The People Making Things Tick Behind the Scenes in the Music Industry

It should come as no surprise to you, given the sheer size of the music industry, to discover that many people of the biggest players in the music industry aren’t musicians at all. Some are, of course: take Jay Z, who is something of an all round superstar when it comes to blending music with business. But for the most part, it’s up to others to really take the music industry global. Without the following people doing their thing, the music industry sure would look a lot different – not to mention more primitive. These are the people who let musicians be creative while the rest is being taken care of.

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Changing the Game

It has been a pretty remarkable rise for the pet project of Daniel Ek who, at the age of 33, is more or less the single most important person in the music industry. Why? Well it’s not so much for what’s he about to do than for what he has done. His pet project? It was called Spotify, and it changed the music industry forever. Today, a staggering amount of consumed music comes through Spotify, and not even the Jay Z backed Tidal put a dent on its march music domination. When the music industry was under threat from illegal downloads, Spotify stepped up with a compromise. To say it owes him a lot would be an understatement.

Blending Business with Good Deeds

For as long as anyone can remember, music has been a force for change. It really got underway during the Vietnam War and it has barely stopped since. But for music to make a difference, it needs to have good intentions and the know how to make it happen. Enter Coran Capshaw, the founder of Red Light Management and all round music empire mogul. With a diverse range of talents that includes recognising talents and then pushing them to the next level, Capshaw is the modern music industry Renaissance man who basically gets things done.

Bringing Music to the People

Music has always kind of have been about bringing people together, but it has been taken to a whole new level in recent years. We’ve seen some of the biggest music tours that ever happened travelling around the world, and the guy behind the company that makes them happy is Michael Rapino. His company, Live Nation Entertainment, was responsible for a staggering 15 of the 25 most popular tours of 2016, including Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen, and Coldplay. The company is responsible for dozens upon dozens of shows around the world each day, and continue to change the music gig going experience.

The Tastemakers

And then of course, there are the people behind the biggest record labels, the ones who essentially decide which artists are front and center. Three of the biggest are Martin Bandier, Rob Stringer, and – probably at the top of list – Lucian Grainge, who control Sony, Columbia, and Universal respectfully. The biggest artists on these labels? Well, let’s just say you’ve heard of them all…probably today.