boasts 150 feet of beachfront. It lies on historic Makena Road, a secluded cove where celebrated neighbors include Aerosmith frontman Steve Tyler and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel. It’s the first time the property has been for sale since Moss purchased the undeveloped land in 1978.
Moss died in August 2023 at the age of 88. His widow, Tina Moss, a former model and psychologist, is selling the house as a trustee of the Jerome S. Moss Living Trust. The music mogul’s Bel-Air mansion is also on the market for $27 million.
“My husband bought the place when it was just dirt roads and continued to evolve it since then. It’s not the same without him being there, so we are all trying to make new memories in different places as a family,” she said.
Launched in 1962 with co-founder Herb Alpert, A&M Records had more than 100 top 10 hits by artists such as the Carpenters, Peter Frampton, Sting and Janet Jackson. The production company was sold for a reported $500 million in 1989, and the music publishing catalog garnered another $400 million in 2000.
Jerry Moss purchased the undeveloped land in 1978, built the main house in 1980 and added three guest houses over time, each of which has been extensively updated, according to listing agent Nancy Callahan of Coldwell Banker Island Properties.
The estate is currently listed for $33 million, reduced from its original ask of $39 million in November 2023. Callahan is presenting the property in cooperation with Paul Stukin of Deep Blue HI and Concierge Auctions. Online bidding, which starts on Aug. 1, is expected to open between $15 million and $20 million.
The four homes offer a combined seven bedrooms, seven full bathrooms, and 6,352 square feet of living space. Callahan said that within the past five years, the former wood-clad exteriors were transformed to more durable stucco with ipe wood details, and slate roofs were added.
“It is the best setup for a family. The kids and grandkids spent a lot of time there and we would have luaus, ukulele lessons and art classes and put these long tables out and everyone would be together for lunches and dinners,” Tina said. “But it was nice to be able to retreat back to our own private spaces. When we were ready to have guests in the morning, we would open the doors and people would be doing their own thing around the property.”
That might include practicing yoga on the deck or enjoying massages arranged by the hosts, she added.
Reached through one of two gated entrances, the property features gently undulating lawns dotted with palm trees and surrounded by lush tropical landscaping.
“We sit on a promontory, so you always hear the Pacific and have the most incredible views,” Tina said, adding that her husband was first drawn to the location because a close friend lived nearby. “Once Jerry built the home, his friend would pull up in his boat and Jerry would walk down the stairs and swim out to meet him.”
The main house welcomes with wood steps leading to a covered porch and an open-plan, multi-level layout encompassing a chef’s kitchen, a designated dining area and a great room that opens onto a stepped-down area anchored by a stone fireplace on one side and a spacious covered ocean-view lanai with a fire pit and an outdoor kitchen on the other.
The entire second floor is devoted to the primary suite with its own lanai; a second bedroom with sliding barn doors on the first floor is currently used as an office.
Additional features include a three-car garage and an above-ground pool overlooking the ocean (with permitting for building an in-ground pool).
An enclosed outdoor shower with lava rock walls and a tile backsplash depicting a tropical scene was designed by local artist Avi Kiriaty (whose Polynesian paintings are displayed on the walls in the listing photos), Tina said.
“We took more showers outside than inside,” she said, noting that the primary bathroom “has an amazing view” through an expansive picture window that can frost for privacy along with a huge boulder that they cut in half for the soaking tub, which had to be lifted in by crane.
Two sets of stairs lead to separate white-sand beaches. Tina said she and Jerry loved taking long walks along Po’olenalena Beach, which runs to the south and is popular with snorkelers. “But my favorite was the tiny little beach to the right because it was very private. Once in a while, the neighbor would use it, but it was surrounded by his house and our property, so no one ever went there.”
Both beaches are teeming with sea turtles, she said.
“Jerry and I saw our home as an oasis of tranquility amidst our busy lives—a place with the same exceptional design that could be found in the artwork he loved to collect,” Moss said. “It’s a very special place—everyone has a view and the sunsets are amazing. It’s very private, too. You can’t see people walking past it on the beach. And water never comes up on the point.”