14
MONTE LIPMAN, 52
Chairman/CEO, Republic Records
AVERY LIPMAN, 50
President/COO, Republic Records
Last Year’s Rank: 15
As a 22-year-old label with little back catalog, Republic’s modus operandi is cultivating hits. In 2016, the UMG-owned imprint had plenty: Drake‘s “One Dance” (four-times platinum), Ariana Grande‘s Nicki Minaj team-up “Side to Side” (No. 4 Hot 100 peak), DNCE‘s “Cake by the Ocean” (three-times platinum) and The Weeknd‘s third Hot 100 No. 1, “Starboy.” Drake’s Views also scored the year’s No. 1 biggest debut week, but the Lipman brothers emphasize longer-term investments. “Week number 50 has become as valuable, or even more, as week one,” says Monte, citing Apple’s recent use of Marian Hill‘s 7-month-old “Down” for its first AirPod ad campaign.
Time-Travel Fantasy Concert: Avery: “The Weeknd in 2030. I can only imagine what he’ll come up with by then.”
“With Monte, it’s his ability to think outside of the box and to be a fan of the very thing that I so believe in… two words: ‘Why not?’ ” — Stevie Wonder on Monte Lipman
