LOS ANGELES -- Power couple Jay-Z and Beyonce joined a list of top music executives, led by Live Nation Entertainment chairman Irving Azoff, on Billboard magazine’s first Power 100 chart on Friday.
Only a handful of artists broke onto the list that sought to name the recording industry’s most influential people and was dominated by businessmen and women. The selection was determined by a combination of money, market share, Billboard chart data and other information, and a team of 15 magazine editors analyzed the results to produce the list.
Both Jay-Z and Beyonce made it due to numerous ventures outside their singing careers including Jay-Z’s Roc Nation music, management and entertainment company and Beyonce’s sponsorship deals with brands such as L’Oreal. Collectively, they were placed at No. 13 on the Power 100 list.
Azoff has been at the helm of Live Nation Entertainment, a ticket sales and concert company, since 2008 and previously represented artists such as Christina Aguilera and Van Halen.
Just behind Azoff at No. 2 was Coran Capshaw, the founder and partner of Red Light Management, who helps run the careers of groups such as the Dave Matthews Band. Rounding out the top three was Universal Music Group’s chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge.
Others on the list included Creative Artists Agency’s managing partner and head of music Rob Light at No. 7 and Interscope Geffen A&M Records co-founder Jimmy Iovine at No. 10.
Rock band U2 came in at No. 27 along with their manager Paul McGuinness based on their ability to sell more than 7 million tickets to their last tour along with their prolific chart career. Fellow rocker Jon Bon Jovi clocked in at No. 50.
Country music star Taylor Swift, 22, made the list at No. 78 for being a “branding powerhouse” with her own management company and lucrative contracts with companies such as CoverGirl. Pop sensation Lady Gaga followed Swift at No. 84, picked for the sway she holds over millions of loyal followers on Facebook and Twitter.
The list held some surprises as “The X Factor” creator and television mogul Simon Cowell ranked last at No. 100, beaten by his former “American Idol” colleague, host Ryan Seacrest, who ranked No. 64.
Seacrest was placed higher due to his numerous ventures including his syndicated daily radio show, “American Idol” hosting gig, production company at NBC Universal and his newest venture to reshape HDNet as a pop culture TV network in collaboration with billionaire Mark Cuban, Creative Artists Agency and live entertainment company, AEG.
The full list can be viewed at Billboard.biz and in the upcoming issue of Billboard Magazine, on newsstands Jan. 30.
