MARSHA VLASIC
President, Artist Group International
IAM VERY FORTUNATE that I have very special relationships that certainly none of the younger agents today have,” says Vlasic, one of the legendary women in the booking agency business, who represents artists including Neil Young, Elvis Costello, Regina Spektor and Cage the Elephant. “On any given night, I’m either at a client’s home breaking bread or at a show, welcomed in the dressing room. I’m not a fly on the wall. I’m there. Years have gotten me there.”
Over more than four decades as an agent, Vlasic has worked for ICM, set up her own independent company (which ICM subsequently bought) and, in 2014, joined Artists Group International, working with AGI founder/chairman Dennis Arfa.
“I am proud to report [AGI] having several of the most successful recent stadium tours with Mötley Crüe/Def Leppard, The Strokes with Red Hot
Chili Peppers and Metallica, Billy Joel’s continued record-breaking residency at Madison Square Garden [and] an arena package with Smashing Pumpkins and Jane’s Addiction,” says Vlasic.
“Also,” she adds, “we’ve signed some great artists to the roster, such as Noel Gallagher, Limp Bizkit, Pantera and Paris Jackson.”
An early pioneer of package bookings, Vlasic notes: “I’ve always been pro festival. I think it’s great for the artists. It’s great for the fan to be able to see all that music and enjoy themselves and have the choice to go from one stage to another. I bought into festivals really early on.”
Lagarrigue adds that RLM continues to bet on its record label, Sin Anestesia, with “excellent results” for emerging talents like Paula Mattheus and Marlena.
Rebeca León
CEO, LIONFISH ENTERTAINMENT
In early February, León and her superstar management client Rosalía revealed an amicable business split. But that followed a banner year for Rosalía; her groundbreaking album Motomami lifted her star even higher, with the support of León’s Lionfish Entertainment. The Spanish innovator became the first woman to win album of the year for a second time at the Latin Grammys, and Metacritic recognized the album as the most critically praised release of 2022. “With all appreciation for the achievements we worked so hard for in the past,” León says, “this was without a doubt Lionfish Entertainment’s proudest year.”
Sarah Montgomery Anna Savage
AGENTS, FULL STOP MANAGEMENT
Full Stop Management represents some 40-plus clients, including Harry Styles, Lizzo, the Eagles, John Mayer and Jon Bon Jovi, and in 2022 it added Cardi B and U2 to its roster. Collectively, its artists amassed billions of streams in 2022, with one or more acts represented by the company in the Hot 100 all year. “Our team navigated the pandemic and the slowdown so effectively that when things started to open up again these past 12 months, our artists such as Anderson .Paak and James Blake were strategically positioned to move their careers forward in very big ways,” says Savage. The roster performed over
850 shows combined. “The combination of our clients’ undeniable talent along with our team’s shared values, ‘test and learn’ strategy, and collaborative 360 support has helped contribute to this waterfall effect of success,” Montgomery adds.
Luana Pagani PRESIDENT, SEITRACK US
Returning to a “sort of normal after a period of disruption and fear” resulted in a fruitful year, says Pagani, adding that Seitrack US booked over 180 shows, including two back-to-back sold-out concerts by Los Ángeles Azules at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, Calif. Seitrack also released new music by its clients and signed Spanish star Alejandro
Sanz and Mexican newcomer Michelle Maciel. Pagani led the team that orchestrated Yuridia’s mariachi album, Pa’ Luego es Tarde, which marked the artist’s debut entry on the Regional Mexican Albums chart at No. 7. “More than ever, I felt that my role encompassed not only being creative and entrepreneurial but also nurturing and stabilizing,” she says.
Melissa Ruderman PARTNER, RANGE MEDIA Neelam Thadhani MUSIC MANAGER, RANGE MEDIA
Range Media management client
Jack Harlow closed 2022 at No. 14 on Billboard’s year-end Top Artists tally, propelled by Come Home the
Kids Miss You, which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. In January, it was reported that the company is a front-runner to represent rap star Nicki Minaj. “I am most proud of the way Range uses close lines of communication and information-sharing to create synergy between all departments,” says Ruderman. “We have put music artists into major acting roles in film and TV, created big synch moments for songs and sold scripts and show ideas from musicians who never had access to do so previously. This is a major point of difference for our company.”
Dina Sahim Reed ARTIST MANAGER, SALXCO
After splitting in 2012, Sahim Reed’s client Swedish House Mafia kicked off an epic return a decade later with Paradise Again, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart. The group performed its latest project across the globe, starting with a co-headlining stint at Coachella — its first live performance since reuniting — with The Weeknd. The act continued with its world tour and ended with its first North American residency at Las Vegas’ XS Nightclub. Sahim Reed adds that another client, British singer-songwriter Hope Tala, is gearing up to release her debut album, executive-produced by nine-time Grammy winner Greg Kurstin, in 2023 on Republic Records.
Sophia Sansone
MANAGING PARTNER, MAKE WAKE ARTISTS
Six years after the Vanderbilt University graduate started as an assistant to Make Wake Artists founder Chris Kappy, Sansone rose in 2022 to managing partner of the firm, playing a key role in the activities of reigning Country Music Association (CMA) entertainer of the year Luke Combs and in the management of Nicole Combs. She helped guide the rollout of Luke Combs’ global tour, which includes 14 American stadium dates. “I feel blessed,” she says, “that Kappy has given me the opportunity to grow.”
Ebonie Ward CEO, 11TH & CO
With a keen eye for success with Southern rap artists, Ward has overseen three monumental releases in the last year: Future’s chart-topping ninth album, I Never Liked You; Flo Milli’s major-label debut, You Still Here, Ho?; and Gunna’s second Billboard 200 No. 1 DS4ever. Plus, Ward established her own management firm, 11th & Co. The achievements of her clients “are not only proud moments for my company,” Ward says, “but are pillars that have shifted and impacted today’s music and culture.”
Janet Weir OWNER, HOUSE OF 42
As the management company for Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd, Weir’s House of 42 guided a 42-date tour for Morris’ first post-pandemic concert run. Morris employed a 50% female road crew, hitting key venues including Radio City Music Hall in New York, the Hollywood Bowl, Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colo., and Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.
Under founder/CEO ROSA LAGARRIGUE, RLM organized some 450 concerts last year while also managing and booking artists including Spain’s ANA TORROJA.
MAREN MORRIS, who is managed by JANET WEIR of House of 42, staged a 42-date concert tour, for which 50% of her road crew were women.
She also played the Newport Folk Festival, country music festival Stagecoach and RodeoHouston, attracting what Weir calls “an incredible community of the most supportive, inclusive and diverse fans.” Morris’ Humble Quest was nominated for the CMA’s album of the year award.
MUSIC PUBLISHING Leslie Ahrens
SENIOR VP OF CREATIVE FOR LATIN AMERICA, KOBALT
Christine Jeanneret SENIOR VP OF BUSINESS AFFAIRS, KOBALT
Melissa Emert-Hunter
VP OF CREATIVE, KOBALT
In the wake of its September sale of a majority stake to the technology-focused investment firm Francisco Partners, Kobalt’s roster continues to expand. Ahrens, Emert-Hunter and Jeanneret were key to signing and extending dozens of notable acts in the past 18 months including
Karol G, Justin Quiles, Anuel, Ovy on the Drums, Omah Lay, Del Water Gap and IDLES. (The last act is particularly dear to Emert-Hunter, who wrote in an internal “Kobalt Quiz” that the band’s South by Southwest 2018 show at the British Music Embassy venue was one of her all-time most memorable.)
Alisa Coleman
COO, ABKCO MUSIC AND RECORDS; BOARD CHAIR,
THE MECHANICAL LICENSING COLLECTIVE
Home to The Rolling Stones, Sam
Cooke, The Animals and other legends, ABKCO’s “rich catalog of gems” provides plenty of licensing opportunities on the publishing and master side, says Coleman. Third-party ad campaigns in 2022 led to the resurgence of 1960s hits on streaming platforms, she says, such as Bobby Womack’s “Breezin’ ” for Chime credit cards and Dee Dee Sharp’s “Mashed Potato Time” for Airbnb, which had a 1,500% increase in Shazams and “major streaming uplift” on digital service providers. In her role as board chair at the MLC, she proudly reveals it has reached “the billion-dollar distribution mark.”
Jennifer Knoepfle
EXECUTIVE VP/CO-HEAD OF A&R,
UNIVERSAL MUSIC PUBLISHING GROUP Alexandra Lioutikoff
PRESIDENT OF LATIN AMERICA AND U.S. LATIN, UNIVERSAL MUSIC PUBLISHING GROUP
Joy Murphy
SENIOR VP/HEAD OF FILM AND TELEVISION LICENSING
AND CLEARANCE, UNIVERSAL MUSIC PUBLISHING GROUP Ana Rosa Santiago
SENIOR VP OF LATIN MUSIC, UNIVERSAL MUSIC PUBLISHING GROUP
Angelica Merida
VP OF BUSINESS AND LEGAL AFFAIRS, INTERNATIONAL AND DIGITAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, UNIVERSAL MUSIC PUBLISHING GROUP
“From stars like Harry Styles, Bad
Bunny, Rosalía, SZA, Metro Boomin and Steve Lacy to songwriters and producers like Kid Harpoon, Omer Fedi, Take a Daytrip, ATL Jacob, Rodney Jerkins and many more, UMPG’s talent pool is unmatched,” says Knoepfle. Though they have many marquee names headlining their roster — quite a few of which have been honored with nominations for Golden Globes, Grammys and Academy Awards in the last year — the women in leadership at UMPG are also equally trying to grow and invest in tomorrow’s stars. One way the team has worked to identify and foster the best new talent? The founding of UMPG’s Global Creative Group, a team of senior A&R executives from all over the world who work together to expand opportunities across borders for their writers. Above all, for UMPG’s women in leadership, it’s about providing the “best service for [their] songwriters,” adds Knoepfle.
Liz Lewis
SENIOR VP OF SONGWRITER SERVICES, SONY MUSIC PUBLISHING
Amy Coles
VP OF CREATIVE MARKETING, FILM AND TV, SONY MUSIC PUBLISHING
Ari Gelaw
VP OF CREATIVE, SONY MUSIC PUBLISHING Amy Roland
VP OF SYNCH AND NEW BUSINESS, SONY MUSIC PUBLISHING, U.S. LATIN
Yendi Rodríguez SENIOR DIRECTOR OF CREATIVE A&R, SONY MUSIC PUBLISHING, U.S. LATIN
Sony Music Publishing’s women in leadership are focused on always “finding new ways to support SMP’s catalog of songwriters across every division,” says Lewis. In the last year, the major publisher scored a number of triumphs: The song “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” by Kate Bush achieved viral success and a No. 3 slot on the Hot 100 after its appearance in Netflix’s Stranger Things, the company expanded further into Africa, and the team finalized a number of new deals with talents including Anitta, Bizarrap, Ryan Tedder and Muddy Waters. Concurrently, the team is focused on helping their writers with initiatives like its Legacy Unrecouped Balance Program and Songwriter Assistance as well as “driving new creative opportunities for their songs like our new Sample Initiatives,” says Lewis of the move to encourage songwriters to sample or interpolate songs from Sony’s vast back catalog.
Carianne Marshall
CO-CHAIR/COO, WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC Vivian Barclay
MANAGING DIRECTOR, WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC CANADA
Shani Gonzales
EXECUTIVE VP/MANAGING DIRECTOR, WARNER CHAPPELL U.K.; HEAD OF INTERNATIONAL, WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC
Natalie Madaj
SENIOR VP OF GLOBAL DIGITAL, WARNER
CHAPPELL MUSIC
Two years after creating a “refreshed company strategy,” Warner Chappell “has built great momentum and worked hard to diversify our revenue streams,” Marshall says. The creative services team has “worked behind the scenes to amplify our songs and songwriters,” she adds, with initiatives like a new podcast honoring Warner Chappell Music writers from the Great American Songbook era and a documentary to showcase the work of WCM’s Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and the late Thom Bell. With a new vision statement, which Marshall calls the team’s “north star,” Warner Chappell has had “double-digit revenue growth of 30% in [fiscal year 2022]... one of our strongest years yet.”
ABBA’s label Polar Music International, headed by MIA SEGOLSSON, released the group’s first new album in 40 years, The Voyage. It debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in late 2021, ahead of the opening of the ABBA Voyage show in London in May.
Helen Murphy
FORMER CEO, ANTHEM ENTERTAINMENT
“All of our artists are knocking it out of the park,” says Murphy, who is recognized for the company’s achievements during the past year. (On Feb. 6, an Anthem representative noted that Murphy is no longer CEO of the company, with Jason Klein, former senior vp of business affairs and Canadian GM, named interim CEO.) Among Anthem’s recent highlights: Rush’s Moving Pictures reentered the Billboard 200 at No. 11 after a 40th-anniversary rerelease, while two country No. 1s were achieved by songwriters Matt Rogers (for Cody Johnson’s “Til You Can’t”) and Jordan and Jacob Davis (for Jordan’s “Buy Dirt,” featuring Luke Bryan). Murphy also launched the Real Country Livin’ series with SiriusXM and co-produced/directed the José Feliciano documentary Behind This Guitar.
Natalia Nastaskin
CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER, PRIMARY WAVE
Samantha Rhulen
SENIOR VP OF BUSINESS AND LEGAL AFFAIRS, PRIMARY WAVE
Deb Klein
MANAGER, PRIMARY WAVE
Primary Wave’s biggest move this past year was securing a $2 billion infusion from Brookfield Asset Management. But even before that, the company racked up an impressive haul of acquisitions, including rights to the catalogs of Joey Ramone, Julian Casablancas and Huey Lewis & The News. “After more than three years of negotiating and drafting, we finally closed” on the estate of James Brown, “one of the longestrunning and most difficult, but also one of the most important deals for our company,” says Rhulen. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, Klein kept the company’s management division — with artists like Melissa Etheridge and Cypress Hill — humming, while Primary Wave capped the year with the Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody, one of several productions that Nastaskin is overseeing.
Mary Megan Peer
CEO, PEERMUSIC
The third-generation CEO says that in 2022, “cross-cultural collaborations set up by peermusic creative teams had both a cultural and commercial impact.” Peer notes that co-writes between peermusic’s Swedish writers and those in Korea and Japan resulted in nine No. 1 singles in Korea, four in
Japan, one in China and iTunes No. 1s in 28 countries. Sweden’s Andreas
Öhrn alone had five No. 1 projects in Japan and Korea, she says. In September, a song camp in Lagos, Nigeria, hosted by production duo SOS and writer Larry Gaaga “paired some of our U.S. and U.K. writers with 18 upand-coming local writers.”
Mia Segolsson
GM, POLAR MUSIC INTERNATIONAL
The Voyage, ABBA’s first new album in 40 years, earned the Swedish band five Grammy nominations and its highest album chart placement in the United States, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in November 2021.
The set, released by Universal Music Group-owned Polar Music International, has sold 2.5 million copies, according to the Stockholm-based label, which ABBA manager Stig Anderson founded in 1963 and is now headed by Segolsson. ABBA’s studio comeback was followed by the pioneering ABBA Voyage show, in which digital avatars of the group’s four members perform alongside a live band inside a purpose-built arena in London’s Olympic Park. Since opening in May, the show has sold over 1 million tickets, according to UMG.
Amy Thomson
CEO, HESTER JONES
Before launching her new company, Hester Jones, Thomson had been chief catalog officer at Merck Mercuriadis’ Hipgnosis Song Management, where the last year “was intense,” she says. “After breaking apart all of the acquisitions, I was able to move huge catalogs into our direct care, including Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Young, Jack Antonoff and many more. Arguably, we built the largest small publisher in the world.” Among other moves for Hipgnosis, Thomson worked with the U.K. government on its investigation into streaming, “sitting on their metadata committee as we strive to fight for a transparent and accurate flow of money for all.” Her new company, she says, “will organize, display and manage catalogs for artists who are demanding their affairs are fully in order.”
STREAMING
Kajal Gayadien
DIRECTOR AND GLOBAL HEAD OF RECORD LABEL LICENSING, AMAZON MUSIC
Angela Romero
LABEL RELATIONS MANAGER, HIP-HOP/R&B/ AFROBEATS, AMAZON MUSIC
Julia Heiser
GLOBAL LATIN EDITORIAL LEAD, AMAZON MUSIC Sierra Lever
HEAD OF LIVE EVENT MERCH, AMAZON MUSIC
Last year, Amazon Music launched a post-Thursday Night Football Amazon Music Live concert series; boosted its Artist Merch Shop to sell exclusive items from J. Cole, Tyler, The Creator and others; and, according to Gayadien, initiated a “massive effort” to add 100 million songs to its catalog in ad-free shuffle mode. The latter move drew criticism from Amazon Prime users who balked at paying more fees for on-demand streaming, but Gayadien says, “This enabled fans to discover millions more artists and gives these artists an opportunity to reach more fans.”
Min Hu
CFO, TENCENT MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Tencent Music Entertainment’s 2022 achievements eased the sting from Chinese regulators that depressed its share price in 2021. TME’s ondemand streaming service grew 20% to 85.3 million subscribers in the third quarter of 2022, helping offset losses in its social entertainment segment. The company also completed a secondary listing in September on the main board of the stock exchange in Hong Kong, in addition to its primary listing on the New York Stock Exchange. With more than 742 million users, “TME has been using technology to elevate the role of music in people’s lives,” says Hu, “and enable them to create, enjoy, share and interact with music.”
Vivien Lewit GLOBAL HEAD OF ARTISTS, YOUTUBE/GOOGLE Alyse Bobb
DIRECTOR OF LEGAL, YOUTUBE
Jodi Ropert
VP OF YOUTUBE MARKETING, YOUTUBE
YouTube could always attract viewers. The more important question for the music industry was: Could it make money for artists? Last year, YouTube answered in the affirmative by paying over $6 billion in royalties in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2022, according to the company. YouTube Music and
Premium grew to 80 million subscribers in 2022 — a 30 million increase from its 2021 announcement. And its short-form video platform, YouTube Shorts, is making inroads on TikTok. These efforts, says Lewit, “speak to our missions to be the No. 1 revenue generator for the music industry and the best platform for every music fan and artist.”
Amanda Marks
GLOBAL HEAD OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND MUSIC PARTNERSHIPS, APPLE
Rachel Newman
GLOBAL HEAD OF EDITORIAL AND CONTENT, APPLE MUSIC
Jen Walsh
SENIOR DIRECTOR OF CONTENT AND SERVICES, INTERNATIONAL, APPLE
Apple’s honorees are recognized for their contributions to Apple Music’s success in the past year. The biggest news for the digital music service is its sponsorship of the Super Bowl Halftime Show on Feb. 12 featuring Rihanna. But Apple Music, which now features over 100 million songs, has marked numerous milestones in the last 12 months. Since the launch of its immersive spatial audio streams in June 2021, over 80% of subscribers worldwide have experienced the product. In October, Apple Music announced that spatial audio would be available in Mercedes-Benz vehicles. It is also the format for Apple Music Live, which has featured performances by Harry Styles, Lil Durk, Mary J. Blige, Billie Eilish, Luke Combs, Wizkid and Alicia Keys. As 2022 came to a close, Apple Music unveiled a redesigned Replay feature that allows users to discover their top songs, albums, artists and genres from the previous year with a personalized highlight reel that can be shared on social media.
Dawn Ostroff
SENIOR ADVISOR/FORMER CHIEF CONTENT AND ADVERTISING BUSINESS OFFICER, SPOTIFY Madeleine Bennett
HEAD OF MUSIC STRATEGY, SPOTIFY Sulinna Ong
GLOBAL HEAD OF EDITORIAL, SPOTIFY
Noriko Ashizawa
HEAD OF MUSIC PLANNING AND OPERATIONS, SPOTIFY JAPAN
Spotify closed 2022 with 205 million subscribers and 295 million ad-supported listeners, up 14% and 25% year over year, respectively. Bennett points to innovative campaigns to help attract and engage listeners — revealing Taylor Swift lyrics on billboards around the world, a Blackpink pop-up in Los Angeles and a listening party for Maggie Rogers. “We’ve also continued to amplify women’s voices around the world through our Spotify EQUAL program, which has supported over 700 women in 35 countries since launching in March of 2021,” says Bennett. In late January, the company launched the Women of Iran playlist, with singers including Googoosh, to amplify the voices of women who have been fighting for human rights in that nation. Also in January, in financial filings, Spotify reported the departure of Ostroff, who will continue as a senior adviser in a reorganization that includes the promotion of Alex Norström and Gustav Söderström to co-presidents of Spotify.
Lauren Wirtzer-Seawood CHIEF CONTENT AND MARKETING OFFICER, SOUNDCLOUD
Ama Walton
SENIOR VP OF MUSIC LICENSING, SOUNDCLOUD SoundCloud spent 2022 working on developing the important relationship between artists and their fans. Thanks to a deal with Warner Music Group, the newly executed “fan-powered royalties” to major-label artists began shifting how artists engage and monetize their most passionate fans. “I’m proud and energized by the work we have done to evolve the status quo, pioneer the future of fandom and stay true to SoundCloud’s principles to be fair and equitable partners to artists at all stages of their careers,” Wirtzer-Seawood says.
LIVE Claudia Arcay
SENIOR VP OF ENTERTAINMENT, LOUD AND LIVE
The past year was a significant one for the Loud and Live team, which produced a record 400 shows and sold nearly 2 million tickets across North America, according to the company. Arcay was instrumental in helping position Loud and Live as a leader in the industry beyond the United States. She secured, managed and produced arena shows in Latin
America for artists such as Carlos Vives and Camilo, as well as their first stadium shows in Ecuador with Ricardo Arjona. Looking ahead, Arcay and her team have 300 shows “already booked” for 2023.
Francesca Bodie
PRESIDENT OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, OAK VIEW GROUP
Kim Stone
PRESIDENT, UBS ARENA; EXECUTIVE VP OF
EAST COAST, OAK VIEW GROUP
Randi Bernstein
SENIOR VP/GENERAL COUNSEL, GLOBAL VENUE AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, OAK VIEW GROUP
Bodie describes 2022 as “pivotal” for the live-entertainment development company Oak View Group, which opened the OVG-owned and -operated Moody Center in Austin and Acrisure Arena near Palm Springs, Calif. The company also made “tremendous progress on pipeline projects,” according to Bodie, including new arenas in Las Vegas and Cardiff, Wales. To better reflect the scope of its hospitality services, the company
The Iranian singer GOOGOOSH is among the artists featured on the Women of Iran playlist that Spotify launched in late January to amplify the voices of women who have been fighting for human rights in that nation.
recently rebranded OVG Facilities as OVG360 — “a global, full-service food and beverage hospitality division,” Bodie says, adding that she expects further growth in 2023.
Amy Corbin PROMOTER, C3 PRESENTS
Corbin leads a staff of more than 75 that oversees shows across five states — Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas and Louisiana — for Live Nation Concerts. (Live Nation Entertainment is the corporate parent of C3 Presents.) “Our team’s greatest accomplishment in the past year has been stepping up to meet the incredible fan demand with the amazing diversity of events we successfully produced, spanning across a wide range of venues including festivals, stadiums, arenas, amphitheaters, theaters and clubs,” says Corbin. She spearheaded the launch of new venues including the Moody Center and Moody Amphitheater, both in Austin, and has been a leader in developing diverse festival lineups, booking nearly 50% female artists over the past several years at the Austin City Limits Festival.
Brittanie Delava
VP OF GLOBAL TOURING, AEG PRESENTS Alicia Karlin
VP OF GLOBAL TOURING AND TALENT, AEG PRESENTS Karlin was on the team that staged the post-pandemic return of AEG’s most beloved festivals — Electric Forest, the 50,000-person camping festival that is held annually at the Double JJ Resort in rural Michigan — and promoted half of the dates for Rex Orange County’s tour. She also promoted the Remi Wolf and 2021 Mercury Prize winner Arlo
Parks tours, as well as booked the first major post-pandemic concert at Long Beach Arena south of Los Angeles — a doubleheader for electronic duo Slander. In the early days of the pandemic, she co-founded the 3-year-old digital fan engagement platform Lively with Disco Biscuits bassist Marc Brownstein. Says Karlin: “I’m very proud that in that time, we’ve put more than $1 million into the pockets of artists.”
Maureen Ford
HEAD OF NATIONAL AND FESTIVAL SALES,
LIVE NATION MEDIA AND SPONSORSHIPS
Ali Harnell
PRESIDENT/CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER,
LIVE NATION WOMEN
Kelly Strickland
PRESIDENT, U.S. CONCERTS TOUR MARKETING, LIVE NATION
Tara Traub
SENIOR VP OF GLOBAL TOURING, LIVE NATION
Warda Baig
TOUR PROMOTER, LIVE NATION
Despite the recent challenges faced by Live Nation-owned Ticketmaster, which prompted a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in January, the success of the world’s largest concert promoter coming out of the pandemic has been unstoppable — and Live Nation’s honorees here share in that achievement. “I’m proud of the fact that Live Nation has more female promoters than ever before — leading many of the industry’s most successful global tours with some of the biggest artists in the world,” says Traub. “These promoters, and many other female leaders at Live Nation, were at the forefront of a record-breaking year for attendance and number of shows for the company last year. This group of incredible women is at the center of advancing the live industry, and I’m excited to see diversity continue to increase across all verticals at Live Nation.”
Kate Girotti
REGIONAL VP OF MARKETING, ASM GLOBAL
Known as ASM Global’s marketing guru, Girotti has played an integral part in the company’s “tremendous growth over the past year.” “We continue to expand our portfolio of venues on a global scale by exploring opportunities outside of our core arena, stadium and theater business,” she says. The recent acquisition of talent buying agency Madison Entertainment — which works with both small-capacity venues and larger concert series/multiday festivals — is further proof, says Girotti, of ASM’s commitment to “elevating the customer experience through the integration of the newest technologies partnered with the brightest minds.”
Brianne Grimley
SENIOR DIRECTOR OF PARTNER ACTIVATION, GOLDENVOICE
Jennifer Yacoubian
VP OF BOOKING AND STRATEGY, GOLDENVOICE
It took grit and determination, but longtime booker and talent buyer Yacoubian says her patience paid off when she recently booked British punk singer Siouxsie for her first North American show in 15 years. Siouxsie is set to headline this year’s Cruel World festival with Iggy Pop, Billy Idol, Love and Rockets, and Echo & The Bunnymen at the all-day new wave celebration in Pasadena, Calif., in May. “I have a framed poster from her last show here at the Fonda [Theater] in 2008,” says Yacoubian, who’s involved in a number of Goldenvoice initiatives, like operating the Shrine Auditorium, booking the Greek Theatre in Hollywood and supporting Goldenvoice president Paul Tollett and the Coachella lineup.
Her contribution to the festival this year is booking 2019 breakout artist Jai Paul.
Rachel Powers
VP OF MARKETING, MESSINA TOURING GROUP
The eight-year veteran of Messina
Touring Group was promoted in March following her successful tour marketing and promotion work for Eric Church and country superstar Blake Shelton. Church’s The Gather Again Tour sold over 822,000 tickets and grossed $92.3 million. That’s in addition to his 2019 Double Down Tour that reported more than 770,000 in ticket sales. In 2021, Shelton’s Friends and Heroes Tour sold over 155,000 tickets across 15 sold-out markets.
Anjali Raval
VP OF MARKETING AND PROMOTIONS, SOFI STADIUM, HOLLYWOOD PARK, YOUTUBE THEATER AND HOLLYWOOD PARK
The newly opened SoFi Stadium and YouTube Theater took the entertainment world by storm in 2022, hosting over 100 events with more than 3 million fans total. Major events at the venues included Super Bowl LVI and shows by Paul McCartney, The Weeknd, Bad Bunny and others. “I am proud to have built a team that is dedicated to creating dynamic and innovative marketing initiatives that are globally recognized, engaging for our visiting fans and authentic to the local community,” Raval says.
Elena Sotomayor
EXECUTIVE VP OF MARKETING AND STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS, CMN
After producing Bad Bunny’s recordsetting tour (the highest-grossing outing ever by a Latin artist) and guiding Daddy Yankee’s historic farewell tour, Sotomayor can say with confidence that 2022 has so far been the most successful year yet for CMN. “Being named one of the top three
JENNIFER YACOUBIAN of Goldenvoice has booked British punk singer SIOUXSIE for the Cruel World festival in Pasadena, Calif., in May, the artist’s first North American show in 15 years.