Suddenly, the music industry is teeming with executives on the rise, the potential leaders of the music industry over the next decade. For full details on this story, see the Billboard Year-End issue.
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John Janick
Interscope/Geffen/A&M
After signing acts like Paramore, Panic At The Disco! and fun. while at the Warner Music Group and his own label Fueled By Ramen, Janick defected to become the No. 2 and heir apparent to Jimmy Iovine at Interscope/Geffen/A&M. Sources say Janick has both creative and business chops, and if he stayed at WMG might now be vying with Cameron Strang and Craig Kallman/Julie Greenwald for the top music spot.
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Cameron Strang
Warner/Chappell Music
When Lyor Cohen anchored the Warner Music Group, Strang, chairman and CEO of Warner/ChappelMusic, was touted as the dark horse to pick up some of Cohen’s responsibilities. And that has happened quicker than predicted as Strang was first placed in charge of Rhino Records and, a month later, added Warner Bros. Records to his mandate. The exec, who started out as an entertainment lawyer, is considered a serious contender for the top job one day, though maybe not in 2013.
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Jon Platt
Warner/Chappell Music
Strang’s No. 2 executive, overseeing creative for Warner/Chappell North America, is “Big Jon” Platt, who joined from EMI Music Publishing in September. Like Strang and Janick, he too is viewed as having the potential to run an entire major, not just publishing.
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Lukasz Gottwald, a.k.a. Dr. Luke
Sony Music Entertainment
When Sony Music Entertainment CEO Doug Morris signed a label deal with Gottwald, he touted him as another Iovine, who helped Morris’ stars shine, first at the Warner Music Group and then at UMG. Since his signing a year ago, he seems to have gotten off to a slow start, releasing a single, “Bandz A Make Her Dance,” featuring Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz, from the forthcoming Juicy J album through Columbia. His other release was Ke$ha’s Warrior album, through RCA Records.
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Dan McCarroll
Capitol Records
McCarroll, now president of A&R at Capitol Records (where he kind of got lost in the shuffle due to the turmoil that dominated EMI during the last couple of years), is now seen as an up and coming executive within the UMG fold. He’ll be reporting to new Capitol boss Steve Barnett, who joined from Columbia Records.
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Mike Caren
Warner Music Group
Caren, who was co-president of Elektra Records with Janick, became WMG’s worldwide president of A&R upon Janick’s departure because he was in demand from the other WMG creative heads who wanted to work with him, according to company insiders.
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Joie Manda
Def Jam Records
Manda, who left WMG to become president of to Def Jam, gets thumbs up from his former co-workers on the A&R side. “The jury is still out on him here because nothing he has signed yet has come out,” says one UMG insider. Yet another UMG insider gives him credit for at least getting records out, regardless of who signed them.
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Jeff Castelaz
Elektra Records
Dangerbird co-founder Castelaz, who also has an artist management background, was appointed president of Elektra in October. “Jeff is a very well-rounded executive who understands every aspect, from creative to the business,” says a WMG insider.
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Mike Easterlin
Fueled By Ramen/Roadrunner Records
Mike Easterlin became GM for WMG’s Fueled by Ramen and Roadrunner Records in 2012, after leading a radio promotion team that swung between those two labels and Atlantic Records. “There is no denying Mike,” says one executive who has worked with him.
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Joel Klaiman
Columbia Records
The defection of Steve Barnett from Columbia Records to become chairman/CEO of Capitol Label Group opened up a slot for Joel Klaiman to return to Sony Music as executive VP/GM for Columbia. Previously, Klaiman had spent more than 10 years as an executive at Epic Records, culminating in being appointed executive VP of promotion for the label in 2006.