An expert panel helped us to identify the music industry's biggest movers and shakers ? but what do you think?
? Meet the Music Power 100 panel
? Interactive: The Music Power 100
? News: Team Adele top Guardian Music Power 100
? The full list at a glance
The Music Power 100 is our attempt to navigate the currents of influence within the UK music industry. The remit was simple: which people have the greatest influence over what rock and pop music people in the UK listen to right now? That didn't mean everyone on the list had to be British, or even working in the UK: the importance of key figures in the US industry couldn't be ignored, and nor could the influence of key artists, songwriters and producers who have set trends that have been followed, or whose commercial success is undeniable.
Why no classical, or jazz, or folk? We felt those were separate worlds existing in parallel to rock and pop, and in an exercise that was, at times, like comparing the relative merits of apples and oranges (as our advisory panel member Geoff Travis put it), adding these other musics would complicate matters to the point of impossibility.
We tried to look across the range of the music industry, including artists, managers, labels, retailers, broadcasters, promoters and some of the other backroom jobs that never attract attention. That means we've concentrated on a very few figureheads at the labels, and we've often put people into teams.
In fact, the two things our panel stressed most forcefully were teamwork and the artist ? "None of us would be here without the artists," they said. Hence the choice of No 1 ? an artist served by a top-rate team. Another theme to emerge was the importance of organisations that mentor talent, be it formally ? in the case of the Brit School ? or informally, as in the case of Rinse FM, the de facto clearing house for UK urban music.
We know, however, that this list is far from perfect (and all its faults should be attributed to the Guardian, not to the expert advisers who gave up their time to offer their opinions). There will be people we've simply missed out; there will be others who are too high, and others who are too low. Maybe there are some who shouldn't be there at all.
What do you think? Who would you have put in the No 1 spot? Share your thoughts by posting a comment below.
The top 20 is listed below. Click here for the full 100..
1. Team Adele
Artist: Adele
Label executive: Richard Russell, founder XL Recordings
Manager: Jonathan Dickins
Publisher: Paul Connolly, European and UK president, Universal Music Publishing Group
Radio plugger: Brad Hunner, Radar Plugging
2. Lucian Grainge and David Joseph
Label executives: CEO, Universal Music Group, and chairman and CEO, Universal Music UK
3. Simon Cowell
Label executive: managing director, Syco
4. Nigel Harding
Broadcaster: Music policy executive, Radio 1
5. person or persons unknown
Retailer: iTunes UK
6. Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim
Digital media: founders, YouTube
7. George Ergatoudis
Broadcaster: head of music, BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra
8. Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Eric Schmidt
Digital media: co-founders, Google, and their executive chairman
9. Simon Moran
Live music promoter: managing director, SJM Concerts
10. Jeff Bezos
Retailer: president and CEO, Amazon.com
11. will.i.am
Artist: Black Eyed Peas
Producer: Justin Timberlake, U2, Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj, Cheryl Cole
12. Lyor Cohen
Label executive: chief executive, Warner Music US
13. Mark Zuckerberg
Digital media: founder, Facebook
14. Team Radiohead
Artists: Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Colin Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Phil Selway
Managers: Chris Hufford, Bryce Edge and Brian Message
15. Ged Doherty
Label executive: chairman and CEO, Sony BMG UK and Ireland
16. Max Hole
Label executive: COO, Universal Music Group International
17. Jeff Smith
Broadcaster: head of music, Radio 2/6Music
18. Lady Gaga
Artist
19. Rob Stringer
Label executive: chairman, Sony Music Label Group
20. John Reid, Christian Tattersfield, Max Lousada
Label executives: CEO Warner Europe, CEO Warner Music UK, chairman of Atlantic Records UK
Megan Ewing Kristanna Loken Aubrey ODay Drew Barrymore Marley Shelton
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