Billboard has released its annual list of the 100 most powerful figures in music, and once again, actual performers don't play much of a role. However, in one of the few spots on the list performers were able to grab, they grabbed a pretty good post: Jay Z and Beyoncé were named the most powerful "individual" in music.
Alright, so obviously Billboard blurred the lines a bit to name Jay and 'Yé the most powerful individual in music. But we'll take it, because as a perusal of the rest of the list reveals, there isn't too much power in the hands of the actual musicians. Following music's first couple at no. 2 is Universal Music CEO Lucian Grainge. No. 3 is Red Light Management owner and found Coran Capshaw. And behind them is a litany of other executives, agents and publishers.
The only other entry that we'll consider as a performer was Bryan "Birdman" Williams and Ronald "Slim" Williams at no. 50, although we suspect their entry is tied more heavily to their roles as co-founders of Cash Money Records than to their rap careers.
Billboard defines "power" as "the ability to reshape the world around you according to your vision." The publication's list seems to suggest that outside of a few larger-than-life figures, musicians don't actually have much of an ability to do that. Although Jay Z and Beyoncé are certainly influential and headstrong performers, one has to wonder how honest their no. 1 ranking truly is. Do they actually outweigh these executives, or does Beyoncé on the cover sell more copies than Grainge on the cover?
The power list is roughly 93 percent white, and roughly 88 percent male. Does that sound like the popular music you're familiar with?
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