13 JON PLATT

In a 1998 interview, Platt said that when he attended high school in Denver, he attempted to satisfy his thirst for new music by calling labels and asking for free albums — until he racked up a $500 phone bill in a single month. His love of songcraft eventually paid off. He now runs the industry’s largest global publishing company, which generated revenue north of $2.1 billion through the third quarter of 2023 (the most recent results available), thanks in part to big hits by Miley Cyrus and Morgan Wallen.

Since he took control of Sony Music Publishing (then called Sony/ATV) in 2019, the company has signed Olivia Rodrigo, Jack Harlow, Latto and The Kid LAROI, among other creators. In late 2021, it acquired Bruce Springsteen’s song catalog when Sony purchased The Boss’ publishing and recorded music for a reported $550 million; shortly thereafter, Paul Simon’s song catalog was acquired for $250 million. Platt also expanded operations to India, Indonesia and Nigeria.

In 2023, SMP ruled the Top Radio Airplay, Hot 100 Songs and Country Airplay publisher rankings for the first three quarters

(the latest metrics available), and though its radio airplay market share dipped from 31.5% in the second quarter to 30.1% in the third, its piece of the Hot 100 songs market more than made up the difference, rising 27.7% to 30.2% over the same period.

At the 2022 Music Biz convention, Platt, who is 2024’s Grammy Salute to Icons honoree, summed up his business philosophy, saying, “I want our company to represent what the music is. I want to be intentional about that,” adding that industry change means learning to “be comfortable being uncomfortable.”