7
EDDY CUE, 53
Senior vp, internet and software services, Apple
DAVID DORN, 52
Senior director, Apple
JIMMY IOVINE, 64
Executive, Apple
LARRY JACKSON, 37
Head of content, iTunes/Apple Music
ROBERT KONDRK, 56
Vice president, Apple
Last Year’s Rank: 4
BIG DEAL Acquired the Shazam app for a reported $400 million, a bargain to own the proprietary music-recognition technology that Apple had been licensing for Siri. (Shazam’s machine-learning smarts could also play a big role in future artificial-intelligence initiatives and tech like the HomePod speaker, due to debut in 2018.)
EYE TUNES In its second full year of operation, Apple Music added 10 million paid subscribers for a total of over 30 million in 115 countries, and as speculation grows that the tech goliath is mulling closing its iTunes downloads store, new frontiers are a focus: Three artists in the Up Next program shepherded by Dorn — Khalid, Daniel Caesar and 6LACK — received nine Grammy noms, and a big push for 2018 will be video. Jackson, meanwhile, produced a slew of music documentaries that helped drive subscriptions, and took on new marketing duties following the exit of Bozoma Saint John in June. Apple is said to be eyeing a Netflix purchase; hired Sony Television’s Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht, who report to Cue; and has earmarked $1 billion for original shows. Iovine, who may exit his full-time role at Apple this year, says streaming continues to be a priority: “Apple Music is growing at a fantastic rate. The industry is excited about streaming, but we are driven to make it much more. We have a road map and are committed to making that leap to where it is more than a utility.”
