Robert Sillerman’s rollercoaster March has climaxed with the SFX Entertainment chairman and CEO topping a poll which ranks the “most powerful” people in dance music.
Sillerman is No. 1 on dance music title inthemix’ second annual “Power 50“ list, nudging out 2013’s leader Pasquale Rotella (CEO and founder, Insomniac) and Joel Zimmerman (partner and head of electronic music division, WME).
The goal of the “Power 50” is “to set the barometer of who in dance music is calling the shots right now, in 2014 – not over the course of history,” explains inthemix CEO and founder Neil Ackland. “Like last year, this list is not about DJs or artists. There are some artists featured here who do make music, but they’re included in this list because their role in the industry goes beyond being an artist.”
The publication’s global editorial team compiled the list after conducting “hundreds of hours of research” and holding conversations with “over 100 industry leaders” over the course of a year. The poll was an initiative of the brand’s U.S.-based site.
Sillerman has been a walking headline in recent days. SFX’ shareprice dropped 20% last Thursday, on the day Sillerman reportedly took part in a profanity-laced conference call with a few analysts. About an hour after the call began at 10 a.m., one of the analysts alluded to some photos of Sillerman giving the finger (and grabbing his crotch) that had appeared on Instagram earlier in the week, saying, “We want to make sure you are still sane.” Then, analyst Ben Green of BD Capital is recorded accusing Sillerman of accounting adjustments to brush over its “shitty deals.”
SFX reported that last year it had $170 million in revenue and a net loss of $119 million ($1.73 a share for the year). After raising $260 million when it went public late last year, SFX went on to acquire festivals like Tomorrowland, Rock in Rio, and Electric Zoo and develop partnerships with Anheuser InBev and Clear Channel.
“Depending on whom you ask, he might be an over-cashed opportunist, a much-needed shot in the arm for the industry, or ‘more than a little crazy’,” explains inthemix on its top-ranked “Power 50” player. “No matter how you assess his character or motivations, it’s inarguable that Sillerman means business.”
The inthemix “Power 50” is below:
1. Robert F.X. Sillerman
SFX Entertainment, Inc.
2. Pasquale Rotella
Insomniac
3. Joel Zimmerman
WME
4. Pete Tong
BBC Radio 1, WME, IMS
5. Duncan Stutterheim
ID&T
6. Paul Morris
AM Only
7. Russell Faibisch & Adam Russakoff
Ultra Music Festival
8. Glenn Mendlinger
Astralwerks
9. James Barton
Live Nation
10. Mark Gillespie & Dean Wilson
Three Six Zero Group
11. Neil Moffitt
Hakkasan Group
12. Ash Pournouri
At Night Management
13. Patrick Moxey
Ultra Music/Sony
14. Richie McNeill & Dror Erez
SFX-Totem Onelove Group
15. Noah Tepperberg & Jason Strauss
Marquee, Lavo, Tao nightclubs & Strategic Hospitality Group
16. Eelko van Kooten
Spinnin’ Records and MusicAllStars
17. Amy Thomson
ATM Artists
18. Donnie Estopinal
Disco Donnie Presents
19. Maykel Piron
Armada Music
20. Jesse Waits & Sean Christie
XS, Tryst, Encore Beach Club and Surrender Nightclub!
21. Anna Knaup
Anna Agency and Sorted Management!
22. Michael Cohen
Control Music Group, Recreation Worldwide, Priority Records
23. Gary Richards
HARD Events
24. Matthew Adell
Beatport
25. Stephanie LaFera
Little Empire Music
26. Dave Rene
Interscope Records
27. Tim Smith
Blood Company
28. David Levy
WME
29. Shelly Finkel
SFX Entertainment, Inc.
30. David Lewis
David Lewis Productions
31. David Grutman
Miami Marketing Group
32. Steve Satterthwaite
Red Light Management
33. Ben Turner
Graphite/Bestival/IMS/Association for Electronic Music!
34. Lee Anderson
AM Only
35. Maria May
Creative Artists Agency
36. Steve Goodgold
The Windish Agency
37. Cris Hearn
Primary Talent International
38. Jason Bentley
KCRW
39. Liz Miller
Big Beat Records
40. Mike Bindra & Laura DePalma
Made Event/Electric Zoo Festival
41. Rob Fernandez & Eddie Dean
Pacha North America/RPM Presents
42. Lawrence Vavra & Matt Colon
Deckstar
43. Oliver Luckett
theAudience
44. Mac Clark
Creative Artists Agency
45. Kevin Kusatsu & Andrew McInnes
TMWRK
46. Jason Ellis
Positiva Records/Virgin Records
47. Edward Shapiro
Reed Smith
48. Michael George
Scooter Braun Projects, LLC
49. Sam Kirby
WME
50. Geronimo
SiriusXM