Innholdsfortegnelse for January 29, 2022 i Billboard Magazine

AS MUSIC COMPANIES PREPARE to report their 2021 earnings, share prices may have room to grow. How much room? Spotify’s Feb. 2 earnings report will likely forecast double-digit growth that could put annual revenue between $12 billion and $13 billion. Billboard estimates Spotify should improve its subscriber numbers by 20 million to 200 million-plus in 2022. It also has room for additional subscription price increases “even if Apple and Amazon didn’t follow,” says Russ Crupnick, managing partner of research and analysis firm MusicWatch. Spotify, which will release full-year results on Feb. 2, expects its 2021 annual revenue to have improved by 21% to 23% from the year before, to roughly $10.9 billion. Additionally, fourth-quarter 2021 earnings will show its subscriber count grew between 14% and 17% during the year.…

IT’S WELL PAST 2 P.M., and nothing seems to wake Post Malone. Not the sound of shovels cracking into his iced-over driveway. Not the stylist assembling racks of designer clothes or the camera flashes lighting up his entryway. Not even the smell of pounds of piping-hot Raising Cane’s chicken. For the 26-year-old superstar, who often stays up until 10 a.m. playing video games when he’s not on the road, this is normal. Three years ago, when Post moved from Los Angeles to his near-seven-acre mountainside sanctuary in Utah, his inner circle was hoping he would enjoy this kind of peace. His infectiously positive father, Rich Post, says the move “was a big sigh of relief for the parental figures,” while co-manager Dre London, an Olympic-level multitasker who has been…

Sir Lucian Grainge CHAIRMAN/CEO, UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP Boyd Muir EXECUTIVE VP/CF O/PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS, UNIVER SAL MUSIC GROUP Michele Anthony EXECUTIVE VP, UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP Jeff Harleston GENERAL COUNSEL/EXE CUTIVE VP OF BUSINE SS AND LE GAL AFFAIRS, UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP Michael Nash EXECUTIVE VP OF DIGITAL STRATEGY, UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP Celine Joshua EXECUTIVE VP OF COMMERCIAL, INNOVATION AND ARTISTS TRATEGY, UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP Eric Hutcherson EXECUTIVE VP/CHIEF PE OPLE AND INCL USION OFFICER, UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP Richelle Parham PRESIDENT OF GL OBAL E-COMMERCE AND BUSINE SS DEVEL OPMENT, UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP Will Tanous EXECUTIVE VP/CHIEF ADMINIS TRATIVE OFFICER, UNIVER SAL MUSIC GROUP See profile, page 56. Rob Stringer CHAIRMAN, SONY MUSIC GROUP Kevin Kelleher COO, SONY MUSIC ENTER TAINMENT Dennis Kooker PRESIDENT OF GL OBAL DIGITAL BUSINESS AND…

With its rebranding from Sony/ATV to Sony Music Publishing in February 2021, the company doubled down on its commitment to foster a songwriter-centric, inclusive culture. Under Platt’s stewardship, the company has secured deals with top songwriters such as Olivia Rodrigo, The Kid LAROI and Kane Brown. President/global chief marketing officer Brian Monaco played an integral role in several top songwriter and catalog deals, most notably Bruce Springsteen, Janelle Monáe and AC/DC. In addition to key renewals with Ilsey, Becky Hill, Keityn, Måneskin, Jon Nite and more, the company negotiated several historic catalog deals during 2021 with Paul Simon, Gilberto Gil, the estate of Gregg Allman and River House Artists (which represents a large share of Luke Combs’ catalog). Citing inroads made this year by LAROI, Rodrigo, Polo G, Tate…

Under Masuch, BMG closed out 2021 with the news that it had partnered with the global investment firm KKR to acquire ZZ Top’s music interests, including the band’s publishing catalog and recorded-music royalties, in a deal reported to be valued at $50 million. For the last four years, ZZ Top’s album catalog has averaged close to 300,000 album consumption units a year. This was only the latest in a string of big moves in the past months for BMG: Its label division has signed Duran Duran, Santana, Louis Tomlinson and Bryan Adams. Other major rights acquisitions included deals with The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner and Fleetwood Mac co-founder Mick Fleetwood. In November, the company acquired Mötley Crüe’s entire recorded-music catalog. The gains further solidified BMG’s position as the fourth…

Willard Ahdritz FOUNDER/CHAIRMAN, KOBALT Laurent Hubert CEO, KOBALT Jeannette Perez PRESIDENT/COO, KOBALT Kobalt flexed its diversity and global reach in 2021, signing or renewing deals with Young Thug, Jazmine Sullivan and Madison Beer, and earning wins for BMI’s hip-hop/R&B and gospel publisher of the year, as well as ASCAP’s Latin independent publisher of the year. Meanwhile, the company reports that its artists landed 22 Grammys, seven Latin Grammys, nine Australian Recording Industry Association Awards and four Swedish Music Publishers Awards. Its global digital collection society, AMRA, has grown significantly, and now collects in 180 territories around the world. Jody Gerson CHAIRMAN/CEO, UNIVERSAL MUSIC PUBLISHING GROUP Marc Cimino COO, UNIVERSAL MUSIC PUBLISHING GROUP JW Beekman GLOBAL CFO, UNIVERSAL MUSIC PUBLISHING GROUP Troy Tomlinson CHAIRMAN/CEO, UNIVERSAL MUSIC PUBLISHING NASHVILLE Alexandra Lioutikoff…

Craig Kallman CHAIRMAN/CEO, ATLANTIC RECORDS Julie Greenwald CHAIRMAN/COO, ATLANTIC RECORDS The past year “was about making sure we were able to provide artists the time and the resources to help them go to the next level,” says Greenwald. “Because of COVID-19, people pushed things back.” That resulted in a goal post-shaped year, with peaks at the start and at the end. Pooh Shiesty’s breakthrough debut, Shiesty Season, arrived in February, while the fourth quarter was full of album releases from many of the label’s major players: Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, Roddy Ricch, Meek Mill, YoungBoy Never Broke Again and the Bruno Mars/Anderson .Paak duo Silk Sonic. In between, says Greenwald, there was the chance to “focus on our babies. Because that’s all you want: to make sure your babies have…

Nelson Albareda CEO, LOUD AND LIVE When the pandemic hit, Loud and Live was poised for a major expansion, particularly in its concert-promotion business. After canceling a long list of tours, however, the entertainment marketing and media development firm doubled down by keeping all employees on staff, expanding into audiovisual production and becoming “one of the first promoters to bring back live events in March 2021,” says Albareda, 45. Between 2020 and 2021, the company promoted over 400 shows, including dates for Camilo, Carlos Vives, Ruben Blades and Farruko. It’s a good problem to have: “We could start to see a routing and venue availability challenge for larger tours,” he says. Ron Bension PRESIDENT/CEO, ASM GLOBAL Bension, who joined Los Angeles-based ASM Global as president/CEO in March 2021 after…

Dennis Arfa FOUNDER/CHAIRMAN, ARTIST GROUP INTERNATIONAL Marsha Vlasic PRESIDENT, ARTIST GROUP INTERNATIONAL Adam Kornfeld PRESIDENT OF TOURING, ARTIST GROUP INTERNATIONAL With the partial comeback of live music in 2021, Artist Group International’s executive team seized an opportunity to expand. In August, AGI formed a strategic partnership with U.K.company X-ray Touring following a 2020 deal with London’s K2 Agency, all joining under parent company Y Entertainment Group to bring a newly aligned roster of A-list acts — including Billy Joel, Coldplay and Metallica — to stages around the world. To help sell its new tours, the company also formed a partnership with branding and sponsorship group Brandmark Agency to bolster AGI’s sponsorship opportunities in a post-pandemic market. Marty Diamond Lee Anderson Brent Smith EXECUTIVE VPS/MANAGING EXECUTIVES, WASSERMAN MUSIC Sara Bollwinkel…

It was a year of triumph and tragedy for Live Nation and Rapino, who guided the world’s largest concert promotion company through a historic financial comeback while cooperating with authorities looking into one of the worst tragedies in company history at Travis Scott’s Astroworld festival. In the aftermath of the latter, Rapino has discussed with Scott the launch of a festival-safety initiative with the U.S. Conference of Mayors to identify new technologies to prevent similar situations. Rapino is also focused on leading Live Nation’s comeback during another year of uncertainty as the pandemic persists. Decisions early on to require vaccines or COVID-19 testing have persuaded governors in states like Florida and Texas to ease up on anti-mandatory vaccine laws, while more liberal municipalities have supported Live Nation festivals as…

Lisa Alter FOUNDING PARTNER, ALTER KENDRICK & BARON In the past year, Alter’s firm represented clients in music acquisitions valued at more than $2 billion. Among the highlights: a blockbuster deal in which Primary Wave Music Publishing bought a stake in the catalog of Stevie Nicks, a deal that is “emblematic of the new wave of acquisitions of the rights of legacy artists,” says Alter. The firm also represented Reservoir in the purchase of iconic hip-hop label Tommy Boy Music as well as Influence Media Partners buying a stake in Julia Michaels’ catalog. The latter transaction was exciting “because virtually everyone involved in the deal was a woman,” Alter says. “In an industry that is still predominantly male-dominated, the deal represents the refreshing face of the future.” John Branca…

In September, CAA announced a planned acquisition of competitor ICM Partners in a deal that marks the consolidation of the former “Big Four” agencies of the music business into three, alongside WME and UTA. Between that deal and CAA’s own growth during an unstable time, Light declares that “we are set up in ways we couldn’t have even imagined coming out of COVID-19.” CAA clients hit the road as early as safely possible. The Hella Mega Tour, with Green Day, Fall Out Boy and Weezer, was one of the first stadium shows to return last summer, while Harry Styles, new signee Zac Brown Band and the pairing of James Taylor and Jackson Browne filled venues across the country in the latter half of 2021. Light credits the leadership displayed…

In 2018, Arthouse Music Publishing CEO Kara DioGuardi pulled GAYLE’s name out of a hat at a songwriting pop-up event in Nashville and heard the rising star sing for the first time. “She had this presence that I’ve never seen from a 14-year-old,” DioGuardi remembers. By the end of the year, GAYLE signed a record and publishing deal with Arthouse. And after releasing a string of one-offs, she gained global traction in 2020 when a Korean YouTube account uploaded her angsty indie-pop track “Z” with subtitles. It racked up over 700,000 views and piqued the interest of Warner Music’s Korean team and, subsequently, Atlantic Records stateside — the latter label was already helping DioGuardi with distribution for GAYLE. In January 2021, Atlantic president of A&R Pete Ganbarg signed GAYLE…

HIP-HOP FANS will have plenty to cheer about during 2022’s Super Bowl halftime performance as Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige take center stage. But those expecting a significant bump in streaming or sales for the performers should hold their applause until the final tallies are in — the crowded bill might dilute the impact of what has long been considered the premiere booking in the music industry. According to a Billboard analysis of the last 13 years, the event produces bigger gains in music consumption activity when a single performer holds the spotlight. Justin Timberlake and Bruce Springsteen netted the biggest wins in 2018 and 2009, respectively, both benefitting from releasing albums just days before their performances. Timberlake enjoyed a sales explosion that…

WHEN JAY MEHTA met with Warner Music Group president of emerging markets Alfonso Perez-Soto about establishing an outpost in India for the major, he had a pretty clear idea of what he would be up against. At the time, Mehta was working as the head of digital business at Sony Music India, which, along with Universal Music India, had established beachheads there in the 1990s. (In fact, WMG had previously contracted with Sony to distribute its music there.) And local giant T-Series, an Indi-pop and Bollywood soundtrack label, had been in the market since 1983. Warner Music India (WMI) would have a lot of catching up to do in order to fulfill Perez-Soto’s mandate that it become one of India’s “top three” music companies posthaste, but Mehta, who was…

Ek has guided Spotify — and indirectly, a good portion of the music industry — during the pandemic, helping artists, rights holders and fans through a turbulent two years. The world’s largest streaming service now serves over 381 million users every month across 184 countries. It paid out over $5 billion in royalties to rights holders in 2020 — enough to account for 20% of all global recorded-music revenue — and over $23 billion in royalties to date, while its Fans First program generated nearly $250 million in ticket sales. Some 57,000 artists now represent 90% of the monthly streams on Spotify — a total that has grown four times over since 2014 — and 76,000 artists were added to a playlist for the first time in 2020. “That’s…

When it launched in 2015, Apple Music was late to the music subscription market. Now available in 167 countries, the service — which had a head start by being integrated into iPhone products — is still on the rise, with just 16% of the global market, according to MIDiA Research. Its competitors, including Spotify, YouTube and Amazon, have forced it to innovate. In 2021, Schusser says the company “made the product better in every aspect,” noting its premium surround sound tier, Spatial Audio, which launched in June, and its lossless audio quality, a form of compression that preserves all music data listeners can hear. While some of its competitors offered high-quality audio at a premium price tier, Apple instead followed Amazon’s lead to make the feature standard. Already, 50…

Following deals with both Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group in late 2020, TikTok completed the major-label trifecta in February 2021, signing an expanded global licensing agreement with Universal Music Group — and the influential app’s “commitment to culture and music starting on TikTok” was affirmed, says Obermann. Agreements with independent labels and songwriter royalty associations followed, including multiyear music licensing deals with the rights organizations in Australia. More than 400 songs used as audio on TikTok surpassed 1 billion video views, a threefold increase over 2020, Obermann says — adding that the most popular of those songs often reached or exceeded 20 billion views of the videos they soundtracked. Meanwhile, nearly 200 songs that trended on TikTok in 2021 charted on the Billboard Hot 100 — including…

Steve Boom VP, AMAZON MUSIC Ryan Redington VP OF MUSIC INDUSTRY, AMAZON MUSIC Tami Hurwitz VP OF GLOBAL MARKETING AND GROWTH, AMAZON MUSIC Rishi Mirchandani DIRECTOR OF CONTENT ACQUISITION AND STRATEGY, AMAZON MUSIC See profile, page 76. Tracy Chan HEAD OF MUSIC, TWITCH According to Twitch — which reached an agreement in 2021 with the National Music Publishers’ Association to partner with music publishers — the company has done well during the pandemic, as the livestreaming service became a hub for artists, DJs and musicians to reach their audiences while touring wasn’t an option. “When venues were shut down and tours were stopped around the world, over 100,000 musicians came to Twitch to build their communities and make real money directly from their fans,” Chan says. According to Twitch,…

Bang Si-hyuk CHAIRMAN, HYBE Scooter Braun CO-CEO, HYBE AMERICA; FOUNDER, SB PROJECTS Lenzo Yoon CO-CEO, HYBE AMERICA In July, Bang, who founded the powerhouse K-pop entertainment company HYBE, home to BTS, stepped down as CEO to focus more on production. He was succeeded by Park Ji-won, who joined the South Korea company in May 2020 as HQ CEO. Braun — whose SB Projects last year co-produced a slate of documentaries about his biggest clients, including Demi Lovato’s Dancing With the Devil, J Balvin’s The Boy From Medellín and Justin Bieber’s Our World — struck a $1.05 billion deal in April under which HYBE acquired and merged with his Ithaca Holdings. The move united HYBE’s lineup of BTS, Tomorrow x Together and Seventeen with Braun’s superstar management roster of Bieber,…

Qasim Abbas David Kestnbaum SENIOR MANAGING DIRECTORS, BLACKSTONE From opposite sides of the Atlantic, Abbas and Kestnbaum are leading a rapid deployment of capital investments into music industry assets. In April, Kestnbaum and associates put together a deal to acquire eOne, the label, distributor and management company, and Audio Network, a production music platform, for $385 million. He then added to Blackstone’s 2017 $1 billion acquisition of SESAC by paying an undisclosed amount (estimated by sources as tens of millions of dollars) to acquire music rights management company Audiam in August. Meanwhile, in October, Abbas closed one of the year’s blockbuster deals by buying an undisclosed equity stake in what is now known as Hipgnosis Song Management and agreeing to initially fund $1 billion to acquire music rights in…

Shana Barry HEAD OF MUSIC, CELEBRITY AND ENTERTAINMENT PARTNERSHIPS, ANHEUSER-BUSCH Over the past year, Barry prioritized a collaborative approach in the partnerships between Anheuser-Busch and artists despite challenges posed by the pandemic. “When we dream big together, we develop more impactful creative [content], align more quickly on the direction and deliver faster results,” she says. Campaign highlights included The Notorious B.I.G. x Bud, which featured a limited-edition line of Budweiser cans and merchandise that honored the late rapper and a concert during the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! festival to salute his legacy. Barry is “proud that we’ve continued to delight consumers with meaningful experiences and build connections with our brands and fans.” Morgan Flatley GLOBAL CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, MCDONALD’S The McDonald’s “Famous Orders” promotion, which kicked off in 2021 with…

Last April, as vaccines became more widely available and touring ramped up, AEG brought back furloughed workers after operating with a reduced staff for nine months. “We hyper-communicated throughout COVID-19,” says Marciano, “even when we had nothing to say, which was often the case.” By summer, venues reopened nationwide and AEG had announced new shows including The Rolling Stones’ No Filter Tour, which became the first post-pandemic trek to earn $100 million from just 14 dates. The group brought in $130.9 million from 577,000 tickets, earning the Billboard title of top tour of the year. “Five decades later, they’re still the biggest band in the world,” says Marciano. “There’s no question about it, and they’ve got the numbers to prove it.” As the omicron variant spread in the fall…

FOR YEARS, an artist’s team had a static list of roles — with manager, label, publicist, lawyer, agent, publisher and business manager among the most important. Now, in a decade that began (and remains) in the throes of COVID-19 quarantines and mask mandates, a new, increasingly vital position has emerged: the community manager. With fans still at home due to the pandemic and the live industry still wrestling with safety protocols, online communities — once a supplemental outlet to connect with likeminded people — have become part of many people’s social lives. Community managers are not new themselves. Subreddits, Facebook groups and other chat rooms have used them for years. But they are suddenly in high demand as acts such as Wiz Khalifa, Disclosure, Zedd and Kenny Beats, as…

CORDAE HAS NEVER held his tongue when it comes to fighting for racial justice. In 2015, the then-19-year-old rapper participated in protests for Michael Brown and delivered an impromptu freestyle during a Black Lives Matter protest in Washington, D.C., the following year. In 2020, as the movement reached its head, Cordae was arrested at a protest for Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Ky. And yet, he doesn’t consider himself an activist, “and I’m not going to pretend to be one,” he declares over Zoom from his home studio in Los Angeles. “I just got to speak on what I feel and what I believe, because you’re not a true artist if you don’t do that.” The year 2020 was full of life experiences and moments of self-discovery for the now…

Music Groups Steven Cooper CEO, WARNER MUSIC GROUP Max Lousada CEO, WARNER RECORDED MUSIC Warner Music Group recently announced $235 million in annual revenue from emerging platforms like video games, social media and the fitness app Peloton, which Cooper credits to “not just anticipating or preparing for what’s coming” but “actively working to create the future of the music business.” Twenty one pilots’ virtual Roblox concert drew millions of fans in September — WMG participated in a $520 million funding round for the gaming platform in January — and Cardi B’s Instagram “WAP” avatar debuted in fall 2020. “We’re bringing these new opportunities into the center of our creative campaigns,” says Cooper. “It’s incredibly exciting and rewarding to be stretching a bigger canvas for our artists.” During the past…

Irving Azoff CHAIRMAN/CEO, THE AZ OFF COMPANY Elizabeth Collins Susan Genco CO-PRESIDENTS, THE AZ OFF COMPANY Tim Leiweke CEO, OAK VIEW GROUP Jeff Azoff COO, THE AZ OFF COMPANY; CE O, FULL STOP MANA GEMENT See profile, page 67. Bang Si-hyuk CHAIRMAN, HYBE Scooter Braun CO-CEO, HYBE AMERICA; FOUNDER, SB PROJECTS Lenzo Yoon CO-CEO, HYBE AMERIC A See profile, page 92. Scott Borchetta FOUNDER/PRESIDENT/CEO, BIG MA CHINEL ABEL GROUP In the past year, Big Machine artist Carly Pearce released her most critically acclaimed music to date, with her album 29: Written in Stone reaching the top 10 of Top Country Albums. Pearce in August was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry and was named female vocalist of the year at the Country Music Association Awards in November. “She has…

Over the course of the last decade, Azoff has expanded beyond his power base as one of the industry’s top artist managers (the Eagles, Harry Styles, John Mayer, Jon Bon Jovi), with ventures in arena development, music asset investment, music publishing and more. In 2021, Azoff and Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke completed the redevelopment of the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle; opened the UBS Arena in Belmont, N.Y.; moved forward on venues in Palm Springs, Calif.: Austin; Baltimore; and Savannah, Ga.; and acquired Spectra, a live events and entertainment company. Oak View expanded internationally with ongoing development projects for arenas in Manchester, England; Ontario, Canada; São Paulo; and Milan. Azoff launched Iconic Artists Group and is already active in acquiring stakes in the music and other rights…

Tunji Balogun CHAIRMAN/CEO, DEF JAM RECORDINGS Nicki Farag GM, DEF JAM RECORDINGS Def Jam has “continued to put its indelible stamp on the music industry,” says newly appointed chairman/CEO Balogun, 38, noting that Justin Bieber’s and Kanye West’s respective releases — Justice and Donda, which both debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 2021 — are nominated for album of the year at the 2022 Grammy Awards. “Even as the label has undergone massive transition over the past two years,” he continues, “the team delivered superstar rollouts for two of the biggest artists in the world, both of whom embody the ethos the label was founded on: artistry, authenticity and culture.” Aaron Bay-Schuck CO-CHAIRMAN/CEO, WARNER RECORDS Tom Corson CO-CHAIRMAN/COO, WARNER RECORDS Warner Records celebrated the arrival of…

Amazon Music, led by Boom, has become one of the industry’s top streaming services thanks to consistent leadership, brand-specific tie-ins and a willingness to invest in new sectors like podcasting and livestreaming. Thanks to its ongoing partnership with Amazon subsidiary Twitch, Amazon Music has quickly embraced livestreaming, incorporating the tool directly into its mobile apps and streaming global events with acts including Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, and Kanye West and Drake over the past 12 months. Amazon Music also acquired the podcast studio Wondery in late 2020 and spent the past year establishing a foothold in the podcast market, winning several awards in the process. “In the inaugural Ambies Awards — think of them as the Grammys for podcasting — Wondery/Amazon Music won six, the most of anyone, including podcast…

John Janick CHAIRMAN/CEO, INTERSCOPE GEFFEN A&M Steve Berman VICE CHAIRMAN, INTERSCOPE GEFFEN A&M Janick counts the teamwork that met the challenges of remote work during the pandemic as his company’s greatest achievement, a collaboration that drove IGA’s multiple success stories, as well as a 2021 industry-leading year-end current market share of 11.05%. “It’s exciting to be firing on all cylinders with everyone working together,” he says. One example? Geffen drove its way back up the charts with newcomer Olivia Rodrigo’s “drivers license” — the first song to hit 1 billion global streams in 2021. “She’s the biggest breakout artist of the year,” Janick says of the singer-songwriter. “She’s an amazing talent who’s going to be around for decades.” Noting that Interscope is built on “strategic partnerships with great entrepreneurs,”…

Lydia Asrat Josh Kaplan CO-FOUNDERS, 10Q MANAGEMENT 10Q co-founders Asrat and Kaplan oversaw the year’s breakthrough success of superstar Doja Cat. The rapper-singer blew up thanks to Planet Her, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. The album spent its first 21 consecutive weeks in the top 10, leading up to eight nominations at the 2022 Grammys for the 26-year-old artist including nods for album, record and song of the year. She also guested on songs by Lil Nas X and Young Thug, hosted the MTV Video Music Awards and starred in a Grease-inspired Pepsi ad. Noah Assad CO-FOUNDER/CEO, RIMAS ENTERTAINMENT Assad, who was named Billboard’s 2021 Latin Power Players Executive of the Year, saw his top management client, Bad Bunny, make history in 2020 with the…

On Perry’s watch, Columbia enjoyed the view from the top of the Hot 100 in 2021, earning the No. 1 spot for a combined 33 weeks, the most in a year by a label since MRC Data’s information began powering the chart in 1991. That included first trips to the summit for breakout stars 24kGoldn, The Kid LAROI and Polo G, and two returns each for established champs Lil Nas X and BTS. “We broke new artists, which is the most gratifying part of this job, and a lot of the names on that list are new,” says executive vp/GM Jenifer Mallory, who describes the recent hit streak as “lightning in a bottle” and modestly refers to those 33 weeks at No. 1 as “a metric we can all…

The Hipgnosis spending spree over the past three years, during which the company bought a slew of assets from big-name music artists and left other veteran music-industry asset traders stunned, slowed down a bit last year. But Mercuriadis is looking forward to more of the same in 2022, however, now that his company is backed by mega-financial firm Blackstone. While Hipgnosis did spend $1 billion in the last 12 months as of December, according to Mercuriadis — acquiring the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ publishing catalog for $140 million, as well as the song catalogs of Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham, the publishing for both Kaiser Chiefs and Rhett Atkins, and the song and recorded-master royalties from Heart’s Ann Wilson — most of those acquisitions occurred in the…

As head of the industry’s largest independent artist management company, with a roster of some 400 acts, Capshaw says Red Light’s biggest achievement of 2021 was working with others in the live sector “to get the touring industry going again in the second half of the year.” Red Light acts that returned to the road or performed shows included Dave Matthews Band, Brandi Carlile, Luke Bryan, Evanescence, Brittany Howard, Phish, Chris Stapleton, Lady A, Enrique Iglesias and Dierks Bentley. Meanwhile, the festival circuit restarted, with the return of several events in which Capshaw has a stake — including Outside Lands, the Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival and South by Southwest. On the label side, his ATO Records, which he co-owns with Dave Matthews, re-signed Old Crow Medicine Show while…

Raúl Alarcón Jr. CHAIRMAN/CEO, SPANISH BROADCASTING SYSTEM In June, Spanish Broadcasting System announced that Albert Rodríguez was assuming the role of company president held since 1985 by Alarcón, who remains chairman/CEO. Alarcón says he’ll stay focused on “continuing to deliver industry-leading news, entertainment and unparalleled cultural experiences to the Latin community across our toprated audio, digital, video and live-music platforms.” SBS properties include the leading Spanish-language radio stations in the United States and Puerto Rico, such as WSKQ-FM (La Mega) New York. During 2021, SBS secured over $300 million for recapitalization, which, Alarcón says, “will allow the brand to continue expanding [with the] acquisition of properties and talent as well as audience growth.” Perry Bashkoff DIRECTOR OF MUSIC PARTNERSHIPS, INSTAGRAM Despite competition from new apps like TikTok, Instagram remains…

During the pandemic, UTA grew its staff in London, New York, Nashville and Los Angeles; expanded its client list; and strengthened its ability to support marquee artists, including roster additions like Bad Bunny, Demi Lovato and deadmau5. In 2020, Zedeck was joined as agency co-head by Samantha Kirby Yoh and, in late 2021, by Scott Clayton. Coming from a 16-year run at WME, Kirby Yoh brought to the roster Florence + The Machine, Rosalía, LCD Soundsystem and James Blake, while the Nashville-based Clayton delivered his expertise in that market and beyond. UTA’s acquisition of the U.K.-based Echo Location Talent Agency in March included Obi Asika signing on as the U.K. office co-head alongside industry veteran Neil Warnock. (Founded in 2012, Echo has focused on emerging genres like Afrobeats, grime,…

Kris Ahrend CEO, MECHANICAL LICENSING COLLECTIVE During the Mechanical Licensing Collective’s first year of full-fledged operations, Ahrend, 50, guided the organization’s distribution of more than $280 million in digital audio mechanical royalties to its members. He focused on growing his team by dozens of new staffers to keep up with its monthly royalty distributions and to educate and engage with its membership by hosting or participating in over 250 webinars and offering an in-house support team available by phone, email or online chat. “The MLC’s mission is simple,” he says. “To strive to pay each of our members all of the mechanical royalties they are entitled to receive when their songs are distributed on interactive streaming and download services in the U.S. that operate under the new blanket license.”…

Richard James Burgess PRESIDENT/CEO, AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT MUSIC In January 2021, A2IM launched its Black Independent Music Accelerator grant program, designed to amplify Black voices in the independent music community, with sponsors including Spotify, Amazon Music and Alternative Distribution Alliance. The fellowship initiative was a “long overdue and critical step” in creating “full equity for underrepresented communities” in the music industry, says Burgess, who was reelected to a third term as A2IM’s top executive in December. “BIMA is the start of the beginning,” he adds. “We build from here.” Mitch Glazier CHAIRMAN/CEO, RIAA While COVID-19 affected most businesses, revenue from recorded music grew — and its U.S. trade organization made 2021 “a year of a lot of different things,” Glazier says. The RIAA worked state by state to…