71
WILLARD AHDRITZ, 52
Founder/CEO, Kobalt
Last Year's Rank: 69
WILLARD AHDRITZ, 52
Founder/CEO, Kobalt
Last Year's Rank: 69
The privately held independent music publisher's 2016 revenue approached $320 million, Billboard estimates, a 30 percent increase over 2015. Its data-centric, "real time" royalty-tracking technology attracted Zayn Malik, Lionel Richie, Deadmau5 and the Elvis Presley estate in 2016. And Kobalt's acquisition of music publisher Fintage House and the bulk of Nettwerk's publishing catalog boosted its footprint in the copyright space.
Song Stuck in His Head: "Iggy Pop's 'Sunday.'"