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HARTWIG MASUCH, 64
CEO, BMG
FOUR — AS IN FOURTH MAJOR: With fiscal year 2018 revenue on target to hit $600 million — two-thirds of it generated by publishing, the rest by recorded music — Masuch says BMG is now positioning itself as the fourth major music company, a claim he avoided in the early years of the company’s reincarnation. “BMG can deliver successful global records and break new artists in every territory,” says Masuch, citing Jason Aldean‘s No. 1 Billboard 200 album Rearview Town and Lil Dicky‘s “Freaky Friday,” featuring Chris Brown, the first BMG release to surpass 1 billion streams. The company also grew through acquisitions of RBC Records and World Circuit Records, and the additions of 21 Savage, BlocBoy JB, Juice WRLD and Jessie J to its publishing roster.
