The Top 40 Music Industry Social Media Influencers of 2015, as compiled Nathan Gregory of Three Sixty Deal.
ALLISON K SCARINZI
GM – SB Projects
Home to artists such as Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Cody Simpson, and Martin Garrix, SB Projects is one of the hottest entertainment companies in the business. Allison handles all the day-to-day operations of the company.
MIKE CAREN
President A&R – Warner Music Group Mike
Caren is the head of A&R for Warner Music Group which also includes Atlantic Records. He’s also the founder and CEO of Artist Publishing Group.
ALEX WILHELM
Senior Director A&R – Capitol Music Group
Alex Wilhelm started his career by launching the independent A&R company, Crazed Hits. He currently serves as Senior Director of A&R for Capitol Music Group.
SHARON DASTUR
SVP Programming – iHeartMedia
Sharon Dastur is one of the most influential figures in commercial radio as the SVP of Programming for iHeartMedia, formerly known as Clear Channel. Prior to this role she served as program director for Z100 in New York.
DALLAS MARTIN
SVP A&R – Atlantic Records
Dallas Martin is the Senior Vice President of A&R at Atlantic Records. He’s also the CEO of Blueprint Entertainment and involved with Rock Ross’s Maybach Music Group.
SANDI SPIKA BORCHETTA
SVP – Big Machine Label Group
As the creative lead for BMLG, Sandi Borchetta oversees the images of artists like Taylor Swift, Florida Georgia Line, Tim McGraw and Cassadee Pope.
JOHN EHMANN
VP A&R – Interscope Records
The A&R executive responsible for Lana Del Rey, Aloe Blacc and Carly Rae Jepsen, John Ehmann, is the VP of A&R for Interscope Records.
TYLER BROWN
Head of A&R – Syco
Tyler Brown is the Head of A&R for Syco Music, a Sony label based in London. He’s worked with artists like Leona Lewis, Susan Boyle and One Direction.
SCOOTER BRAUN
CEO – SB Projects
Perhaps the king of music industry social media, manager and entrepreneur, Scooter Braun, has nearly 6 million followers between his Twitter and Instagram profiles.
ETHIOPIA HABTERMARIAM
President, Urban Music/Co-Head, Creative – Universal Music Publishing Group
Ethiopia Habtermariam oversees an impressive roster of urban songwriters at UMPG like Chris Brown, J Cole and Hit Boy as well as oversees the creative staff.
KENNY HAMILTON
Kenny Hamilton started his career in Atlanta radio. He later became Justin Bieber’s road manger. Now he is a partner of H.Wood Group, a TV producer and overall creative entrepreneur. He has nearly 3 million followers between his Twitter and Instagram profiles.
BILLY CLARK
Billy Clark, or as he is known around the industry as “Big” Billy Clark, was the former head of A&R for Def Jam on the West Coast. He is currently a talent manager, TV producer and founder of musicolio.com, a music industry networking site.
MICHAEL RAPINO
CEO – Live Nation
As the President and CEO of Live Nation since 2005, Michael Rapino led the transformation of the company into the number one live music brand in the world with operations in over 45 countries.
SYLVIA RHONE
President – Epic Records
Sylvia Rhone first served as president of Universal Motown Records before forming Vested In Culture (VIC) a label imprint with Epic Records. She was named president of Epic in 2014.
ATON BEN-HORIN
Global Director, A&R – Warner Music Group
Aton Ben-Horin is a true multi-hyphenate. He currently serves as Global Director of A&R for all of Warner Music Group’s labels. He’s also a manager, writer, producer and musician.
BRANDON CREED
CEO – The Creed Co.
As an A&R exec for Epic he signed Bruno Mars to a record deal. He later left the label to take over management duties for Mars as well as Mark Ronson among others.
TY STIKLORIUS
Founder – Friends At Work
Ty Stiklorius recently established her management firm, Friends At Work, after departing Atom Factory where she served as co-president. She represents John Legend and Lindsey Sterling among others.
AARON REID
A&R – Epic Records
Aaron Reid, son of Epic Records chief L.A. Reid, is making his mark at Epic Records as an A&R executive. In between signing and developing artists such as Vinny Cha$e and Jude, he works on his own music.
BOBBY CAMPBELL
Manager – Artist Nation
Bobby Campbell made waves in the industry when he became Lady Gaga’s manager in 2013. Since then, he’s joined the Artist Nation (talent management) division of Live Nation.
IRVING AZOFF
As one of the most powerful executives in the music business, Irving Azoff manages the careers of icons such as the Eagles and Christina Aguilera. His social media activity is poignant, direct and insightful.
ALEXANDRA PATSAVAS
CEO – Chop Shop Music
As CEO of Chop Shop Music, Alexandra Patsavas has overseen the music supervision for properties like Twilight, The OC, Gossip Girl, and Mad Men – breaking hundreds of new artists in the process.
GUY OSEARY
Manager – Maverick/Artist Nation
Guy Oseary got his start in the music business at 17 at what became Maverick Records, later to rise to the role of Chairman. He is now the manager for Madonna and U2.
JESSICA HOPPER
Editorial Director for Music at MTV.
In addition to being named in Best Music Writing in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2011 – Jessica Hopper is also the author of The Girls Guide To Rocking.
DANIEL EK
CEO – Spotify
As the founder of Spotify, Daniel Ek is a powerful and influential figure in the music business.
PASQUALE ROTELLA
CEO – Insomniac
One of the godfathers of the modern EDM movement, Pasquale Rotella is the founder and CEO of Insomniac – the producer of festivals such as EDC, Nocturnal Wonderland and many others.
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
L.A. REID
Chairman & CEO – Epic Records
He is the current chairman and CEO of Epic Records, but L.A. Reid also has a rich history as a musician, producer, and TV music competition judge.
ANYA GRUNDMANN
Executive Director, Music – NPR
NPR produces music programming such as the features and podcasts All Songs Considered and Tiny Desk Concerts. Anya Grundmann is not only in charge of all music programming, she also leads all of NPR’s program acquisition.
AARON BAY-SCHUCK
President, A&R – Atlantic Records
After spending 10 years as an A&R executive at Atlantic records, Aaron Bay-Schuck was announced as the president of A&R for Interscope Geffen A&M Records in 2014.
CORTEZ BRYANT
Co-head – Blueprint Group
As the manager for Lil’ Wayne, G-Eazy and others, Cortez Bryant is a leader in the hip hop industry.
ALEX DA KID
CEO – KIDinaKORNER Records
Alex Da Kid didn’t stop at producing hit songs for Dr. Dre, Eminem, Imagine Dragons and others – he founded and runs KIDinaKORNER Records with an artist roster that includes Skylar Grey and X Ambassadors.
EVAN BOGART
Evan “Kidd” Bogart is a Grammy winning songwriter, music executive, TV producer, and music publisher.
RON PERRY
President – SONGS Publishing
Ron Perry has been with SONGS publishing since its founding in 2004. He was named president in 2012.
MONA SCOTT-YOUNG
CEO/Founder – Monami Entertainment
The founder of Monami Entertainment, Mona Scott-Young produces the VH1 franchise, “Love & Hip Hop” and manages the artist Missy Elliot
JERMAINE DUPRI
Owner – So So Def Records
Jermaine Dupri is a Grammy Award winning record producer, songwriter and rapper. He’s also the owner of So So Def Records.
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
RUSSELL SIMMONS
Russell Simmons co-founded the hip hop label DefJam Records and remains an influential figure in music and business.
ERIC ALPER
Eric Alper is the director of media relations at eOne Music Canada. Few people also know that he was chosen by Billboard Magazine, Paste Magazine and the National Post as the “best on Twitter.”
RANDY JACKSON
Randy Jackson is a Grammy award winning producer, but he is best known for his work as a judge on early seasons of American Idol.
ALEXANDER LJUNG
CEO/Founder – Soundcloud
When Alexander Ljung founded Soundcloud, he created a music streaming platform that attracts 175 million unique monthly listeners.
DEBRA LEE
CEO – BET Network
Debra Lee is named one of “The 100 Most Powerful Women In Hollywood.” Her career at BET has spanned 25 years.
ADAM LEBER
Co-Owner – Reign Deer Entertainment
Adam Leber is co-owener of Reign Deer Entertainment, long-time partners with Larry Rudolph. Together they manage the careers of Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears and others.
