The music industry is built on artists, but where is an artist without a song and a team that ensures it gets heard? For Variety’s inaugural Hitmakers list, we used BuzzAngle data for the 30 most-consumed songs of 2017 (through Nov. 2), based on audio sales and streams, video plays, radio spins and Shazam tags. The editors then conferred with top executives and creatives from across the music business to find the players whose input was most vital to those songs. They included songwriters, producers, publishers, A&R and promotion executives, along with managers and key influencers — the people behind the scenes who make and break the hits.
Alex Da Kid
“Believer”
As a producer who has worked with Dr. Dre, Eminem, and Nicki Minaj, Alex da Kid (real name: Alex Grant) knows hit songs. But when he puts his label head hat on for his own KIDinaKORNER imprint under Universal, the key, he says, is to trust the artist. Certainly that was the case after years of working with rock band Imagine Dragons. Grant, who is published by Universal Music Publishing Group, put his faith in the band’s frontman, Dan Reynolds, and it yielded the smash hit “Believer” — No. 10 on BuzzAngle’s consumption chart and the only band outside of Coldplay to make the top 25. “Dan was the person that really believed in ‘Believer’ first,” says Grant. “Believer” is the rare track to show robust sales, streams and Shazam tags concurrently. Says Grant: “Streaming has completely disrupted the way music is consumed. It’s been happening for a while, but really started to take hold this year.”
Jack Antonoff
“I Don’t Wanna Live Forever”
Plenty of hitmakers work with multiple artists in a year, but Antonoff may have set some kind of record: In 2017, he’s co-produced entire albums by Lorde and St. Vincent, six songs on Taylor Swift’s latest and two on Pink’s, as well as an album by Bleachers, the band he fronts. None of those are the reason he’s included in this survey: Instead it’s for co-writing and producing “I Don’t Want to Live Forever,” Swift’s duet with Zayn Malik from the “50 Shades Darker” soundtrack. Asked how he crammed so much into a year, Antonoff, who is published by Sony/ATV, replied modestly, “I don’t remember exactly how it all came together — I just remember only going into the studio when I was inspired to work. This year, I went in a lot.”
Noonie Bao and Linus Wiklund
“Stay”
Max Martin & Shellback aren’t the only Swedish duo ruling the charts. Make room for power couple Bao and Wiklund, who moved from Stockholm to L.A., but made their biggest move by collaborating as writers (and, in Wiklund’s case, as a producer) on the Zedd/Alessia Cara smash “Stay.” Their individual or collective work also includes tracks by Demi Lovato, Katy Perry, Camila Cabello, and Avicii’s dance chart-topper “I Could Be the One.” Of their biggest keeper, “Stay,” Bao says, “I love how the chorus is only vocal and vocoder, whereas the buildup maybe hints at something else; it’s unexpected but still feels natural.”
Steve Mac and Johnny McDaid
“Shape of You”
The No. 1 song of 2017 could have ended up an album track by Rihanna or U.K. girl group Little Mix. Its eyebrow-raising, sense-stimulating line about the scent of bedsheets came close to being, “My T-shirt smells like you.” It certainly wasn’t meant for an Ed Sheeran album when the singer, along with co-writers and producers Steve Mac and Johnny McDaid, gathered in a London studio last winter. By that time, “÷” (“Divide”), Sheeran’s third release, which has moved 900,000 project units to date, was ostensibly done and ready to be turned in. The three were giving collaboration a no-pressure go to see what they’d come up with. The result after just two hours: a hit that’s the biggest of each of their respective careers.
The Quincy, Mass., native, whose credits include Post Malone’s “Congratulations,” Kygo’s collaboration with Selena Gomez “It Ain’t Me” and Camilla Cabello’s “Havana,” says his goal as a songwriter is “to create something that emotes whatever feeling is inside of me at that moment.” For “Congratulations,” the fifth most-consumed track of the year, he says the union of the beat, hook melody and “universal concept” made the song stand out, but the vocals brought everything together. Says Bell: “Post Malone’s voice always soars over a beat and fills up space very nicely.”
Benny Blanco
“Issues”
He doesn’t hit 30 till next year, but Blanco has already been one of the biggest producers in the game for the better part of his 20s, quickly graduating from Dr. Luke’s stable of protégés to being a bigger name than some of the young artists he’s produced. Fortunately, that imbalance didn’t last long for Julia Michaels, who became a star on the basis of “Issues,” co-written and co-produced by Blanco. He got a nom for producer of the year at this year’s Grammys and won that title at the iHeart Radio Awards — honors he’ll likely be up for again after producing most of an Ed Sheeran album that had the best pre-T-Swift sales of 2017.
Cirkut
“I Feel It Coming”
The Weeknd’s “I Feel It Coming” is about as addictive as songs come, but hearing it on repeat ad nauseam in the studio? “It always felt like a breath of fresh air,” says Cirkut (real name: Henry Walter). “The chorus is repetitive,
but in such a hypnotic, simple way that really works.” The Canadian writer and producer, who is managed
by Maverick’s Nick Jarjour, has also collaborated on tracks for Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna and Nicki Minaj, among others, and says while working under pressure activates a different part of his brain, creative minds also need “space to experiment freely without any outside influence.”
Frank Dukes
“Fake Love”
Flipping the idea of “sample-based” hits, the Grammy Award-winning producer built his career around original tracks from his own commercially available and nominally priced music library. These instantly cleared works and his love of group creation make him a collaborator who is seemingly everywhere. You’ll find the Toronto native’s credit on songs by Rihanna, Travis Scott, Future, Kanye West, Pusha T and Selena Gomez, along with 2017 smashes by Post Malone (“Congratulations”) and Drake (“Fake Love”). Represented by Electric Feel Management, Dukes often works with roster-mates Louis Bell, Brian Lee and Andrew Watt.
Erika Ender
“Despacito”
What did songwriter Ender bring to “Despacito” as it was on its way to becoming a global smash? A woman’s touch. In fact, you could say she brought the song to fruition, sharing the idea for “Despacito,” which translates to “Slowly” in Spanish, with her longtime pal Luis Fonsi. Something clicked instantly, Ender says. By the summer, the Daddy Yankee-assisted song, which had already been a massive hit outside the U.S., was remixed to include Justin Bieber and catapulted to the top of the charts where it remained for 16 weeks straight. For the Latin Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, who has shared credits with Los Tigres del Norte and Chayanne over a career that spans 25 years, what hooked a massively broad audience is an emotional reaction to the words, even if to English speakers, they serve as melody. “I always let feelings go through my lyrics, my soul and my voice,” Ender says. “It’s the only way you can connect with people.”
Philip Lawrence and Brody Brown
“That’s What I Like”
Bruno Mars knows what he likes. The two names that appear as writing collaborators on every song on Mars’ “24K Magic” album are Lawrence and Brown, who also just happen to be, along with Mars, the mainstays of Shampoo Press & Curl, the producing collective credited on each track on the album. These two were part of “Grenade,” the first track on Mars’ first 2010 album, and they were no less integral to his top five BuzzAngle smash, “That’s What’s I Like,” the second-most played song at radio, which closes out the year at No. 4 overall with nearly 4 million in project units.
Metro Boomin
“Bad and Boujee”
Turn on any hip-hop radio station or scroll through Spotify’s Rap Caviar playlist at pretty much any point in 2017, and it’s likely that one of St. Louis beatmaker Metro Boomin’s spare, atmospheric productions will be there. From Migos’ No. 1 hit “Bad and Boujee” to Gucci Mane and Drake’s “Both,” Post Malone’s “Congratulations” and Future’s “Mask Off,” with its incongruously mournful flute, his ubiquity is such that he picked up a second consecutive producer of the year award at last month’s BET Hip-Hop Awards — and a deal with Republic for his Boominati Worldwide imprint. He is published by UMPG.
Jason “Poo Bear” Boyd
“Despacito,” “I’m the One”
Justin Bieber and his go-to collaborator Poo Bear have one thing in common: both started in the music business while in their teens. For songwriter Boyd, that’s meant 15 years’ experience making hits, starting with 112 and continuing on to Usher (“Caught Up”) and Bieber, with whom he’s had five top-performing singles in the last two years, including the smash “Despacito,” which saw a stratospheric rise once Bieber’s vocal added was added, and DJ Khaled’s “I’m the One.” In fact, at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, the latter Bieber-assisted track replaced the former in a rarely seen feat of chart dominance. To what does Boyd credit his track record? “I never look at it like I’ve made it,” he says.
Mike Will Made It
“Humble,” “Damn”
Atlanta producer Mike Will Made It famously affixes his own name to the opening seconds of most of his productions, but in recent years it’s become all but unnecessary — his signature is audible from the very first snare. Last year the beatmaker produced two top 10 singles with Beyonce’s “Formation” and Rae Sremmurd’s “Black Beatles,” and this year as a follow-up, he sculpted the two hardest-hitting tracks for Kendrick Lamar’s “Damn,” as well as cutting his own star-studded LP, “Ransom 2.”
Nana Rogues
“Passionfruit”
The Hackney, London, native produced and co-wrote Drake’s hypnotic “Passionfruit,” which he says came together in his own living room after he had been thinking about “floating through the clouds.” Those daydreams inspired the rhythm and gave the song, which has spent 33 weeks on the BuzzAngle chart, landing at No. 28 for the year (to date), its “melodic bounce,” he says. Nana Rogues has also worked with Zara Larsson and Tinie Tempah and describes himself as a “vibe guy” who tries to steer clear of trends. “I don’t really look at what everyone else is doing — except for Pharrell,” he says. “He is a huge inspiration of mine.”
Starrah
“Fake Love”
A silent killer in Top 40, enigmatic hitmaker Starrah (real name: Brittany Hazzard) has emerged as one of the most prolific songwriters in pop, thanks to a near-constant barrage of chart-toppers over the past year, from Drake’s “Fake Love” (No. 24) to Halsey’s “Now or Never,” Maroon 5 & SZA’s “What Lovers Do,” and Rihanna’s “Needed Me.” The rarely photographed songwriter’s hustle is undeniable: “When I was a kid, I woke up one morning and found out my Super Nintendo was sold for drugs,” she shared in a recent Instagram post. “That day I promised to stay on top of my game.” Growing up the youngest of eight, Starrah cites her early output of poetry and short stories for her creative spark. Manager Nick Jarjour (Maverick) discovered her on social media selling hooks for $100 a pop. Earlier this year, she claimed 10 million+ in sales for her earworm-filled catalog, and she’s even making the jump to artist with the release of a solo single, “Swerve,” alongside Diplo.
The Stereotypes
“That’s What I Like”
The four-man production collective known as the Stereotypes (from left: Ray Charles McCullough, Jon Yip, Jeremy Reeves and Ray Romulus) goes back with Bruno Mars for a decade, to when the star was an unknown songwriter. Mars called his old pals into the studio toward the end of two years of work on his “24K Magic”; they helped find a rhythmic solution to the long-in-progress title track, and started from scratch with him on “Finesse” and the eventually massive “That’s What I Like.” “He said to us that he wanted to bring the feel-good music back,” says Romulus. “‘24K’ is the funk and ‘That’s What I Like’ is the ’90s R&B, and Bruno’s voice is the glue to both.” The Stereotypes are making their own album and just released a collaboration with Pitbull, “Jungle,” as the first single.
Ali Tamposi, Andrew Watt, and Brian Lee
“It Ain’t Me”
“It Ain’t Me” by Kygo and Selena Gomez rewrote the dance hit rulebook by pairing heavy subject matter — alcoholism and co-dependence — with undeniable pop hooks. Far from fluff, says Ultra Records founder/president Patrick Moxey, “it stands out because it’s written with meaning. It’s a brilliant song.” It’s not the first time Tamposi, Watt and Lee, along with producer Louis Bell, have struck gold. Their partnership includes hit songs for DJ Snake with Justin Bieber (“Let Me Love You”) and the quickly ascending “Havana” by Camila Cabello as well as “Wolves” by Gomez and Marshmello. On her own, Tamposi co-wrote Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger.” Separate from the trio, Lee had a hand in Fifth Harmony’s 2016 smash “Work From Home,” and Watt, who is co-managed by Scooter Braun, looks poised to break out as a solo star.
Julia Michaels and Justin Tranter
“Issues,” “Believer”
For former Semi Precious Weapons front man and in-demand collaborator Justin Tranter, the key to songwriting is to “elevate the essence” of the artist’s truth. “At this point in my life, it’s so beautiful to help amplify somebody else’s guts,” says the 37-year-old, who, alongside longtime writing partner-turned-2017 breakout artist Julia Michaels, has had credits on colossal hits for stars like Justin Bieber (“Sorry”), Selena Gomez (“Good for You,” “Hands to Myself”) and Gwen Stefani (“Used to Love You”), a status that has earned the two a seat at the table among the industry’s top-tier hitmakers.
Producers Torres and Rengifo approached a gig to work on a new Luis Fonsi urban-pop project with little pomp and circumstance. Then “Despacito” happened. The Colombia natives, now based in Los Angeles, knew they had something special with the catchy track, which, after careening to international acclaim, put Latin music front and center on its way to the top of the pop charts. “When we first heard ‘Despacito’ the guitar and voice were very striking,” Rengifo recalls. The duo, known for their work with acts such as One Republic, Carlos Vives and Alejandro Fernandez, have collaborated together since 2015 and this year received a Latin Grammy nomination for their work with Fonsi. The pressure is still mounting as the hitmakers release more music with Fonsi and an upcoming album. “The world is seeing Latin music in a different way,” adds Rengifo. “That’s important because it also shows us that we shouldn’t be limited by language, borders or any kind of barriers.”
Adam Alpert
CEO, Disruptor Records and Management/ CEO, Selector Songs
“Something Just Like This,” “Paris”
If the Chainsmokers can claim a guardian angel, it’s Adam Alpert: He introduced members Drew Taggart and Alex Pall, manages the duo, signed them to his label and scored a deal with Columbia after many had written them off as one-hit wonders due to their 2014 novelty hit “Selfie.” Yet he followed an innovative strategy, dropping a single nearly every month through 2015 and 2016 — including the hits “Roses,” “Don’t Let Me Down” and especially “Closer” — each featuring a different female singer and lighting up playlists and streaming numbers while building anticipation for the group’s debut album, released in February. The momentum carried on with the Coldplay-assisted “Something Just Like This” and “Paris,” Nos. 13 and 29, respectively, so far in 2017.
Tunji Balogun
Senior VP of A&R, RCA Records
“Location”
As the man who signed Khalid (whose “Location” lands at No. 14 on the BuzzAngle top 30), Bryson Tiller and SZA to RCA, Balogun seems to have the Midas touch when it comes to rising stars of hip-hop-inflected R&B. He’s paid his dues along the way, beginning at Warner Bros. Records in 2004 before moving to Interscope and A&R in 2007, where he played an important role in bringing Kendrick Lamar to the label, along with projects by Eminem, 50 Cent, Keyshia Cole and others. “The artist’s team and label can help create energy around the song — a great visual, a TV or radio campaign, the right press story or some sort of digital initiative,” he says. “But at the end of the day, it’s all about the power of the record itself and the artist’s ability to connect with the audience in an authentic way.”
Geo Bivins
Executive VP of Urban Promotion, RCA Records
“Location”
Khalid’s “Location” was the first single from his debut album, hitting Top 5 at Rhythmic and crossing over to Top 20 Pop radio, with a video boasting nearly 170 million YouTube views. Bivins immediately heard (and saw) the appeal to a multi-genre audience, pointing to early support from Radio One and iHeartRadio urban programmers, while Shazam numbers soared. The veteran label promo exec credits Khalid’s tireless work ethic for his success: “He’s so articulate, an old soul who’s able to connect to teens. He doesn’t leave the venue until he’s taken a picture with every fan who wants one.”
Ben Cook and Ed Howard
Atlantic Records U.K.
“Shape Of You”
Who knew that Ed “The Shape of You” Sheeran was the shape of things to come? Cook did, when, as the managing director of Asylum Records in the U.K., he presciently signed an acoustic guitar- and loop pedal-wielding kid few would have pegged to be the biggest white male pop star on the planet. He and Howard, Asylum’s A&R director, have overseen Sheeran’s next steps up, including “Shape of You,” which became the most-streamed Spotify song ever and the top song of this year in America. Sheeran’s “÷” album is destined to go down as 2017’s second biggest (likely trailing only Taylor Swift’s). Cook and Howard have earned their frequent flyer miles, directing the trans-Atlantic A&R success story of the decade.
Ian Cripps
VP A&R, Atlantic Records
“iSpy”
As any A&R executive knows, these days it’s as much about reading the data as it is the tea leaves. So when Ventura-based rapper Kyle started making mixtape waves, Atlantic’s Ian Cripps took notice. Even before signing to a major label in February, Kyle reached one million video views (for the track “Keep It Real”). At the end of 2016, he released the single “iSpy,” featuring fellow newcomer Lil Yachty, a song that lands at No. 12 on the BuzzAngle Top 30 chart.
Andrea Ganis and Juliette Jones
Executive VP Executive VP of Urban Promotion, Atlantic Records
“Shape Of You,” “That’s What I Like”
Ganis, a veteran label promo exec, unleashed two of the year’s most ubiquitous hits at radio and streamers in Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You,” the year’s top song to date, with 1.4 billion Spotify listeners, and Bruno Mars’ “That’s What I Like.” “These are two very different artists, so we took distinct approaches with their campaigns,” Ganis says. “They have much in common, though: Both are on their third albums and on top of their games, with unique, immediately identifiable voices, songwriting gifts and charismatic personalities. The combination is a radio programmer’s dream, and the result is pure magic, times two.” The driving force on urban radio is Juliette Jones, who also spearheaded successful campaigns for such Atlantic artists as Cardi B, Lil Uzi Vert and Kodak Black.
Wendy Goldstein, Rob Stevenson, and Tyler Arnold
Executive VP Executive VP VP of A&R at Republic Records
“Congratulations,” “I Feel It Coming”
Getting records like the Weeknd’s Daft Punk collaboration “I Feel It Coming” and Post Malone’s “Congratulations” made, let alone made into hits, is a long and laborious process, and Republic Records benefitted from both experience and youth with them: Experience in the form of label exec VPs Goldstein and Stevenson, who together either signed or worked with artists ranging from Nicki Minaj, Ariana Grande and the Roots (Goldstein) to the Killers, Fall Out Boy and Martin Garrix (Stevenson). Into this mix they brought newly minted VP Arnold, who joined the label as a college student just three years ago and brought Malone to the company while working as an assistant, developing his top-selling debut album “Stoney.”
Joel Klaiman
Executive VP/General Manager, Columbia Records
“Say You Won’t Let Go,” “Paris,” “Something Just Like This”
Even at a label without a CEO — following Rob Stringer’s ascension to the helm of Sony Music — Klaiman spearheaded two of the year’s biggest BuzzAngle hits in James Arthur’s “Say You Won’t Let Go,” the Chainsmokers & Coldplay’s “Something Just Like This” and “Paris.” “They all had the same recipe,” he says. “One part great song, one part amazing artistry, one part immediate fan reaction, one part strategic teamwork. Mix them all together and you’ve got a hit record!” He attributed much of Arthur’s song’s success to its inclusion on Spotify’s “Today’s Top Hits” for 25 weeks, as well as TV appearances on “The Late Late Show With James Corden,” “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Good Morning America” and the “Today” show.
Michael Kyser
President, Black Music, Atlantic Records
“XO Tour Llif3”
When Kyser was named Atlantic’s president of black music in 2011, one of his goals was to ensure that the label’s sprawling urban roster became smaller and punchier — and the list of artists he’s played a pivotal role in breaking over the past couple of years are a testament to that success. “Kyser and I grew up together in this business, going back to our days at Def Jam,” says Atlantic co-chairman and COO Julie Greenwald. “Since he became our president of black music six years ago, he has been the driving force behind developing a new wave of Atlantic urban stars. In 2017 alone, he’s led breakthrough campaigns for Kodak Black; Lil Uzi Vert, whose “XO Tour Llif3” is No. 8 on BuzzAngle’s Top 30 to date; Cardi B, (days from entering the Top 30 with “Bodak Yellow”); and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, while elevating the careers of next level artists such as, Meek Mill, Gucci Mane, Wiz Khalifa and Ty Dolla $ign. Kyser knows the urban music landscape better than anyone out there, and he’s a master at creating opportunities and building careers.”
Lee Leipsner
Executive VP of Promotion, Columbia Records
“Say You Won’t Let Go”
The veteran promo exec oversaw the radio campaign for new artist Grammy contender and “X Factor” U.K. alum James Arthur, whose “Say You Won’t Let Go,” topped the charts in the U.K., Australia, Ireland and New Zealand. “The song spoke to listeners, with words everyone could relate to.” Signposts along the way included SiriusXM support, Shazam feedback and a conversion of streams to individual playlists. “Radio was looking for a big love song that wasn’t a novelty or gimmick.”
Nick Petropoulos
Head of Promotion, Glassnote Records
“Redbone”
Closing in on his eighth anniversary with Glassnote, Petropoulos is almost a home-grown talent for the label. Together with founder Daniel Glass, the team achieved the remarkable feat of turning Childish Gambino’s “Redbone,” a song that sounds like it was recorded in 1972, into one of 2017’s biggest radio hits. Even more remarkable, Glassnote is the only independent label with a song in the BuzzAngle Top 30. “Redbone” reacted first at the urban adult-contemporary format, and that it resonated immediately was a big eye opener,” he says. “That hap-pened everywhere, and it became part of our pitch after the first three weeks: Play it for a week, and you’ll see it react.”
Benny Pough, Sujit Kundu, Traci Adams, and Sandra Afloarei
Executive VP, Epic Records Senior VP of Promotion Senior VP of Promotion Senior VP of Top 40 Promotion
“Mask Off,” “I’m the One,” “Wild Thoughts,” “Unforgettable,” “Goosebumps”
Epic’s promotion department has become a force, particularly in the Urban realm where exec VP Pough leads the charge. In 2017, the label had five of the most-consumed tracks in the Top 30: Future’s “Mask Off,” DJ Khaled’s “Wild Thoughts” and “I’m the One,” French Montana’s “Unforgettable,” and Travis Scott’s “Goosebumps.” Also this year, according Mediabase, Epic was the No. 1 Urban label for 6 consecutive months. Credit Kundu and Adams for breaking “I’m the One” at hip-hop, even though the presence of Justin Bieber on the song “meant it wasn’t a natural fit there,” says Kundu (with some understatement). Shepherding French Montana to Top 40 was Afloarei and her team. Yet “it’s really the writers and producers that give life to these records,” says Kundu.
Noah Preston
VP/A&R, Def Jam Recordings
“1-800-273-8255”
Logic’s “1-800-273-8255” — named after the suicide-prevention hotline — is a sadly relevant song, but also one that provides plenty of uplift and positivity with a heavy topic. It’s a role that the charismatic 27-year-old rapper, whose public-speaking skills match his rapping ability, has embraced wholeheartedly and in a way that only those who’d met him would have expected. Noah Preston, the young A&R exec who signed Logic to Def Jam, is one, and that spark can be seen in other artists he’s signed (singers Jhene Aiko and August Alsina). He knows from youthful talent: Preston began his career as an intern in Def Jam’s radio department, then became a scout for Sony Music while he was still in college — and then did the same for Def Jam in 2011 (he graduated in 2012). His newest signings include rapper-singer Amir Obe and Jamaican soul singer Jesse Boykins III.
Brenda Romano
President of Promotion, Interscope Geffen A&M
“Believer”
The label’s longtime promo chief headed up the radio campaign for Imagine Dragons’ “Believer,” which got a big boost from its inclusion in a Super Bowl TV spot for Nintendo Switch and Jeep’s “Go Anywhere” campaign. The lead single from the band’s third studio album, “Evolve,” the song peaked at No. 4 on the pop chart and spent nearly seven months at No. 1 on the Hot Rock Songs tally and topped several other charts, setting the all-time mark for spins on Mediabase’s Alternative chart.
Rodney Shealey
Exec VP, Urban Promotion, Def Jam
“Bounce Back”
Big Sean’s “Bounce Back,” featuring cameos by fellow rappers Kanye West and Jeremih, made a bee line for the pop charts. That’s thanks in large part to Shealey, who, since joining the Universal label, has led his promotion staff to 20 No. 1s in the Urban format. Of Sean, says Shealey: “Our goal is to build on the great foundation we’ve laid for him at radio and grow that profile – to cement him as an elite hitmaker and one of the true stars of his generation. Sean has continued to deliver at an incredibly high and constant level.
Sickamore, David Stromberg
Senior VP of A&R and Creative Director, Interscope Records
GM, Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack
“Goosebumps”
Randall Medford made his name as Sickamore(right, with Travis Scott manager David Stromberg), the A&R whiz who rose from mixtape peddler in New York City to senior executive at Interscope Records, all while barely out of his 20s. But it was at Epic Records, where he was drafted by former chairman L.A. Reid to guide Travis Scott’s releases, which yielded the No. 27 track on BuzzAngle’s Top 30, “Goosebumps, that he really made his mark. He’ll continue to work with Scott independently, while, under Interscope exec VP Joie Manda, he oversees a slate of developing acts.
As Travis Scott’s business partner and manager, L.A. native David Stromberg has in five years seen the rapper rise from a once homeless hopeful to one of the music industry’s most respected ahead-of-the-curve artists. Credit Scott’s creeper beats and a well-established enigma, and also the visual creative, which Stromberg oversees. Before “Goosebumps,” Scott’s surprisingly vulnerable track about that tingling sensation that comes with attraction, “Travis was a dark, mysterious, kind of scary guy,” says Stromberg. A performance on “Ellen” showcased the song’s “more human, relatable message,” along with an Apple Music-supported video. But it was a Kendrick Lamar feature that carried it over the mainstream threshold. “Kendrick brought a totally different energy,” says Stromberg. “It became Travis’ crossover song.”
Manny Smith
Senior VP of A&R, Interscope Records
“Humble,” “DNA”
Starting off as an intern at Interscope Records in the early 2000s and ascending steadily ever since, Smith was named the label’s senior VP of A&R last spring. He’s been involved in releases from the likes of Rae Sremmurd, Eminem and 50 Cent, but undoubtedly his biggest coup was the signing of Kendrick Lamar through a joint venture with Top Dawg Entertainment and Aftermath – Lamar’s “DAMN.” was Interscope’s biggest release of the year, and two of the album’s tracks, “Humble” and “DNA” landed in the BuzzAngle Top 30 chart.
Gary Spangler, Mike Horton, and Jim Roppo
Executive VP, Republic Records VP Executive VP, Marketing and Commerce
“Despacito,” “Congratulations,” “Issues,” “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever,” “I Feel It Coming.”
This team helmed the radio success for some of the year’s biggest hits, including “Despacito,” Post Malone’s “Congratulations,” Julia Michaels’ “Issues” and the Weeknd’s “I Feel It Coming.” Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s reggaetón-flavored, undisputed song of the summer was the biggest non-English-speaking hit since “Macarena” 20 years ago, but it was the team’s work on the subsequent Justin Bieber remix that helped catapult it onto mainstream radio and, not least, into the most-viewed YouTube video of all time, topping the 4 billion mark in October.
Charlie Walk
President, Republic Records Group
“Issues”
The major label veteran claims a dizzying 50 No. 1 hits over a career that spans nearly three decades. Senior roles at
Sony Music, including the title of Epic Records president from 2005 to 2008, brought Walk a wealth of experience in promotion and marketing, but it was at Republic — the top hitmaking label for five years running — that the Boston native’s A&R prowess became his calling card. Since joining chairman and CEO Monte Lipman and chief operating officer Avery Lipman at the Universal Music Group label in 2013, Walk signed Hailee Steinfeld, who hit 1.5 billion streams in 2017, second only to Post Malone, another Republic breakthrough act. But it was segueing Julia Michaels from successful songwriter to pop artist that may be his biggest triumph. Her song “Issues” lands at No. 17 on BuzzAngle’s Top 30 chart.
Ron Perry
President, Songs Music Publishing
“I Feel It Coming”
Perry has been a partner in Songs since its inception in 2004, and has long taken an outsized role in the careers of the company’s clients — particularly with Lorde, whose sophomore album “Melodrama” he A&R’ed, and the Weeknd, whom he connected with Daft Punk, resulting in “Starboy” and “I Feel It Coming.” Diplo and DJ Mustard are also on the company’s roster and Perry works with Songs co-founder Matt Pincus on Noah Cyrus. Yet much of the chatter about Perry in recent weeks has revolved around Songs putting itself on the market (for a reported $150 million), and whether Perry will make a career pivot soon.
Katie Vinten
Senior VP and Co-Head of A&R, Warner/Chappell
“Issues”
Vinten had a particularly great year with writers Julia Michaels and Justin Tranter, who together or separately co-penned hits by Imagine Dragons, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, and Halsey. The biggest breakthrough, though: Michaels’ debut as a recording artist with “Issues.” “It was written with another artist in mind,” says Vinten, before “Julia realized it was her own song to sing almost a year later. It is 110% her story. She said she’s got issues and you’ve got them too — who can’t relate?”
Jay Brown and Lenny Santiago
Managers, DJ Khaled; Roc Nation
These two veteran hip-hop architects have guided client DJ Khaled’s career into a crossover pop hitmaker under the Roc Nation banner. The company’s co-founder/CEO, Brown is a 20-year industry vet whose other clients include Rihanna, Shakira and Big Sean. Bronx-born Lenny S. was a member of the street teams at Sean “Puffy” Combs’ Bad Boy Records and Roc-a-Fella Records, where he began a working relationship with Jay Z. Since 2013, Lenny has been Roc Nation senior VP/A&R and artist management, with a client roster that includes DJ Khaled and Fabolous. “Relationships are key,” says Santiago.
Future the Prince
Co-Manager, Drake
This Toronto-based DJ-turned-manager got his first break as a teen with an uptempo remix of Adele’s “Somebody Like You,” graduating from Drake’s on-stage DJ, warming up the crowds, to managing his career. “It all comes down to making great music people listen to and connect with,” he says about his client’s success. “Drake is somebody they can believe in.” Adel Nur got his handle from booking talent into local clubs before he was old enough to get in. “Our relationship goes beyond just the music and shows,” says Nur about the hip-hop icon. “I consider him my brother.”
Kevin “Coach K” Lee
Manager, Migos
In the 20 years since the Indiana native moved to Atlanta, he’s become godfather of the city’s burgeoning trap music scene as co-founder of Quality Control (QC) Records along with partner Pierre “Pee” Thomas, home to Migos. Lee’s fingerprints are all over the city’s sound: he’s worked with Pastor Troy, Young Jeezy and Gucci Mane. “Broke and Boujee” grew out of his weekly “Sloppy Second Saturdays” at a 250-person capacity club he owned, discovering Migos from “the hipster kids.” Coach calls trap music “the pure, uncut book of the streets, the journal to the hood. … When the rapper’s rapping, you should be able to smell the dope cooking.”
Wassim “Sal” Slaiby
Manager, The Weeknd and French Montana
Well before he joined management powerhouse Maverick in 2016, Lebanon-by-way-of-Canada native Slaiby had already led the charge on one of the biggest artist launches in recent history: the Weeknd. For the singer’s “Starboy,” Slaiby rented Conway Studio’s entire complex, bringing in beds and amenities allowing for around-the-clock creation. Those sessions yielded the Top 30 track “I Feel It Coming.” The collaboration with Daft Punk is the 13th most-played song on radio so far this year. Slaiby’s roster also includes French Montana, whose “Unforgettable” sits at No. 15 with more than half a billion audio and video streams.
Tuma Basa
Spotify Global Programming, Head of Hip-Hop
Basa’s Rap Caviar playlist is a mecca for future hip-hop hits, compared by many with New York radio station Hot 97 in the early ’90s for its ability to make and break the year’s biggest records. The former MTV exec was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and grew up in Iowa City, where he first heard the work of Snoop Dogg and Tupac. He brings that perspective to Rap Caviar, where a song like Lil Uzi Vert’s “XO Tour Llif3” can go from a SoundCloud post to Rap Caviar’s 7.6 million followers — and then to No. 8 on the BuzzAngle Top 30.
Sam Hunt’s Country “Road” to Pop
Brad Belanger, Manager
Zach Crowell, Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne, Songwriters
Greg Marella, EVP Promotion, Capitol Music Group
“Body Like a Back Road”
Even among Sam Hunt’s team, you won’t find a lot of people who’ll brag that they knew “Body Like a Back Road” would become one of the year’s ubiquitous hits even outside of its natural habitat in the country format. “The song was made for country radio,” says Hunt’s manager, Brad Belanger, “but with the huge numbers we saw there, it naturally made its way to pop and hot AC.”
Well, “naturally” may understate the effort involved in breaking the song into pop. “I couldn’t even tell you when the last one crossed over into pop,” says Greg Marella, Capitol’s exec VP of promotion. (Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise,” from 2013, is generally regarded as the most recent.) “You’re instantly met [at pop radio] with ‘Country records don’t work,’ and they give you the examples of the ones that tried and failed,” he continues. “Point out what their consumption numbers are, though, and they had to wrap their heads around why the song hasn’t left the top 5 of iTunes for months.” For the full profile, click here.
Steve Blatter
SiriusXM Senior VP/GM of Music Programming
While still in college, Blatter started working in promotion and programming for WXRK (K-Rock) in New York City before moving on to senior roles at country-leaning WYNY-FM and MJI Broadcasting. He subsequently created one of the earliest music-recommendation and playlist-creation systems, which became part of Yahoo Music Jukebox. He has been head of music programming for Sirius since 2003 and has ridden the company’s wave of growth since Howard Stern came aboard in 2006. With SiriusXM now included on many car dashboards, its 100-plus music formats will soon become even more influential — its Hits 1 channel has been a launching pad for numerous songs on the BuzzAngle Top 30 list.
Zane Lowe
Lead Anchor, Apple Music’s Beats 1 Radio
The New Zealand-born DJ relocated to London and quickly became one of the most influential tastemakers in England, with a BBC Radio 1 evening show that lasted from 2003 to 2015. Two years ago, Jimmy Iovine brought him into Apple Music to helm its Beats 1 radio station, and Lowe has brought to it the same adventurous programming, exclusive premieres and incisive interviews that he did to the BBC. Lowe’s interview with Ed Sheeran in January helped launch the singer-songwriter’s new album, “Divide,” and bring the single, “Shape of You” to the top of the BuzzAngle heap.
Paul Tollett
Goldenvoice CEO
It may seem unusual to include a live-entertainment executive in a Hitmakers list, but the man who launched Coachella in 1999 has helped propel the careers of so many artists that his influence extends far beyond the festival stage. Among the BuzzAngle Top 30 artists who appeared at the 2017 festival were Kendrick Lamar, DJ Khaled, Travis Scott, Future and Lil Uzi Vert. Headliners receive between $3 million and $4 million for playing, but it’s the undercard where music discovery is most acute, with Tollett personally booking the 150 or so acts each year.
Tom Poleman
iHeartmedia Chief Programming Officer
IHeartMedia, with 855 stations, is the largest radio chain in the U.S. and plays an undeniably vast role in breaking songs into the mainstream. In recent years it’s doubled down on showcase events like the iHeartRadio Music Festival (which this year featured BuzzAngle charters The Weeknd, DJ Khaled and Big Sean) and the iHeartRadio Music Awards (Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, The Chainsmokers and Coldplay). Poleman has a big hand in determining the popular music that gets played on terrestrial radio today.
Steve Boom
VP, Amazon Music
Amazon is the quiet giant of the music world, with a powerful streaming service (available free to Prime subscribers) and a lock on the distribution of physical music product. And while the company targets more casual music fans than Spotify or Apple do, its reach is vast and about to get bigger: Amazon Music Unlimited was launched in October 2016, and voice-activated Echo and Echo Dot through Alexa have added another vital element to the notion of song discovery and recommendation.
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