Traci Adams

Executive vp of promotion

Stephanie Yu

Executive vp of business and legal affairs

Sandra Afloarei

Senior vp of commercial partnerships

From superstar Travis Scott to newcomer Tyla, the Epic Records team ended 2023 on a series of high notes. Scott landed a Grammy nomination and his third Billboard 200 No. 1 with Utopia, debuting with 496,000 equivalent album units. Then there was the global breakout success of Tyla, whose top 10 Hot 100 hit “Water” earned the South African artist her first Grammy. Also making waves: 21 Savage, who teamed with Drake for the Grammy-nominated Her Loss, and rap legend André 3000’s first solo release, New Blue Sun, which hit No. 1 on Billboard’s New Age Albums chart.

Dahlia Ambach-Caplin

Senior vp of A&R and artist development

After Verve acts earned best new artist Grammy nominations three times in the past four years, Verve singer Samara Joy won the honor (as well as the Grammy for best jazz vocal album) at the 2023 ceremony, “which was truly incredible,” Ambach-Caplin says. Other highlights of the past year? “Jon Batiste released World Music Radio, his follow-up to We Are,” which won the 2022 album of the year Grammy, “and his new album earned six Grammy nominations, including album of the year, record of the year and song of the year,” she says. “I am also proud that we signed exciting artists l

Caryl Atwood

Senior vp of commercial partnerships

Taylor Lindsey

Senior vp of A&R

Angie Magill

Senior vp of legal and business affairs

In 2023, both established and emerging SMN artists reached new career heights. Two-time Country Music Association entertainer of the year Luke Combs joined Tracy Chapman for a riveting Grammy performance of her 1988 hit, “Fast Car,” after his version reached No. 2 on the Hot 100, earning him both single and song of the year honors at the 2023 CMA Awards. Additionally, newcomer Megan Moroney broke through with “Tennessee Orange,” which reached No. 4 on the Country Airplay chart. “It has been amazing to see all the global success that Luke Combs and ‘Fast Car’ has received,” Lindsey says, “but also watching the meteoric rise of Megan Moroney. She just radiates star power, has a vision, is a proven hit-maker, critically beloved and here to stay.”

Rayna Bass

Co-president

The past year brought a big comeback for 300 Entertainment imprint YSL Records, despite legal issues involving two of its biggest stars, Gunna and Young Thug. Gunna (who resolved gang-related criminal charges in December 2022 with a plea bargain) released A Gift & A Curse, his fourth album and fifth Billboard 200 top 10 project, which includes his first solo Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit, “fukumean.” Young Thug (whose trial on gang-related charges resumed in January) dropped his third album, Business Is Business, which debuted at No. 2 on the chart. Bass calls rising Atlanta rapper Hunxho “the biggest artist development story for us over the last 12 months,” as he was recently mentioned on Spotify’s Most Necessary Artists to Watch list for 2024. “When looking at last year and all that we were able to accomplish, I can’t help but reflect on how truly rewarding it is to work alongside so many amazing women — incredible partners like [Gunna’s manager] Ebonie Ward — and to lead a talented team of women executives at 300.”

Bianca Bhagat

GM

Bhagat’s innovative marketing campaigns resulted in a record year for AWAL, which garnered 19 gold certifications, six platinum certifications, four double-platinum certifications and two triple-platinum certifications from the RIAA and multiple Grammy Award nominations. Bhagat’s work with jazz artist Laufey helped the singer-songwriter to exceed 10 million daily digital service provider streams and 800 million U.S. streams. Bewitched, Laufey’s Grammy-nominated second album, hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Jazz Albums and Traditional Jazz Albums charts. AWAL clients Laufey, Dayglow and Lizzy McAlpine each reached 1 billion streams worldwide, while JVKE hit 2 billion.

Stacy Blythe

Senior vp of radio promotion

Brianne Deslippe

Senior vp of global marketing and strategy

Candice Watkins

Senior vp of marketing

Big Loud had a big year in 2023. According to the company’s tallies, Big Loud released 14 new projects, including nine debuts, and achieved 53 RIAA sales certifications and more than 16 billion global on-­demand streams. Big Loud was named the No. 1 country airplay label of the year on Billboard’s year-end charts. With the organization also expanding into the United Kingdom and Australia, “it is a unique, important time at our company,” Watkins says, “and we are thrilled to help lead our incomparable staff to new heights in 2024.”

Giselle De Armendi

Senior vp of business and legal affairs

Warner Music Latina’s roster expanded in 2023, with De Armendi spearheading negotiations with newly signed artists, including Yandel, which marked the reggaetón hit-maker’s first deal with a major label, and Argentine star Maria Becerra, who in May received the Visionary Award at the inaugural Billboard Latin Women in Music gala. De Armendi also structured and executed Natanael Cano’s album deal and extended Blessd’s agreement with the label. “These accomplishments have not only fueled the artistic essence of Warner Music Latina,” she says, “but have also been an honor to champion.”

Mildred Delamota

Senior vp of video production and content

Bianca Ortega

Vp of marketing and digital

Erin Manuzza

Senior director of digital marketing

Sammye-Ruth Scott

Senior director of A&R

Ensuring the success of the Barbie soundtrack required the execution of a global, multipronged strategy. “We created multiple vinyl variations and retail exclusives to cater to Barbie and music collectors, which led to the biggest vinyl sales week for a theatrical film soundtrack in [Luminate] history,” Ortega says. “We mobilized Atlantic/Warner teams across the globe to promote the soundtrack with localized marketing campaigns. And we worked closely with Warner Bros. Pictures and Mattel to cross-promote and amplify the soundtrack throughout the Barbie universe.” The efforts resulted in the soundtrack earning 126,000 equivalent album units in its opening week, marking what Delamota calls “a huge moment in pop culture.”

María Fernández

COO

Gaby Martínez

Senior vp of marketing

Karina Puente

Vp of promotion

“One of the key highlights for our company has been to witness and be part of Shakira’s monumental year with her music, surpassing anyone’s expectations,” Martínez says, citing the success of tracks like “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” alongside Bizarrap. With four new chart-toppers on Latin Airplay in 2023, Shakira extended her record as the female artist with the most No. 1s and helped Sony Latin become the Top Latin Label on Billboard’s year-end charts. The dominance extended across genres and formats: Sony Latin topped 2023’s year-end Hot Latin Songs Label, Latin Airplay Labels, Tropical Airplay Labels, Latin Pop Airplay and Latin Rhythm Airplay lists. “It’s a moment in history when you can show that Latin music is not only one genre,” says Fernández, whom RIAA Honors recognized as industry executive of the year. For her, the accomplishments go beyond charts. In the past year, Fernández has also been active in mentoring a new generation of executives, especially women, saying, “I feel very proud of the accomplishments in terms of getting them ready to be promoted, changing jobs and doing new things in the organization.”

Wendy Goldstein

Co-president

Danielle Price

Executive vp

Christina Suarez

Executive vp/head of business affairs

Julie Vastola

Senior vp of creative

The past year “was monumental for Republic,” Goldstein says. The likes of Taylor Swift, Morgan Wallen and best new artist Grammy nominee Noah Kahan helped lift the label to a staggering 13.5% current market share, a testament to its artists “who continue to raise the bar in our industry.” More than that, Goldstein says, “our top priority remains uplifting a new generation of music industry leaders, and we are so proud that we’ve been able to empower our female staff at every turn.” She adds, “The accomplishments that these ladies have had this past year are remarkable … It’s just the beginning, though.”

Jane Gowen

Executive vp of marketing and A&R

Gowen is especially proud of overseeing UMe’s “rapid transformation” in catalog marketing and A&R, which yielded major wins. She cites a multiterritory influencer campaign for Aqua’s “Barbie Girl,” a user-generated and sped-up version of Mariah Carey’s “It’s a Wrap,” a wedding season campaign for Andrea Bocelli and “the grand finale” of Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” finally topping the Hot 100. “All resulted in incremental track streams across the catalog,” she says, and also “led the A&R team to develop and work with creators on alternate versions, which is a developing and ever-changing strategy for catalog tracks.”

JoJamie Hahr

Executive vp of recorded music

“2023 was a year of pinnacle benchmarks and breakout success for our artists and team,” Hahr says. Jason Aldean achieved a new peak when his single, “Try That in a Small Town,” earned him his first Hot 100 No. 1, and sparked debate over its message. “Lainey Wilson became the fastest-growing artist in 2023 and continued to break through that glass ceiling,” Hahr says. Wilson’s “Watermelon Moonshine” led Country Airplay in October, making her the first solo woman to lead the chart in two years, and her Bell Bottom Country won the Grammy for best country album. Additionally, Hahr nods to breakthrough artist Jelly Roll, who scored three Country Airplay chart-toppers and a best new artist Grammy nomination. “Jelly Roll is the most influential, life-changing artist I’ve had the honor to work with,” she says.

Allison Jones

Executive vp of A&R

Jones, who handles BMLG’s 40-plus artist roster, has seen a “plethora of new signings” this past year. Highlights of 2023 include Thomas Rhett’s 19th Country Airplay No. 1 in a 10-year span with “Angels Don’t Always Have Wings,” Sheryl Crow’s ­induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Carly Pearce notching her first Grammy win for “Never Wanted To Be That Girl” (with Ashley McBryde). “Our team has released more than a dozen albums including Riley Green’s Ain’t My Last Rodeo, Tim McGraw’s Standing Room Only and Dolly Parton’s Rockstar,” she says. Rockstar debuted at No. 1 on Top Country Albums and No. 3 on the all-genre Billboard 200, earning Parton the highest rank of her career.

Juliette Jones

COO

Alamo had a “banner year” in 2023, Jones says, with the launch of Santa Anna, a new artist and ­label services company, and releases from Lil Durk and Rod Wave. Durk’s “All My Life” ­(featuring J. Cole) peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 in May, while his album Almost Healed hit No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with 125,000 equivalent album units, marking his biggest solo debut yet. Rod also enjoyed the best first-week sales of his career in September, when Nostalgia debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 137,000 equivalent album units.

Michelle Jubelirer

Former chair/CEO

Jenny Swiatowy

Senior vp/head of creative sync licensing and soundtracks

Jessica Eason

Vp of marketing

Read the full profile on Billboard‘s 2024 Women in Music Executive of the Year here.

Nitsa Kalispera

Executive vp of global recorded music supply chain operations

Elise Stawarz

Vp of digital marketing US

Vanessa Sylvia

Vp of streaming US

Under new CEO Thomas Coesfeld, BMG brought all digital operations in-house, winding down its agreement with Warner Music Group’s ADA. “This strategic shift not only aligns with our mission to provide artists with the most effective and efficient services but also solidifies BMG’s position as a trailblazer in industry innovation,” Kalispera says. In addition, BMG formed a new alliance with Universal Music Group to handle its physical product. “In this exciting new chapter for BMG,” she says, “we’ve enhanced our capabilities to market, service [and] build audiences and drive revenue for our remarkable artists.”

Natasha Kilibarda

Vp of marketing and creative strategy

“Last year felt like a season of milestone firsts for much of Island’s female-dominated roster,” Kilibarda says. Whether helping facilitate career-high streaming gains for Sabrina Carpenter following the release of “Feather”; kicking off the stratospheric rise of pop newcomer Chappell Roan with her debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess; or booking artists like Remi Wolf, Angèle and Nia Archives for their first Coachella performances, Kilibarda and Island helped lead the way for women in music in 2023. “It’s a gift to work alongside artists as they experience these moments for the first time,” she says. “I’m honored to work with a team full of people who tirelessly grind to ensure we continue creating them.”

Lyn Koppe

Executive vp of global catalog

Overseeing the immense Legacy Recordings/Sony Music catalog, Koppe spent 2023 commemorating anniversaries of classic albums — like Daft Punk’s 2013 Grammy-winning masterwork, Random Access Memories, and Pink Floyd’s 1973 classic-rock opus, The Dark Side of the Moon — with extensive reissues and promotional campaigns. Last year, Koppe also worked a new-old smash: Miguel’s 2011 hit “Sure Thing,” which was revived on TikTok, then took off on streaming and radio, ultimately reaching a higher Hot 100 peak (No. 11) than in its original early-2010s run. “Each of these campaigns showcased our commitment to innovation and remaining authentic to the artists’ voice and DNA,” Koppe says. “It truly is a privilege to be involved with such iconic and culturally relevant artists, albums and songs.”

Cat Kreidich

President

Kreidich proudly states that “our ADA teams across the globe have dedicated themselves to building and breaking talent across time zones and languages, working closely with our label and artist partners to adapt and weave their songs into local cultures.” Their efforts have yielded results: Quevedo dominated Spain’s No. 1 spot for eight weeks with “Columbia”; Mexico’s Bellakath landed her first hit, “Gatita,” on Spotify’s global charts; and Australian artist Kerser topped the Australian Recording Industry Association albums chart. ADA’s partnerships with tastemakers like 10K Projects, Rostrum Records, Twenty Two Recordings, HEROES Fund and more have solidified its reputation as a go-to partner for emerging talent worldwide.

Cris Lacy

Co-chair/co-president

Kristen Williams

Senior vp of radio and commercial partnerships

Bailey Zimmerman continued his breakthrough success in 2023, receiving the country Rookie of the Year honor at the 2023 Billboard Country Live event in June and earning two Country Airplay chart-­toppers, “Religiously” and the six-week No. 1 “Rock and a Hard Place.” He also released Religiously. The Album., which made a top five debut on Top Country Albums. “Bailey is an artist that has been welcomed with open arms in every facet of the country format,” Williams says, “and the sky is the limit for this newcomer.”

Andy Larsen

Head of sales

Larsen, who became head of sales at Beggars Group in 2022, coordinated more than 20 midnight listening sessions for Queens of the Stone Age’s eighth studio album, In Times New Roman… The release dominated Billboard’s rock charts, debuting at No. 1 on Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums, Top Alternative Albums and Top Hard Rock Albums. “I appreciate how well Beggars Group works as a team,” Larsen says. “I love the satisfaction I get when my team pulls off a major campaign.”

Annie Lee

CFO

Michelle An

President of creative strategy

Brenda Romano

President of promotion

Nicole Wyskoarko

President of A&R

Focusing on “both long-term and short-term successes,” as Lee puts it, the storied Universal Music-owned label spent the past year partnering with rising international star Karol G in a $100 million deal, releasing Olivia Rodrigo’s second album, GUTS, on the “revitalized” Geffen Records imprint and developing new international stars like música mexicana singer Xavi, who started 2024 with a No. 1 single, “La Diabla,” on Hot Latin Songs. The label also released new albums by The Rolling Stones and Kali Uchis. Says Lee: “It has been really gratifying to see all areas of the company come together.”

Milana Lewis

CEO

Kristin Graziani

President

Last year, distribution and payment company Stem Disintermedia launched Tone, a new business and brand under the Stem umbrella “to modernize the music industry’s financial infrastructure,” Lewis says. For its partner labels, including Quality Control, she says, “Tone makes it seamless for them to process sales and cost data, calculate royalties quickly and accurately, deliver payments to an entire roster and act on data-driven insights they find in their dashboard. Artists have a clear and accurate picture of their finances.” Stem also last year raised $250 million from investment firm Victory Parl Capital for artist advances. “Simultaneously,” Graziani says, “our artist and label strategy team worked closely with the artists to whom we deployed those advances to generate impactful opportunities and reach new milestones.” She cites the company partnership with LANY on the band’s Pop Airplay breakout, “XXL”; Justine Skye on her TikTok hit “Collide”; and Jeezy’s album I Might Forgive… But I Don’t Forget, which reached No. 5 on Top R&B Hip-Hop Albums and Independent Albums.

Karen Lieberman

Vp of sales and digital

Laura Gonzalez

Director of marketing

Over the past year, Disney Music Group has driven sales of Encanto’s smash soundtrack long after the film’s 2021 release. Included in the push was a Hollywood Bowl concert that debuted as a special on Disney+ in 2022 and scored four Emmy nominations. Gonzalez calls the sustained campaign “an extraordinary example of collaboration and synergy” between Disney Music and the broader Walt Disney Company that included staying on top of social media trends and “reacting quickly to the ‘[We Don’t Talk About] Bruno’ phenomenon.” DMG also enjoyed success with last summer’s The Little Mermaid soundtrack, which hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Soundtracks chart in June.

Cindy Mabe

Chair/CEO

Chelsea Blythe

Executive vp of A&R

Lori Christian

Executive vp of marketing

Several artists on UMGN’s roster reached new career heights last year. Jordan Davis released his album Bluebird Days, which featured his fourth No. 1 Country Airplay hit, “What My World Spins Around,” and the No. 2 “Next Thing You Know.” The War and Treaty released its first major-label album, Lover’s Game, and garnered two Grammy nominations in categories including best new artist. Chris Stapleton released Higher, which includes the two-time Grammy-winning song “White Horse.” The year ended with a renewed marketing push for Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” released through UMGN, which topped the Hot 100 for three weeks and scored over 2.5 billion global on-demand streams.

Simone Mitchell

President

Mitchell says she’s “continuing to focus on QC and our expansion” in the wake of South Korean entertainment giant HYBE’s $300 million acquisition of QC parent company QC Media Holdings in February 2023. Quavo released his second solo album, Rocket Power, in honor of late Migos member Takeoff, and the set debuted in the top five of the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. “I was executive producer on Caresha from City Girls’ podcast, Caresha Please,” she adds, “which was No. 1 on Apple and won a BET Award two years in a row.”

Amanda Molter

General counsel

The top story at Concord this past year was its acquisition of Round Hill Music Royalty Fund, a U.K. publicly listed company. The deal added over 150,000 songs to Concord’s publishing catalog. “Our ability to play on a global stage and impact culture on a global scale has never been more clear,” Molter says. “Alongside this acquisition, we concluded a second asset-backed securitization [following a $1.8 billion ABS deal last year] valued at $500 million, ensuring that Concord has the financial force to continue to evolve and expand.”

Michele Nadelman

CFO

Dionnee Harper

Executive vp of marketing and artist development

Karen Kwak

Executive vp/head of A&R

The breakthrough success of soulful pop singer Teddy Swims, who first gained fame for his YouTube covers of songs including Shania Twain’s “You’re Still the One,” was a high point of the past year, Harper says. He logged his first No. 2 hit on the Hot 100 with his original track “Lose Control.” “I am really proud of the way that the entire company came together to strategize on how to break the song — and, ultimately, the artist, in every way possible, on a global level,” Harper says. “People showed up from every corner of the company, across genres and departments, to support each other.”

Natina Nimene

Executive vp of promotion and artist relations

Marisa Lauro-Norris

Senior vp of international marketing

Charlene Thomas

Vp of marketing

Ahead of Def Jam’s 40th anniversary this year, Nimene hopes to capitalize on the momentum of the label’s rising acts, especially in R&B. Coco Jones spent four weeks at No. 1 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay with “ICU” and nabbed five Grammy nominations and a win for best R&B performance. Philadelphia-raised singer Fridayy notched his first solo Hot 100 song in February with “When It Comes to You” after playing an instrumental role in DJ Khaled’s Grammy-nominated “GOD DID” in 2022. “We are steadfastly committed to artist development, and the team continues to deliver bold plans on our dynamic roster of new talent,” Nimene says.

Alejandra Olea

Managing director

Andreea Gleeson

CEO

The roster of Believe Americas represents “the richness and diversity of Latin music’s regional genres,” Olea says of the digital music company’s success over the last year, which includes signing Grammy-nominated singer João Gomes and Mexican rapper El Pinche Mara and partnering with Grupo Frontera, whose Grammy-nominated collaboration with Bad Bunny, “un x100to,” topped the Billboard Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts. Believe also reached No. 1 on the latter chart by way of Iñigo Quintero’s “Si No Estás.” Those achievements and others “were made possible thanks to the collaborative work between our international teams and our key digital music partners, a true testament to Believe’s ability to develop artists multi-locally and globally,” Olea says. At TuneCore, which Believe acquired in 2015, the company has shifted under Gleeson from an automated distribution platform to a technology-based artist development platform. TuneCore Accelerator is a suite of products designed to drive discovery of music, expand audiences and promote deeper fan engagement at every phase of artists’ careers, according to the company. “What the majors have traditionally done with people, TuneCore now does with technology — at scale,” Gleeson explains, “powered by strategic partnerships, proprietary programs and algorithms built in-house by TuneCore and its parent company, Believe.”

Jessica Park

Global label director

Secretly Group has celebrated the success of ­Mitski’s “My Love Mine All Mine,” on the Dead Oceans label, which has achieved nearly 1 billion global streams, spent six weeks atop the Billboard TikTok Top 50 and ascended to No. 26 on the Hot 100 — making it the fastest-growing streaming hit and highest-charting single in the history of Secretly Group. Park proudly notes that the success reflected “a true team effort by all” at the Dead Oceans label, which is part of Secretly. “This year,” she says, “I’m looking forward to seeing the growth of several exciting new signings across Secretly Group.”

Jacqueline Saturn

President, North America/executive vp of global artist relations

Joy Larocca

Executive vp/CFO

“We are in the process of successfully transforming two great organizations — Virgin Music and ­Ingrooves Music Group — into one global organization,” Saturn says of the evolution in the past year of Virgin Music Group. “The culture we are building with these teams as we differentiate ourselves and establish ourselves as the best global partner for independent artists and labels has been really important to all of us.” The company’s recent successes include “Calm Down” from Rema and Selena Gomez, on Mavin Records, its highest-charting hit in the history of the Hot 100; “Ella Baila Sola” from Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma on DEL Records, the highest-charting regional Mexican song in Hot 100 history; and Jung Kook’s “Seven” (featuring Latto), which debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100. “Being able to deliver for label and artist partners across such a diversity of genres,” Saturn says, “is really very gratifying for all of us at Virgin Music Group.”

Doreen Schimk

Co-president

“Komet,” a collaboration between iconic singer-songwriter Udo Lindenberg and rapper Apache 207, which held the top position for a record-breaking 21 weeks. The label also opened a large office in Berlin and redid its Hamburg, Germany, headquarters. “It’s about taking advantage of both cities,” Schimk says, “and I think it has helped to transform our culture.” Additionally, the company scored some global success with DJ Bennett. “It’s about local love,” Schimk says, “and global impact.”

Kakul Srivastava

CEO

Seeking to represent sounds from across the globe, Splice tapped Southeast Asia by launching Aaroh, a new sample label representing the sounds of South Asia. The platform also supported its community of women creators through the launch of Diamonds on the Splice Discord server, a channel led by producer MNDR. Srivastava says music schools across the United States benefited from Splice’s Create mode, which offers new options to recording artists. “Through all of these relationships,” she says, “we are empowering the next generation of creators with new technology designed to help them start with sound.”

Colleen Theis

President/COO

Tricia Arnold

Executive vp of global label management and sales

Mary Ashley Johnson

Executive vp of sales and artist and label services for U.S. and Canada

Laura Tesoriero

Senior vp of Latin

“Our clients continued to break cultural boundaries, topping charts and setting the bar,” Theis says of the company’s label partners this past year. The Orchard’s 8.7% current market share in 2023 — by far the highest for any independent distributor — establishes it as an industry leader, with clients consistently occupying 10% of Spotify’s Global 200, according to the company. The meteoric rise of Peso Pluma — who is pushing música mexicana to new heights — offers a prime example of The Orchard’s success, as well as RAYE’s debut album, My 21st Century Blues, which earned her a record-setting seven BRIT Award nominations. Theis adds that the 50/50 gender split of Orchard’s workforce also “sets us apart as a company,” fostering an inclusive and creative culture.

Maria Weaver

President

In an era when the power of fan armies is arguably at a historic peak, Weaver’s duties include overseeing WMX’s direct-to-fan and merchandising operations. The past year’s efforts have “significantly improved customer satisfaction,” she says, with better efficiency, “[freeing] up space for us to focus more on collaborations with artists.” Take the recent win-win for Melanie Martinez, whose PORTALS album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in April — her best showing yet — while a perfume, sharing the same name, “sold out within 48 hours” of its fall launch.

Betsy Whitney

Marketing vp

Chika Ifediora

Digital marketing manager

Samantha Sonkin

Marketing senior director

The first two months of Columbia Records’ 2023 were more jam-packed than most labels’ full year. Not only were its artists Harry Styles and Beyoncé huge winners at the 2023 Grammys — the former took home album of the year for Harry’s House; the latter set the all-time record for Grammy Award wins — but Miley Cyrus reintroduced herself as an A-list pop star with new album Endless Summer Vacation and its Hot 100-topping smash lead single, “Flowers.” Flash forward to the 2024 Grammy Awards, where Cyrus was a double winner, snagging her first two statuettes ever, for record of the year and best pop solo performance. “Miley is a once-in-a-generation artist, and being able to execute her vision on this album was an honor,” Sonkin says. “Seeing ‘Flowers’ resonate culturally and commercially around the world and go on to garner [Grammy success] was extremely fulfilling.”

Alicia Yaffe

Senior vp of catalog development and marketing

Yaffe takes pride in “testing out new technologies that will help our iconic catalog artists’ music remain at the forefront of [such] technologies and finding new audiences.” During the past year, with the consent and participation of the artists involved, WMG partnered with Endel, a company that used AI to create “functional” soundscape versions of albums by Roberta Flack and WAR. These collections are designed to advance cognitive states such as focus and productivity, relaxation and sleep. WMG also “built a fly ’90s-inspired side-scrolling game in the Sandbox for The Notorious B.I.G. and maximized TikTok trends to drive discovery for numerous artists including Talking Heads,” Yaffe says. “I’m very proud of my team’s innovative thinking while working to protect the artists’ integrity.”

Elsa Yep

COO

Celia Carillo

Executive vp of marketing

Universal Music Latino closed out 2023 winning big at the Latin Grammys in November, when Karol G’s history-making Mañana Será Bonito, her last album released through Universal Latino (she’s now at Interscope), won album of the year. Juanes scored his 25th Latin Grammy when he won best pop/rock album for Vida Cotidiana, and newcomer Joaquina — who most recently signed a management deal with Universal’s Global Talent Services — won best new artist. Furthermore, the label’s El Flamenco es Universal event during Latin Grammys week in Spain had a significant turnout, uniting over 120 artists onstage.

Camille Yorrick

Executive vp of visual content production

Niki Roberton

Senior vp of creative

Chloe Weise Donovan

Senior vp of A&R

Yorrick cites the “new heights” that many women on RCA’s roster reached in 2023. She notes that “whether it was SZA’s unique take on a romantic breakup with the hit ‘Kill Bill’; Doja Cat’s peek into her devilish alter ego on her new album, Scarlet; Tate McRae’s bold, pop diva arrival with ‘greedy’; or Victoria Monét leading next-gen R&B on Jaguar II, we were able to drive cultural conversations through their music and art.”