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Most Powerful People In Music Revealed

added 30 June 2004 at 14.38

A new poll has reported who the Top 100 Most Powerful people in the Music Industry worldwide are. And surprisingly we Brits don’t fair too badly at all, with Coldplay, Radiohead and even Mike Skinner getting an appearance.

The new list features in today’s Independent newspaper, and sets out to list not only all the artists  considered to be the most powerful in the music scene, but also the company heads behind the hits.

While the top ten is unsurprisingly dominated by such industry moguls as the Chief Executives for Clear Channel, Universal and Sony, also included are Outkast’s Andre 3000 (6), Apple pioneer Steve Jobs (2), Bono (9) and our very own Chris Martin from Coldplay at number 10.

Beating all these however is Eminem in the top spot.
His influence on American youth (he recently persuaded 75,000 young people to register to vote for the first time at the Hip Hop Summit Action Network) and culture as well as his massive market power, led the panel to vote him the most powerful figure in music.

"There's a generation of people who listen to what he has to say in the same way as the great spokespeople for previous generations, such as Bob Dylan and John Lydon," said Q magazine deputy editor of Gareth Grundy, whose magazine compiled the list (Now there’s a surprise, a list? In Q Magazine?).

Elsewhere the old guard are represented by Paul McCartney (16), Bob Dylan (23), David Bowie (45), John Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono (32) (whose entry is deliciously justified as "without her there'd be nobody to say 'No' to Paul McCartney") and Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, who appear in the chart at 53 .

Alongside the predictable popstars (Madonna (27), Britney Spears (17), George Michael (56) and Robbie Williams (55)) there are also surprise entries for No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani (56) remixer Danger Mouse (89), Muse’s Matt Bellamy (80) and The Streets’ Mike Skinner (98)

The list was drawn up by a 17-strong panel of ‘experts’ including Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie, Tim Westwood, Glastonbury organiser Michael Eavis and (bizarrely) ‘School of Rock’ and Tenacious D star Jack Black.

The full list is:

1. Eminem
2. Steve Jobs and Jonathan Ive (Apple)
3. L Lowry Mays (Chief Executive Clear Channel)
4. Doug Morris (Chief Executive Universal)
5. Edgar Bronfman Jnr (Chairman Warner Music Group)
6. Andre 3000
7. Jimmy Iovine (Head of Interscope records)
8. Sir Howard Stringer (Chief executive Sony)
9. Bono
10. Chris Martin
    
    
11. 50 Cent
12. Rick Rubin
13. Rolf Schmidt-Holtz (Chief Executive of BMG)
14. Clive Davis (Head of BMG North America)
15. Simon Fuller
16. Sir Paul McCartney
17. Britney Spears
18. Jack White
19. Dr Dre
20. Van Toffler (MTV President)
    
    
21. Lyor Cohen (Chief executive Warner Bros)
22. Kanye West
23. Bob Dylan
24. Michel Gondry
25. Dave Grohl
26. Alan Levy (Head of EMI)
27. Madonna
28. Beyoncé
29. Michael Bebel (Head of Napster)
30. Thom Yorke
    
    
31. Rich Harrison
32. Yoko Ono
33. Terry McBride (Head of Nettwerk Productions – Dido)
34. R Kelly
35. Spike Jonze Music
36. Antonio "LA" Reid
37. Linda Perry
38. The Neptunes
39. Jay Berman (Head of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry)
40. Dido
    
    
41. Rod Smallwood & Andy Taylor (Sanctuary Records Group)
42. Usher
43. Jeff Kwatinetz (The Firm Mamagement - Limp Bizkit)
44. Kevin Weatherly (Head of LA radio station KROQ)
45. David Bowie
46. Justin Timberlake
47. Red Hot Chilli Peppers
48. Jay Z
49. Prince
50. Norah Jones
    
    
51. Korda Marshall (Managing Director - East West UK)
52. Beastie Boys
53. Mick Jagger & Keith Richards
54. Simon Cowell
55. Robbie Williams
56. George Michael
57. Gwen Stefani
58. Tim Armstrong
59. Christina Aguilera
60. Big Boi
    
    
61. Bruce Springsteen
62. Cliff Burnstein & Peter Mensch (Q Prime Management - Metallica)
63. Martin Dodd Senior (Sony Vice President)
64. Timbaland
65. David LaChappelle
66. Cathy Dennis
67. Courtney Love
68. Metallica
69. Axl Rose
70. John Silva (ex-Nirvana, now Foo Fighters and Beastie Boys manager)
    
    
71. Sharon Osbourne
72. Alex Jones Donnelly
73. Missy Elliott
74. Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Air, Beck and Travis producer)
75. Kelly Jones
76. Beck
77. Morrissey
78. Noel Gallagher
79. Kylie Minogue
80. Irving Azoff (Christina Aguilera and Eagles manager)
    
    
81. Russell Simmons
82. Matt Bellamy
83. Josh Homme
84. Geoff Travis (Head of Rough Trade)
85. Janet Jackson
86. Marilyn Manson
87. Joseph Kahn (MTV video director)
88. Lil' Jon
89. Sean Paul
90. Alicia Keys
    
    
91. Danger Mouse
92. Michael Parkinson
93. Vince Power (Mean Fiddler Venues/Festivals Group)
94. Jack Black
95. Tim Westwood
96. Liam Howlett
97. Ryan Adams
98. Rollo Armstrong (Dido's producer, co-writer and brother).
99. Michael Eavis
100. Mike Skinner
     

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