EVOLUTIONARY:
SIR LUCIAN GRAINGE

As the industry continues to evolve, Sir Lucian Grainge has been leading the charge for change. This includes calling for reform of the streaming ecosystem—to compensate artists more fairly—and developing a thoughtful approach to new technology such as AI that both protects copyright and enables new opportunities.

The UMG chieftain presides over what have become the two most important labels in the biz in 2023: The Lipman brothers’ Republic and John Janick’s Interscope. The two label giants have been duking it out for overall marketshare supremacy all year, with the Lipmans pulling out a victory in the final weeks. Republic, the label of superstars, has enjoyed a giant lead in current marketshare for some time. House Janick, meanwhile, has emerged as the most effective label in global artist development, which is reflected not only on the charts but in its dominant showing among the top-tier Grammy nominations.

The inimitably visionary and aggressive Sir Grainge goes into 2024 with a sense of optimism reflecting the company’s strong marketshare and robust creative drive. And if a technology emerges to finally shut us up, he’ll certainly look into that.