17
STEVE BARNETT, 63
Chairman/CEO, Capitol Music Group
Last Year’s Rank: 16
Capitol Music Group started 2015 with a Grammy sweep of the top four categories by Sam Smith and Beck and ended the year with strong breakthroughs by developing artists like Silento, best new artist Grammy nominee Tori Kelly and Halsey, who already has sold out her date at New York’s Madison Square Garden in August. “There’s a tremendous focus on our A&R,” says Barnett. He has increased Capitol’s market share in each of his three years at the helm, bringing it to 8.1 percent in 2015. With former Columbia Records colleague Ashley Newton onboard as CMG president, Barnett will focus more on marketing in the coming year, which, he says, “is really at the heart of what I always did.”
